《Sword, Magic and Academic Society》
Vol. 1 - Ch. 1 - Reincarnation
"Young Master. ...Young Master Allen!"
Schord, the private tutor, hollered.
It happened out of nowhere, I just found myself reincarnated in a fantasy world of sword and magic as the third son of a viscount.
That was the short exnation.
The event leading to this realisation, in brief, could be said to be the bone-breaking study I was made to go through day and night because of the entrance exam to the Yulgria Royal Knight and Mage Academy (also called Royal Academy in short). Now add in the secret recipe of pressure from the family to pass at any cost and vi, the stress limit went through the roof and the psychological shock led me to recall the memories of my previous life.
"The entrance exam is just around the corner! Does the Young Master think he has all the time in the world to daydream like that?"
Schord''s sermon continued.
Due to the policy of my parents in the previous world, I had offered my whole youth to prepare for the exam.
s, you could say I wasn''t originally gifted in academics to begin with.
I had somehow managed to score enough to enter into a cram school in my hometown until high school, but sadly, I couldn''t perform the same miracle and failed in scoring for the prestigious National University of Tokyo that my parents wanted me to enroll in. Well, I did manage to gain admission to a famous private university after another year of gruesome study.
Didn''t they say habits cultivated at a young agested a lifetime?
Even when I became a college student, thepulsive thoughts to study kepting to haunt me, and the feeling of guilt never left me whenever I went to hang out. Such was what my mind was molded into.
My breaks during my college years were spent studying to acquire even more qualifications. Due to my condition, I ended up acquiring trivial and unspecified knowledge that generally served no purpose in anything.
"You are 12 years old, Young Master. Considering the time it''ll take to travel to the royal capital, I can only teach you for around 2 months at best! If we are blessed by the gods, and you manage to enroll in the Royal Academy, your ranking in the entrance exam and your ss assignment will greatly impact your future sess, career, promotions, and effectively your entire life! This exam is the turning point of your life, I''m not exaggerating this even a bit! Yet I don''t sense any urgency from you at all, Young Master. Are you even listening!?"
Was this a reincarnation gone wrong? This fantasy world was wildly different from my imagination......
I managed to score somewhat better than average in the university through cramming and thanks to that, I managed to find employment in a top-tier foodpany. I was finally relieved that all my hard work paid off.
s, the world never was as rosy as my parents made it out to be¡ª that qualification was all you needed.
The times had changed.
The things in demand weremunication skills, problem-solving aptitude, and most importantly of all, interest and curiosity in the things that held not an ounce of rtion to one''s work.
I raised the white g there. I mean, it was no different from saying ''Be a different person!''.
While my more capable colleagues were building their skills and achievements, I, who was only capable of doing what I was told and was easy to order around, diligently carried out tasks that anyone could do but avoided because they were too troublesome, and became a convenient yet unremarkable junior in the workce.
It wasn''t like it was worth doing, but the young me was satisfied with that. As the years piled up and I crossed the age of 30, I became the senior and the generation kept making progress so an even harsher reality was waiting for me.
Like the days of being scolded by my superior for being a ''wait-for-instructions kind of guy that wasn''t needed''......
My peers mocked me as ''AI-kun who breezes through easy tasks'', while my juniors talked behind my back,beling me ''useless''.
I attended seminars, acquired even more certification, and participated in volunteer work¡ª basically, I did everything in the name of ''self-improvement'' that you could find on the inte, all in the hopes of changing something. s, fate was a cruel mistress, and the fault apparentlyy in my thinking process, as a result, all my effort was for naught.
After bing a working adult, I drowned myself into reading online novels, especially the kinds with fantasy world reincarnation, to ease my boredom and escape from reality.
"Hmm? I''m awfully calm given the incredible situation......"
Wasn''t I taking all this reincarnation stuff too casually? No, I guess my sense of reality was off, my thoughts had yet to catch up with it, huh?
"I''m asking you to have some sense of urgency! This isn''t the time to be calm! Young Master, you are barely scoring passing grades!"
Damn, so noisy......
"For generations, the kids born in the Viscount Rovenne House are tasked with the duty to tackle the Royal Academy exam. s, none have managed to open this door of opportunity.
This is the dearest wish of Rovenne House for its 700 years of existence! Finally, the glorious future is just within reach!
If I were to bring shame upon the history of its family''s blood and tarnish the efforts and tears of the ancestors, I would not be able to face Master! I am fully prepared to apologize even in death as your exclusive tutor!"
What was this chant, a curse......?
So grim......
My cheeks twitched in response as I tried to calm Schord down for the time being.
"I am sorry, Gramps. I was just lost in thought. But fear not, I do have a sense of urgency. Please continue the lesson."
I raised my hand to stop his endless rant and bowed my head.
Though he gave me a doubtful look, he stopped after receiving a response from me.
"......As long as you understand. Let''s continue the lecture."
Despite his confusion, Schord resumed his lecture.
I think I know the reason behind his confusion. My response was unlike the usual me.
Blessed with the rtively well-off environment of a viscount family, and being the younger son that I was, I had been pampered and spoiled by those around me. This had, obviously, resulted in my character being that of a spoiled, selfish brat.
Had it been me before gaining my past life''s memories, I would have surely responded like this:
"Shut up! All everyone yaps about around me is to study from morning to night. I''m fed up with it!
Hell, what even is knight work? You just need to follow orders, be strong, and be able to make reliablerades in the tavern after working without stuttering or fumbling.
Continent''s history? Sorry, but I don''t see it helping me in my life in any way at all!
Mana conversion principle? What use does it even have for me who is in the bottom rung in terms of talent to release mana outside the body when the only thing I can do is body-strengthening magic!?
Do you think I''ll be a magic engineer or an Artificer? Mark my words, even if my armse off in today''s practice and my path to being a knight is cut off, it would never ever be possible!
The hell is wrong with the world forcing me to learn all these things knowing very well it is useless but nay, we gotta do it just because it''s covered in the entrance exam!
From which angle do you think an idiot who takes these unnecessary lessons can even serve any purpose?
Also......"
The past me would have directly poured out his grievances like that. A typical study-hating brat.
Truly a brat who has no idea of the real world.
Well, whatever. I would first need to sort out my situation.
First, I regained my memories of my previous life just a while ago. It''s a pain to keep repeating it like this, so let''s just say I ''awakened'' at the age of 12 after my reincarnation.
I did have the memories of the past 12 years living as ''Allen'' but perhaps my past life''s memories had influenced me as there were definitive changes in my personality and thought process.
Also, the past me had no interest in sports and was a studious introvert, so I felt like my past life''s character hadn''tpletely integrated itself. My current personality was more like a hybrid of ''Allen'' and the ''past me''. (T/N - It was the same mumbo jumbo of the Japanesenguage here which is hard to exin, about different pronouns. In short, think of it as the past him was calmer and more collected while the younger one uses a brasher tone)
After being exploited as a corporate ve, I fell ill and died at the age of 36.
This sorted out my identity issue so it was time to look into the country I was in and the environment around me.
I was the third son of the Rovenne Viscount family in the Yulgria Kingdom, the oldest kingdom on this continent which boasted a history of over 1,200 years.
The Rovenne Viscount family was located in the southeast region of the nation governed by Marquis Dragoon, who ruled over a fort city and several viges around it.
As for siblings, my eldest brother did challenge the Royal Academy entrance exam, though, like others, left his name in the 700-year history of the family as another dud. He then proceeded to take the civil servant course in the Aristocratic Academy located in the territory of Marquis Dragoon and graduated with fairly impressive grades. Following him, the second brother took the knight course from the same academy and he, too, graduated with good marks.
The first-born son wasn''t automatically entitled to the position of heir in this nation, but it was generally based on birth order, current head nomination, and the King''s approval.
Familial rtionships were good as their status, although unofficial as it was, was already decided with the eldest son being the head of the family with the next son as the spare in case of unfortunate situations but, for the most part, just an assistant to manage the territory.
The chance to be engulfed into some boorish inheritance strife was pretty much nil.
It was more or less decided that I would leave the house one day but if, by the grace of the gods, I managed to pass the exam of the Royal Academy, this would open the path for me to be a royal knight, enter the Kingdom''s knight order, or be a State Bureaucrat, which my family longed for so ardently...... It wasn''t certain so I should be more realistic.
I was pretty sure the tremendous authority gained through it would undoubtedly promote the family''s influence in both open and private rtions.
The pressure on my shoulders was immense.
By the way, both the Royal Academy and the Noble Academy offered not only knight courses but also civil servant and mage courses. My eldest sister, four years my senior, attended the Aristocratic Academy''s Mage course (Artificer Major) and graduated with the first-grade score.
As a matter of fact, she would have surely broken through the fate of being another failure in achieving sess in the Royal Academy.
Everyone in the family believed so. However, that year, the magic aptitude threshold happened to be set unreasonably high, and she ended up failing.
This was a moat that couldn''t be crossed over no matter the hard work. The god of exams didn''t have any chill even in another world, huh? What a harsh world.
After graduation, she enrolled in the prestigious Advanced Magic Device Research Institute, something very tough to get into, and has been busy with her research ever since. It had been a while since Ist saw her.
Back when she was still at home, she used to dote on me too much, I was like the apple of her eye. But, the current awakened me now could tell that she was a severe bro-con......
She also sent me letters, too frequently to be more precise, that I found annoying and didn''t bother replying to. Apparently, she cried to our parents about it.
However, our parents judged that it would hinder both of our studies so instead, they limited the letters to just once a month, with only three sheets at maximum. Also, in case they found her viting the rule, the letters would find their way straight into the fire instead of reaching me. She was still fuming over it.
No, seriously, I was damn scared of the cursed letter which was written with such tiny letters that one would need a magnifying ss to read it.
So, stopping at 3 boys and one girl was our siblingposition. It didn''t seem like there would be another addition to this dynamic either.
This might sound like a small family for someone with a Viscount status, but it is what it is. I think it was the influence of how this kingdom was made up. Long story short, there were too many aristocratic families.
The aristocratic system in this nation followed the usual hierarchy of Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, and Baron.
Dukes were treated as a sort of insurance for the continuation of the royal lineage. Seldomly, you would see them working as officials directly under the king, but basically, they didn''t have any territory. Instead, they were heavily involved in infrastructure projects such as roads and waterways, as well as groups like merchant associations and explorer associations where they had the most say. They wielded considerable authority.
However, the long years of history caused the duke families to increase in number which had begun to hurt the interest of the other nobles like Marquises and below. Naturally, what followed was a bloody political struggle and since then, the number of Duke families had been limited to just three.
Marquises govern over the region which were as big as the Kanto or Chubu region in Japan, and so far, there were only nine Marquis families in this vast (well not that I know which measuring unit they use to grasp its size) Yulgria Kingdom.
These Marquises were the undisputed leading aristocrats who oversaw diverse specializations that were in line with their respective territories including agriculture, forestry, mining, maritime, materials derived from monsters, and processed goods.
Each of the nine Marquis territories had its own Aristocratic Academy, a branch of the Explorer Association, and basically all the essential regional facilities you could think of.
The majority of the noble sons who fumbled their Royal Academy''s exam usually enrolled in the academies of their corresponding Marquises, the same type of academy my siblings graduated from.
After them, the Counts were somewhat medium-ish sized aristocrats who governed over territories asrge as a prefecture in Japan. Their territories generally consisted of multiple cities and arge number of viges. There were more than 80 Count families in this kingdom.
Many of the Count families ran advanced specialization schools that taught the core skills concerning their respective territories and industries. For example, the territories near the sea taught courses in sailing and fishing.
There were a lot, certainly, butpared to the next rank? They weren''t even worth mentioning.
The problem started from the Viscount rank, which included the Rovenne family as well.
Viscounts often possessed one or two central cities and the surrounding areas as their territories. The Rovenne family was one such typical viscount family. Basically, they were somewhat like the mayor of a city.
But, the lower you go down the hierarchy, therger the number of noble families. Following that logic, the number of Viscount families reached over a thousand.
Finally,ing to thest one, Barons were at the bottom of the barrel and were like heads of viges or frontier settlements, a far cry from the nobilities often imagined by the Japanese. In fact, many of them served as vige chiefs without being appointed as one. They maintained a close rtionship with their poption, and their lifestyles were pretty simple and modest.
Some barons may also visit the royal pce only once in their lifetime either when they were conferred or inherited the court rank.
Their count fluctuated quite frequently due to scandals or promotions, and ording to what I heard, no one correctly remembered how many of them there were as well as their names.
Once every decade, the royal court conducted a survey on the number of noble families and ording to thest survey, there were 8521 baron families. ......If you give it a bit of thought, that was one heck of a number, wasn''t it?
It was like a bargain sale of nobles but on the level of a congested summer beach in Shounan.
Anyway, the massive noble poption spurred the low birth rate among the aristocratic families.
Why? One primary factor was that this nation was quite developed. When a society''s system was well-established, everyone enjoyed a certain level of happiness, and when society was stable, it tended to lead to a decline in birth rates in any world or country.
It wasn''t like the threat of disease didn''t exist in this world or that monster attacks weren''t equally devastating, but the nobles understood well that rearing more children when they didn''t have a post to grant to their kids would result in conflict over inheritance, which was far riskier.
By the way, due to the long history of this kingdom and the abundance of noble families, manymoners also had noble blood. No wait, let me put it correctly, there were just so manymoners with noble lineage that you could try all you wanted, but you wouldn''t find a singlemoner whose ancestry wasn''t rted to nobles in one way or another.
This was the current situation of the noble families, and only one person could ever inherit the title from a family.
It has been 1,200 years since the country''s founding, and over the years, there has hardly been any major war, and while there was also the extreme threat from monsters once in a while, natural disasters hardly urred. Naturally, a low death rate meant a high poption, and consequently, a lot of people who couldn''t inherit a title. So where would they go? Yes, they were dropped to the rank ofmoner.
If you trace back the ancestry, it wouldn''t be rare to findmoners with royal lineage as well.
In the early days of the country''s founding, there weren''t as many noble families, and the gic traits that strongly indicated magical aptitude were more prevalent among the privileged sses, but now, there wasn''t as much of a gap in magical aptitude betweenmoners and the nobility.
So asionally there would bemoners with exceptional aptitude for magic, and in such cases, upper-ss noble families or their vassals, the houses of the retainers, may adopt them as adopted heirs.
But of course, in exchange for supporting their rise to prominence including preparing them for the Royal Academy, they were used to benefit the family who granted them all this.
After years of repeating the following practice, the notion of ''Noble Lineage'' has be an empty shell, and the only thing that remained relevant was the economic disparity.
So reincarnated I might be into a noble family as the third son of Viscount, I basically have zero chance of inheriting the title. I was a halfmoner already at this point unless I managed to find my way into the Royal Academy and would be a full-timemoner in case of failure. Who said reincarnation led to a rosy life?!
Yes, I am reincarnated into a noble family in a fantasy world of sword and magic. Yes, I am the unfortunate third son of a Viscount who was destined to be amoner in this academic-conscious society.
I almost wanted to flip the table. What the hell was with this reincarnation setting?!
Just as I was mentally screaming at my situation, I noticed Schord''s gaze staring at me.
"Young Master, you weren''t focusing on the lecture just now, were you? This Schord has been your exclusive tutor for 4 years. I can tell that much just from the look in your eyes. Why does Young Master......"
I swiftly raised my hand again to stop him from continuing.
"Rx, Gramps. I am properly listening to your lecture. Look, I am taking notes as well."
After saying that, I showed Schord the notepad as thick as three normal notebooks. In my previous life, no matter how boring the lectures were, I diligently and earnestly took notes for hours every day.
Even after turning into a working adult, recording everything about the meeting had unknowingly be my responsibility......
So I just found myself automatically summarizing the key points about the kingdom''s history and geopolitics¡ª which was at the level of middle or high school in my previous world¡ª even while I was lost in thought.
Well, considering my current age was 12 years old, maybe he broke down the stuff into easier bits for me to understand. Initially, Schord looked at my notes with suspicion, but soon he turned towards me with a deeply moved expression.
The notes sinctly and clearly summarized the lecture''s key points.
"What do you think, Gramps? Don''t hesitate to point out any mistakes in the notes."
With my first ever smug expression since my awakening, I spoke to Schord, who looked deeply moved all this time.
"......Atst, at longst, my sincerity finally reached you, young master!"
He spoke with a choking voice. However, realizing that praising me too much might make mecent, Schord reined in his emotions.
After all, I had endured four years of his relentless lecturing. It wasn''t hard to guess what he was thinking just by looking into his eyes.
"Yes, it''s amazing, but diligence is a continuous effort. Let''s keep this up without slowing down, work hard as if death is almost at your door for the next three and a half months! I, Schord, will definitely, absolutely lead you to sess, young master!"
Oh man, so intense...... And can you not speak about death to a nobleman''s son?
Though I understand where he wasing from, it would have been impossible for the previous ''Allen'' to neatly summarize the main point of the Gramps''s tedious lecture. I mean, it would have been a miracle if he could listen to it for one hour already.
After the sudden awakening, I could now tell exactly that it wasn''t ack of crisis awareness, mental maturity, or anything of that sort that hindered ''Allen''. It was just his inherent temperament that made it impossible for him to take notes about the lecture in which he didn''t hold any interest.
This called for themon temte in the early stages of reincarnation in another world: verification of one''s own ability affected by reincarnation.
Editor - So what do you guys think of the 1st chapter? Quite the info dump, I must say. Also the mc''s rant about his previous life was way too real ??
T/N - I can¡¯t imagine myself going through the same. Also, the Majority of info dump is only in this chapter.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 2 - Abilities Confirmation
One month¡ª the time It took me to confirm my abilities. With this, I had 2 months before the entrance exam, and considering the time it would take to travel to the royal capital, I effectively had around one month left.
In this one month, I had more or less gained an understanding of my abilities that were affected by my awakening.
To summarise all the verification I went through, there weren''t any obvious changes anywhere except in my intellect and character.
I mean, yeah, I had more or less intuitively understood that my only cheat was my reincarnation. I didn''t receive any deus ex machina-like power.
Depressed? Very. I didn''t think this even needed to be asked.
Though unexpectedly, my brain had been strengthened to quite a degree. The sole merit of awakening. Like, it didn''t simply enhance my intellect, it essentially made it easier for me to exhibit the best of my brain capability in the field of my interest.
Also, there was the fact that I reincarnated into the fantasy world of sword and magic which I had always yearned for. For ''Allen'', it was the normal world that he perceived as ''well, this is what it is'' in a corner of his mind. However, the ''awakened me'' was different as I was now deeply intrigued by my current world.
I also wanted to tryte-night magic practice¡ª one of the standard temtes at the beginning of reincarnation stories, though with no knowledge I didn''t know where to start.
So I started learning, craving for knowledge about magic theory, information about monsters, and the geography of the kingdom.
There was one more aspect that I found changes in. It was just my hunch, but I think the superimposition of memories had physically enhanced my brain capabilities. ''Allen'' originally had a much sharper mind than the ''previous me''.
''Allen'' was justcking when it came to memorization ability, otherwise, the speed and depth of thought were on a different level. Now, after awakening, the same abilities had gone up by one or two notches. Even in my previous life, I knew that the human brain could be trained and improved the more it was used.
For instance, reading a lot directly impactednguage skills, logical reasoning, and vocabry. One could easily filter out the idiots who didn''t read books. Another example would be children who had been learning mental maths from a young age could be unbelievably fast in mental calction.
These cognitive abilities were at their most flexible and developed rapidly during childhood.
In my case, the experience of 36 years from my previous life plus the 12 years in this world was loaded in the young brain of a 12-year-old. It was pretty much like cramming the time forcefully.
Normally, no matter how efficiently you crammed in knowledge, it was impossible. After all, time was impartial.
I was sure my brain right now must be full of creases after undergoing about four times the load at the age of 12. It was still a conjecture at best, and there was no definitive conclusion so I decided to ept it as it was.
Moving on to the athletic abilities, unfortunately, I didn''t see any visible changes. In fact, I was slightly worried that my already bad reflexes would be further impaired in the act of averaging them out as well. Honestly, I was d that it didn''te true.
My aptitude for magic, too, didn''t show any significant changes.
The magic ''Allen'' used was simply body-strengthening magic which enhanced one''s physical abilities by manipting the mana stored in the mana organ within the body.
It was a magic anyone could learn, or to put it in another way, it was an extremely convenient magic that was used bymoners and nobles alike.
For example, it boosted productivity in tasks like farmwork and carrying heavy loads.
That being said, the height one could reach in Body-Strengthening magic depended on the individual''s aptitude.
Two crucial factors influenced one''s aptitude for Body Enhancement Magic: the vessel that kept the mana within the body, in other words, mana capacity, and the mana maniption technique to freely control that stored mana.
Mana capacity was the product of one''s base ability to store mana¡ª which was said to grow until the age of 12¡ª and the manapression rate.
Basically, the base capacity was dependent on talent, while it seemed like the manapression rate could be improved gradually with hard work.
Naturally, the bigger your mana capacity was, the more mana you could use to fuel your magic for a longer duration.
The ability to manipte mana was kind of like intuition. Of course, it was possible to improve it through training to some extent, but it mostly inherently depended on natural aptitude.
''Allen'' was said to be blessed with a higher mana capacitypared to the average person, but his aptitude to manipte mana was in a league of its own.
I couldn''t test it out so it was hard for me to say how my ''senses'' fared in this world, but if the words of my martial arts instructor who taught practical skills were to be believed, my mana maniption ability alone would have been enough to grant me ess to ss A, the ce where the creme de creme of the students were assembled even for Royal Academy standards.
I just hoped this was not him mindlessly bootlicking.
Anyway, it seemed like my awakening didn''t affect my mana capacity and mana maniption ability in any way at all.
One''s mana capacity could be measured by a magic device, and after testing myself, I found no changes after awakening.
On average, including regr people, the basic magical power capacity was around 100. In my case, it was about 2000. However, I could absorb around 1.2 times the amount of mana through manapression, so it roughly tranted to 2400 as my maximum mana capacity.
Speaking of which, the average mana capacity of sessful applicants was 2000, while the cutoff threshold was 1000 (although the cutoff just happened to be unusually high, 1500, during my elder sister''s time). The leading candidate''s capacity exceeded 10,000 each year.
The best score in the entrance exam to the Royal Academy, which boasted a history of over a thousand years, was a record of 57000 from about 300 years ago. It was apparently achieved by a great magician, who waster hailed as the restorer of clinical magic, at the age of 12. Incidentally, and contrary to one''s assumption, he didn''t pass the entrance exam.
Apparently, he wasn''t fond of studying so he failed to reach the cutoff threshold for theoretical knowledge.
The god of exams has no chill no matter the world, huh?
This incident became the anecdote that symbolized the unwavering stance of the Royal Academy for theoretical knowledge. No matter how much one excelled in the practical exams, they would neverpromise on the other aspects.
It was also shaped into a moral tale told to children who made light of theoretical knowledge, and naturally, there wasn''t a time when the study-hating ''Allen'' before the awakening hadn''t been preached about that story.
On the flip side, it was hard to quantify one''s ability to manipte mana. Simple exercises that were easily quantifiable, like the physical fitness tests from my previous life, were heavily influenced by natural body coordination and there were many cases where mana capacity yed a vital role here.
However, a trained eye could easily tell the difference between the mana maniption aptitude of different people. They looked at aspects that were difficult to put into words or numbers such as instantaneous power when utilizing magic, integration of body movement, or chanting.
Of course, if there were significant changes in my magical maniption ability, I would be able to sense it intuitively.
In conclusion, there were no changes in my existing abilities except for the brain department.
Well, it wasn''t like there was really nothing apart from that. I did sense one huge change in me this month. Mainly in my vitality.
It''s hard to describe in words, but vitality was like a life force or the driving energy that helped ovee difficulties. It was abundantly present within me, and it was something I never felt in my previous life or even as ''Allen''.
It was just my intuitive feeling, but perhaps it was because my soul was twice as bigpared to others.
So this past month, I was verifying something to see if I could make full use of my exceptional vitality. What was it, you ask? It was, of course,
"Go~ Fireball!!!"
Whump!!
......I tried testing if maybe I could do it now.
I mean, I reincarnated into a world with magic. Who wouldn''t want to do that? Wasn''t that the romance of every man? I was undoubtedly from the sage clique.
......But this test only served to further reinforce the fact that I absolutely sucked at emission magic.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 3 - Lecture Time
Following my first failure, I was currently going through an even more rigorous trial in an attempt to harness my inner mana outside of my body.
But, every path has its puddle, no? In my case, it just happened to be that the Old Man''s ssessted from 8 in the morning to 7 in the evening. The only time I had for myself was before breakfast and after dinner, before going to bed.
If what I heard was to be believed, a day in a noble offspring''s life preparing for admission into senior high school like the Royal Academy typically consisted of training in sword art or magic in the morning, and lectures in the afternoon which meant they only studied diligently for four hours.
In my case, since I was prepared enough to score passing marks in the practical test, Schord proposed a very auspicious to the head (my father) to get my theoretical knowledge back on track and that was how all the time of my day was practically converted to grinding through theory subjects.
But¡ª¡ª
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM: Breakfast
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM: Linguistics & Literature
¡ªBreak¡ª
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM: Physics & Magic Theory
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM: Lunch
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM: Afternoon Nap
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM: History & Geopolitics
¡ªBreak¡ª
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM: Strategy & Politics
and sometimes stabbing
Vol. 1 - Ch. 11 - Entrance Exam (1)
On the morning of the exam, I woke up at 5 o''clock as usual. s, it was unfortunately raining.
The exam was held between 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. so I just needed to arrive there at that time. Due to the multitude of crowds, examiners were given quite the freedom from a time perspective.
I changed from my pajamas and put on my rain gear.
"Be careful. Are you going to run today as well?"
Mother came to see me off at the entrance.
"Well, yeah. Running is my daily warm-up, and it''s an important day. So I''m thinking of just acting as usual."
"Fufufu. Look at you, you''ve really matured. Take care, I''ll have breakfast prepared."
¡ô
Rainy days are usually dangerous, so it''s necessary to be more cautious than usual. It''s quite easy to slip and injure yourself during this time, after all. Why was I stating the obvious? Well, of course, it was due to the presence of Body-Strengthening magic in this world.
A single mishap in controlling the power could lead to a slip, so even a simple running exercise could result in a major injury.
The boots I was wearing were made from monster leather, which had good grip and water-repent properties that reduced the chance of slipping. Compared to the sneakers from my previous life, these far surpassed them. But then again, one couldn''t be too cautious on a rainy day.
Another way was of course to reduce the intensity of magic to prevent injury. Doing that would further reduce the chance of slipping.
But if I wanted to keep up my current speed and momentum, I needed to carefully assess the ground''s condition and adjust the mana intensity based on the slight sensation transmitted from my feet, stepping with just enough force. It was a simple yet profound process that required constant adjustments.
Skills that didn''t require much thinking and were learned through experience were the forte of ''Allen'' since the old days.
Overall, I enjoyed training on rainy days.
¡ô
After finishing my practice swings and returning home, I sat down for breakfast.
Since spring break was over and schools were going to open today, my elder sister was also awake. Unlike her sloppy appearance from the day before yesterday, she was wearing a fresh green dress adorned with a ribbon.
Her long hair was neatly braided, alternating with a somewhat in dark brown scarf. It was a gift I got for her when I had her give me a tour of the Royal Capital.
Originally, I nned to rest my body the day before the exam after training time basically to prepare myself.
I was feeling a bit guilty in the end so I asked her to apany me on a tour of the Royal Capital all day yesterday and gave her a cheap scarf as a thank-you gift.
When I offered the gift, she was deeply moved and started crying... Well, let''s not talk about that.
I had faintly sensed that the color of the gift she chose kind of matched my hair, but I pretended not to notice¡ Nevertheless, I never imagined that there was a technique to braid a scarf into one''s hair like this.
To be honest, I was a bit appalled. I really wished she could stop giving me mental damage on the exam day...
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
My mother served breakfast at the table.
Though we were just a bit better than the bottom-rung countryside nobles, we weren''t rolling in the money enough to hire a cook at our secondary residence, so our meals were prepared by her.
There was the usual sd, bread, cheese, ham, scrambled eggs, and surprisingly, the portable emergency food in in vor!
My eyes unconsciously lit up like an elementary schooler being served hamburgers, dumbfounding my mother a bit who uttered ''You''re still a child''. While my sister continued with her ''Allen-kun, cute~''.
Ugh... Well, whatever. At least, my sister had regained her cheerfulness as well.
I managed to recover from my damaged mental state from seeing her hairstyle by eating emergency rations.
¡ô
"Well then, I will see you off until the entrance, as you said. Good luck on your exam."
Usually, it was normal for nobles to be apanied by their father, butler, or private tutor until the entrance to the Academy where the exam would be held whening to take the exam for the Royal Academy.
However, just imagining being apanied by parents made my skin crawl from embarrassment so during dinnerst night, I told them they didn''t need to apany me.
"With your current conduct, I can now understand why that person allowed you toe to the Royal Capital alone."
Oh, you scored some brownie points, Father!
With one more worry weighing down my heart being resolved, my mood was lighter than ever.
"Then I''m going!"
Rain was drizzling down.
¡ô
With a leisurely pace, whilepressing the mana that I had used in morning training and filling it back to the pool, I walked toward my destination.
I reached the academy just barely in time when the hand of the clock was still 10 minutes away from ticking 10 a.m. Fortunately ¡ª or should I say as expected ¡ª the venue wasn''t jam-packed yet.
As for my at-thest-moment arrival, there really wasn''t any deep meaning behind it. Since there was usually a crowd present at the earliest time for pre-examination orientation, it was advisable to arrive a bitte. Well, it was the fairlymon ''We can''t let any incident happen, so let''s leave early'' scenario.
I would have left home with more time to spare as well if the Academy hadn''t been within walking distance.
I zigzagged through the crowd of examinees who were being encouraged by their parents or private tutors, crossed the main gate, and reached the reception under one of the countless tents running parallel to the cobblestone path.
There, they measured my mana capacity with their specialized magic tool.
"A value of 2488, that''s impressive! You can proceed straight along the cobblestone path and then follow the instructions to the practical exam venue."
The receptionist said so with a smile.
I looked ahead of the cobblestone path, and there, in a stupidly hugewn, I saw a vast number of examiners waiting anxiously.
......Oh, was that the waiting area for the preliminary mana capacity cut-off that I had heard rumors about?
The Academy tallied the mana capacity after 10 a.m., and those who weren''t able to make it to the first 3000 names were eliminated, not even given a chance to take the other exams¡ª a cold-blooded system.
Well, not that I didn''t understand why they were doing this as just conducting practical exams of all 10,000 examinees would take aplete day until nightfall to finish. And those who clearly surpassed a certain threshold were asked to head straight through without needing to wait on thewn.
I walked on the path while receiving the envious gaze of nearly 9000 people. Ugh, this is riling up my nerves... One person advancing meant there would be one more person going back among them.
I arrived in front of the white building where the guides were waiting.
Those aspiring mages-to-be, go right, while those with other specializations go left¡ª were the instructions.
I was quite curious about the situation on the right, but I trudged along to the left. From behind, I heard a roar of cheers and cries, like the rumbling of the earth...... Uh-oh, I gotta hurry up or I''d be embroidered in the remaining 2000 people rush......
¡ô
The practical field for the knight course was yet another stupidly huge ceyered with ck soil. It had be a bit muddy due to the morning rain, but the strange feeling of the soft earth under my feet was more of a concern.
It was apletely unfamiliar sensation.
One step, then another, I approached the reception while mentally refining the image of my mana maniption. Arriving at the reception, my eyes were dominated by a multitude of wooden swords of various sizes propped up everywhere.
Choose any of the weapons you prefer and head to any of the examiners you see standing in the training ground¡ª the receptionist told me when I conveyed my name.
"So anyone is fine?"
"Yes, it''s the same whoever you go against. The confrontation will be between the examinees themselves."
The amicable-looking receptionist, a young man, answered.
Were 3rd years going to help out in this? I chose a suitable wooden sword for myself and once again shifted my gaze to the examination venue¡ As far as I could tell, there was just far too much imbnce between each examiner and the number of examinees they were handling.
Well yeah, even if the battle was with fellow examinees, it was still a human endeavor. There would definitely be some sort of favoritism in y. I couldn''t see the whole grounds, but as far as I could see, there were already over a hundred examinees flocking around the amicable-looking examiners. On the other hand, the examiner just near the reception, which was built closer to the central area of the training ground, was...... a middle-aged man with an unkempt beard. His face looked scrunched up with obvious discontent.
He wasn''t even giving the examinees in his area a proper look¡ He definitely seemed like andmine. There were barely ten examinees around him.
He obviously had a hangover. He was giving the exact same vibes that my boss in my previous life used to exude when he was drunk and irked.
"Ugh, just stop your pathetic disy, you lot. You don''t have talent, go back."
''Shoo-Shoo'', he motioned an examinee to leave.
An intense look of despair appeared on the examinee''s face as they received the verdict.
It was unfortunate, but honestly, there was no one to me but the examinees themselves for charging in mindlessly. They could have gotten a clue from the examiner''s face which was obvious enough.
The god of exams is really weeding out those who aren''t up to par in every world, huh?
Just like the mana capacity test, this practical test also had a cut-off.
From the 3000 students, about 2000 who clearly haven''t met the standards would be screened out by the examiners until they narrowed down the numbers to 1000 examinees who would be taking the theoretical exam. While the actual details of the practical exam were modified to some degree depending on the year, if there was anything absolute, then it was that sess in the practical exam depended on the discretion of the examinees.
How much they grasped about the practical exam and how specific their n was as they confronted the exam determined their sess.
I thanked the 700 years of bitter history of my family in my mind and straight up ignored the unkept beardo.
......And just then, I seemed to have been called.
Editor''s note - The exam finally starts. 10 chapters of build-up, let''s see where it goes.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 12 - Entrance Exam (2)
"Ah, you. Youe here and ept the test."
I pretended not to hear the call and went ahead to my chosen ce. I mean, who would want to willingly jump at the lion''s mouth?
Also, the young receptionist from earlier had said I was free to select anyone after all! If there was an easy way, why would someone want to take the hard way, no?
Without slowing down, I walked straight toward the gentle-looking examiners. Alright, I choose you!
But the examiner with the unkempt beard further raised his voice seeing me ignore him.
"Damn you, you should be able to hear me, right!? Don''t ignore me!...... You''ve already passed so stop for me goddamnit!"
Huh? Passed?
His words were so surprising that I reflexively stopped in my tracks.
"...Good grief. You must be that person, right? That brat who''s been running around the perimeter of the Academy for thest 3 days? You know there''s been rumors about you, right?"
''??'' My mind failed to process his statement.
I was stupefied at why he knew I was running around the Academy, but even more than that, how did running around the academy lead to a rumor?
Unkempt beard heaved a sigh seeing my perplexed expression.
"You''re underestimating the security of this Academy too much. Did you think as long as you''re not touching the wall, you''re fine?... There are just too many idiots with unkind thoughts thate here before the entrance exam. Someone in charge of security, like me, gets immediately contacted when an unfamiliar brat with a not-so-normal pace loiters around the wall."
Not-so-normal pace? I didn''t think I had been running that fast. But I guess it was careless of me to run around in an attempt to make myself familiar with the Academy before the entrance exam.
Our territory was just in the countryside so we didn''t have them there, but I presume they must have had monitoring camera-like magic tools installed around the perimeter and that was how the Academy''s staff captured my movements.
"Certainly, I had been running around the Academy''s perimeter. Is there any problem?"
Considering the other case where they presented the proof, I admitted to it instead and carefully questioned him.
"Ah~, about that, huh? A lot of experts analyzed the picture and affirmed that you are just a country bumpkin who''s been cluelessly running around. That''s why there''s nothing to me on you."
Eh, so I hit the bullseye? Did they really have the equipment to record images? But, a lot of experts?
I did consider the possibility of there being a monitoring camera so I was d I didn''t try to scale the wall and take a peek inside.
"Anyway, that''s how the information came to me, the security-in-charge. I also watched the image and your actual performance while running. As far as I can tell, you have quite the skill so for the practical exam, you pass."
I see, so they already grasped the extent of my abilities even before the exam, just by watching me run for a short while? Was analyzing someone''s power ever so easy?
My mind had a nagging feeling kind of like a deja vu as I asked unkempt beard.
"I don''t think it should be that easy to grasp the extent of my abilities just by watching me run for a while......"
I mean if it was a first-ss professional, they might be able to estimate one''s level of mana maniption at a nce, but to urately understand someone''s capabilities should still be pretty tough.
Unkempt beard sighed upon hearing my question.
"Well, you''re right, it''s impossible normally...... However, you, you were running while it was drizzling, and that too on exam day.
Just what were you thinking¡
What were you nning to do if you failed the mana cutoff?... Though I guess that must be why you hade here at thest minute, to restore your mana. In the end, old man Godorfun bet you wille running today as well, and you did."
Haaa~ I see! I sort of get it!
For a moment, I panicked thinking maybe Fey had somehow improved the power level measuring magic tool enough to put it into practical use at thest minute and delivered it here...
So he betted on me?
¡ô
"You already know how dangerous it is to train on a rainy day. The required finesse in mana maniption is on apletely different level."
He must have been having a headache from his hangover so unkempt beard continued while pressing his temple.
"But, you, youpleted the circle around the Academy''s perimeter in 1 hour 40 minutes today,pared to your 1 hour and 28 minutes from yesterday. Not every 12-year-old is as exceptional toplete the course at this pace in the rain."
Hmm, I see... I guess it was better not to mention how I still ended up doing 12 hill sprints today with an uplifted mood due to the rain, unlike my usual 10 sprints. It mightplicate things.
"And that''s how your finesse in body-strengthening magic, especially your mana maniption, has been confirmed in thest two days. Though there is still a question about your pacing drop which depends on your stamina and mana capacity that I have yet to confirm."
¡As expected, there were no surveince cameras near that lovely hill to the southeast, huh?
After saying that, unkempt beard revealed a fierce grin.
"That''s why you passed. However, we still need to assign a score. Give me your best shot, even if it''s just one atta¡ª"
Just before unkempt beard could finish his words, in a split second, I channeled my strength to the max at once as I closed the gap between us andunched my attack¡ª an overhead strike.
However, he dodged the strike with unexpected but skilled footwork and a twist of his upper body. I knew it, he was in a league far above mine.
No other option, huh? I needed to take risks and aim for a short battle.
He kept his upper body in a twisted state while horizontally swinging the wooden sword.
I had already anticipated his move, so with enough leeway, I blocked it with my wooden sword while pretending to lose bnce, deliberately letting the force deflect my sword away.
Unlike my sister, Icked the skill to drop strength from a defensive position to create openings against opponents like unkempt beard.
Losing my wooden sword was a problem, but that was the sole way I could have created the opening.
Unkempt beard''s body slightly tilted to the left from losing the rebound force that he expected to be there.
Following that, I released my actual move¡ª a perfectly timed high roundhouse kick to his right.
"Grrr!"
The kick that I thought would decide the game ended up brushing past his forehead as he swayed skillfully to avoid the attack. With swift speed, he distanced himself with backsteps.
I seized a wooden sword from the nearby examinee and assumed a stance.
"...What an impertinent brat¡¡ You, was the t attack in the earlier... a bait to lure me?"
"You imed not to counterattack, yet your stance seemed primed for a counter. I wanted to limit your options, even if only slightly."
Hmm... This mean-looking in-charge currently had a hangover. Furthermore, he seemed to have lost a bet due to me (not my fault). So there was no way he would be receiving my attacks normally.
"...In the first ce, who attacks before the conversation even ends? Isn''t itmon courtesy to say something like ''I understand'' or ''I''m starting''?..."
''???'' Ah, true...!
I wished for a gentle elder sister who would give me a heads-up before attacking me......
"...Haa. Whatever. This is the end of the practical exam. As I said before, you... Speaking of which, what''s your name? You passed, so have lunch for now. The theoretical exam starts at noon. Also, take note that the examinees who passed the practical exams aren''t allowed to leave the premises before 3 p.m. Now head for the building you saw 5 minutes ago, the one you can see from the main gate."
"Thank you very much! My name is Allen Rovenne!"
The first impression was important. I knew the rules, so I followed the strategy from my previous life which I had learned during job hunting, and replied briskly, trying to give a refreshing impression.
I must say, it was wless.
Phew~. Alright! I managed to escape from the clutches of unkempt beard and avoid being mowed down in the practical exam!
I returned the wooden sword to the examinee who had been waiting there silently, uttered my gratitude, and made my way to the academy.
¡ô
On the way, I passed by an enthusiastic group of examinees. One of the strangers asked me how the exam was, so I replied that it was a simple test where examinees sparred with each other.
There was also one sweet-looking, adorable girl, so I quietly whispered to her ''The examiner with the unkempt beard near the reception is in a bad mood due to a hangover so don''t approach him''.
I hope we can be friends if she manages to pass the exam.
For lunch, I had my emergency portable ration (smi vor). After that, I entered the building set up for the theory exam.
Still, I was impressed by the Royal Capital, the ce for leading innovation. I was so moved after discovering the smi vor emergency ration during my tour of the Royal Capital yesterday¡¡ Though I still like the in vor¡¡
As told, I entered the exam venue before noon.
The exam papers for the five subjects ¡ª Physics, Magic Theory, Geopolitics & History, Military Strategy & Politics, and Linguistics ¡ª were distributed simultaneously. I tackled them in the order of my proficiency. Afterpleting them, I reviewed my answers. When I checked the clock, it was still before 3 p.m.
There was no irregrity worth mentioning in the theory exam.
I did find some subjects which were slightly more difficult than in the previous years but that was the same for everyone. It was simple, no amount of brainstorming would give you the answer if you didn''t know about the subject.
Everything ended before it even began. That was what academic tests were all about.
I reviewed my answers until the designated time to give my exams a proper closure, then left the Academy.
And thus, my three-month-long examination came to an end.
T/N - I was thinking in the previous chapter as well, but that power level measuring tool reminds me of scouter from DB. And damn, MC and his obsession with emergency ration. Maybe he reallynded in the correct world? A spartan society huh.
Editor''s note - So cameras in a fantasy world¡ Well, he did say it was a world of sword and magic. He didn''t say anything about it being a medieval one. (T/N: Apparently they even have monitor)
Vol. 1 - Ch. 13 - Result Announcement and Academys Instructors (1)
Before 4:00 p.m., I returned to the Viscount residence.
When I returned, I saw Mother and Elder Sister fidgeting while waiting for me at the entrance. They hadn''t asked anything about the exam in the past 3 days at all, but they must have been equally worried about it.
"Good work, Allen-kun!"
Elder Sister weed me with a content smile.
Well, it might seem like I was bragging, but I do take pride in the fact that I have given every ounce of power I could muster in these three months. Seeing the worry-free smile of my Elder Sister, I think my efforts paid off.
"You''ve done great. I can tell just by looking at your face, you must have given it your all, didn''t you? Rose has worked hard to set up an appreciation party for tonight."
Mother was strict when it was necessary, but aside from that, she was often gentle. She smiled like a young girl. It was hard to believe she had raised four children.
I was truly blessed with my family.
"Mother, Sister, I''m back!"
I said with heartfelt gratitude.
¡ô
The next day, I came to check the results with my mother.
I did have confidence in myself. There was one uncertain element ¡ª that unkempt beard ¡ª in all this but I didn''t think I would fail in the practical exam.
......In fact, I wanted toe here alone. However, when I informed my mother about my decision,
"If you really want to go alone, then I won''t stop you. However, after seeing you shed so much sweat all this while, I do wish to watch the result of your effort by your side, regardless of the oue."
After saying that, Mother beamed like a young girl.
"Fufufu. In fact, I have more confidence in your result than you have. Just think of it as filial piety, won''t you share the joyful moment with me?"
There was no way I could reject her request when she said it like that. And that was how, apanied by my guardian, I came to see the result.
Incidentally, there was also my Elder Sister who passionately talked about how ''I also believe in you'', ''I also want to share the joyful moment with you'', or at the end, ''I want to live together with you'' line that didn''t have any corrtion with the exam. Though she was shot down by Mother saying "You have your school research, don''t you?", bringing a pool of tears in her eyes with an aggrieved look.
¡ô
Going back in time¡ª half a day before the result announcement.
The people rted to the exam process in the Royal Academy were grading the tests in a flurry as they had dinner.
"Once more, Emmy. Please start once more at the training ground."
When asked by Godorfun Von Vanquish, who served as the vicemander of the Kingdom''s Knight Order until a few years ago, the current magic instructor didn''t find any reason to refuse it.
Currently, the image of Allen entering the grounds was being projected on the monitor-like magic tool.
"Even you are looking at the image of his exam huh, Old man Godorfun? What about the grading for the Mage course?"
A burly giant with a body bursting with muscles, standing at a height of 2 meters and weighing around 120 kg, approached Godorfun.
Sporting short silver hair and matching color eyes, his gaze was tinted with gentleness, though he had a split chin in the end.
"Dante. The magic course doesn''t have that many applicants. I have more or less seen them, so rest can handle them."
Dante came over to Godofrun''s side and stared at the monitor together.
"Hmm...... He''s walking so naturally...... He even reached the reception from the entrance, and then the way he closed the distance with Dew-san in a short moment, there really is no other interpretation, don''t you think so?"
"That''s what I was thinking. That soil was specially prepared for this exam with significantly less rebound and friction force. It was delivered yesterday evening, and I was the one who thought about theposition. The one that delivered it was also a reliable vendor. It''s hard to imagine he had prior knowledge of it."
Just then, another man approached them.
"......And while the examinees were demonstrating their technique with their utmost effort, the examiners were in fact looking at their feet¡ª their reflexes and mana maniption sense. You really have one heck of a mean personality toe up with this exam, Old man Godorfun."
Justin Rock, the young man who had undertaken the duty of receptionist in the practical exam, approached them while grinning.
He was the genius who graduated from the Royal Academy this spring with excellent marks and got admission into the Kingdom''s Knight Order. At the same time as his enrollment, he was also specially selected to help out in the long-established entrance exam of the Royal Academy.
This entrance exam was the gateway to nurture the pirs that would someday be the very support of the kingdom. One couldn''t discount the possibility of information leaks, so the Academy had rigidly screened them based on their personality as well.
"Hmph. The petty skills they acquired in the countryside won''t even get them to the lowest of positions at the Royal Academy. This year too, there was nock of fools in the first half of examinees who pointlessly performed bold moves to show off their ample mana capacity. Good gracious, what did they think the initial mana capacity measurement was for? The practical exam is a way to check their growth potential. We don''t needplicated systems to find those with talent."
Another figure approached.
"......Everyone, I understand that he is amusing but we also have to announce the result tomorrow by 10 a.m. You haven''t forgotten it, right? Now if you can, please focus more on your work."
Mujikka Yugria, the one in charge of coordinating the physical exam grading floor for the knight course, approached and tactfully reminded them.
"I know¡ Hmm, but the soil was too easy for this brat."
Godorfun said while rubbing his white beard.
"Well, that''s to be expected when he runs in the rain without slowing down his pacing much at all... I will say he really has a talent for mana maniption."
Just as Dante had agreed with Godorfun''s words with his face scrunched in a wry smile, the door to the floor opened.
The unkempt beard¡ª Dew Owiel, the defense in-charge, and examiner dispatched by the Kingdom''s Knight Order for the duration of the exam period, had just returned from his patrol. On the day of the exam, he was also silently acting as a bodyguard to the examinees.
The reason for the security could be traced back to 4 years ago when an absolute moron went berserk in the exam venue and injured more than 60 examinees.
"I knew the old man would think so, that''s why I checked that guy''s vessel."
Cracking his neck, Dew approached Godorfun and the others.
"Dew-san, have you finished chasing out the examinees?"
Mujika asked.
"Yeah, except for the rted personnel, there is just one kitten on the Academy''s premises."
"You''re as efficient as ever......"
Mujikka shook her head in amazement.
With the arrival of the parties involved, the examiners who had been on the floor gathered around. Everyone was intrigued by the newly discovered toy (Allen).
"Aren''t you a sly one, he was definitelying toward me, but you snatched my chance...... It was hard to see him from a distance......"
Parch, the amicable-looking examiner who was popr among the examinees and whom Allen had an eye on, grumbled as he also joined the group.
"......Haa. Please keep it short...... And I am saying this again, but we need to announce the result at the main gate by 10:00 a.m. at any cost."
Mujika said with a deep sigh, and then shrewdly secured her spot between Dew and Godorfun, fully intent on listening to the details.
"So you heard us? Your hearing is as exceptional as ever. Anyway, can you tell us your thoughts after your spar with him?"
Godorfun inquired.
"Huh? Shouldn''t it be obvious? Aside from his twisted personality, his mana maniption sense clearly towers above others. As long as you beat that crooked spirit out of him a bit and nurture him, he might turn out to be quite formidable. As the examiner, my evaluation is ''S''."
The final evaluation score ''S'' meant the student was ranked first in the evaluation. Each examiner could rmend only one ''S'', and then, through discussion, it would be narrowed down to one person.
Following that, the rmendations for ''A'' evaluations were limited to four examinees per examiner. The final ''A'' results were then narrowed down to around 20 examinees through discussions. In this way, examiners determine the examinees they could rmend, and then decide on the final score of the examinees'' scores.
Although tough examiners were more likely to have students eliminated, the number of students they could rmend remained constant. So being evaluated by the examiner who had a low number of examinees was more beneficial for evaluation.
"Well, that opening trick was met with mixed reviews after all. Though it gave me a really goodugh when I watched the video...... I get why some are skeptical about him as a knight, though many praise him as well, like old man Godurfun here. The unanimous agreement is that there''s no problem."
Parch said with an amused smile.
"Of course. Who cares if the opponent is stronger or weaker, we fight to win! You can''t aim for the top without such spirit. Those who haven''t experienced war are just cowards!"
"If you ask me, It all depends on the time and situation though."
Young Justin said while shrugging his shoulders.
"...Also, about that. The initial overhead strike was a bait, sure enough. I had subtly monitored him from the moment he entered the training ground, and I didn''t see him adjusting his mana cirction either. I thought I would just knock him back if he made a feeble strike, but I sure had underestimated him. So, it''s not surprising that he saw through my stance, but......"
Closing his eyes, Dew recalled the feeling he had during the exam and continued.
"That brat probably had already concluded that his attacks wouldn''t be able to make it through to me. Even though I dered I wouldn''t counterattack, there was no hint of relief on his face whatsoever."
Dew spoke in annoyance.
"Fufufu. Sounds interesting. In fact, he''s just to my liking. I''ll be taking this guy."
"That''s a no-go."
Mujikka instantly turned down Godorfun.
"Old man Godorfune, you''ve already decided to be in charge of the A-rank. We are currently evaluating which ss he will be ced in so it all depends on his theoretical exam now."
"Hmm. In any field, there are no fools among geniuses. With such a high score in the practical exam, there''s no way his academic abilities are just borderline pass."
Godorfun stated confidently.
"Even if he is not a fool, there''s nock of guys who can''t study, right?"
Justin teased.
"......Wanna make a bet?"
Godorfun red at him.
"That sounds interesting."
"Just perfect. I''ll have you make up for yesterday''s loss."
With Dew, who was always the one to get excited about betting, chiming in from the side, the members of the Knight Order who came to assist in the exam started joining the bet one after another. With their eagerness to bet, they looked more like ruffians than the kingdom''s aces.
Editor''s note - Lol at the kitten. Such a random detail. That kitten will be important, mark my words ??
T/N - Wait for it, we will soon be having some goodughter in the uing chapters.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 14 - Result announcement and Academy’s Instructors (2)
Those around listening intently began betting one after another, using Allen''s assigned ss as the topic. And the ever so capable magic instructor Emmy jotted down who bet on what.
The most popr choice to bet on was ss A, but since Allen was from a remote countryside whose name they had never heard, some had doubts about his academic performance and so a few votes went for ss B and C.
A ss had up to 20 people, and only 100 students would be admitted from the entrance exam every year, so sses ranged from A to E. However given Allen''s mana capacity and his performance in the practical exam, he was confirmed to be ced in ss C the very least even if he just barely did good enough in the theory exam.
Once the bets were settled, Dew continued to speak.
"...As for what happenedter, I presume you lot must have already figured it out from the video. He had made an impromptu strike but that was just a bait to probe my attitude in the beginning. Then when I followed up with a horizontal sweep which had almost no chance of injury, he dodged with his special move and countered with a roundhouse kick to my face. After watching his first move and the roundhouse kick on his 3rd move, I''m sure he was using his body-strengthening magic at full power ¡ª or closer to that ¡ª despite that damned soil setup of old man Godorfun which made it harder to walk on. I mean, considering his running pace in the morning, I''ve no doubt he must have already finished adjusting to the soil by the time he walked to the reception, keeping his pace to something no different than usual."
"If I may, I have two questions."
Dante, the one with the muscr jaw but had a kind look, raised his hand.
"It was indeed a sharp roundhouse kick but I don''t think it was on the level that could touch the forelock of the ''Efficient Operator'' Dew Owiel, the captain of the Knight Order''s third legion."
"Hmm? Ah, was it hard to understand from the video angle? Well, I just underestimated him... That brat deliberately ced the wooden sword slightly to the right of my line of sight, adjusting in which direction it would be deflected. The trick was to guide my gaze to check if the flying sword wouldn''t hit the clueless students standing there while he took advantage of that opening. Then his roundhouse kick came from a dead angle which caused me to reactte."
"Hmm, I see. I also got the answer to my second doubt. No matter if it was to create an opening, suddenly losing your weapon would be a great disadvantage. He even came up with a way to make a counterattack by securing a weapon immediately from a nearby student."
"That''s the crooked part about that brat. Looking back, he didn''t show any interest in the other examinees, which seemed unnatural. But depending on the situation, he kept them as his insurance to take them into strategy when needed. Don''t you think his spirit is quite rotten?"
"...I can''t say anything about spirit, but as old man Godofrun said, he indeed didn''t sound like someone who would be inept in studying..."
"...Alright everyone, that should be enough. Let''s get back to grading..."
Mujikke tried to interrupt, however,
"...Speaking of which, old man Godorfun, did you see the footage of Dew-san''s practical exam after that?"
Justin suddenly spoke with a grin.
"Hmm? Not yet... Was there another interestingd?"
Some of them must have seen it, as they avoided eye contact awkwardly.
"After that, not a single examinee came to Dew-san! Not a single one! I couldn''t see clearly from my position, but after getting tricked by that student, he must have had one heck of a furious expression! Ahahaha."
As Parchughed boisterously, not reading the mood, a vein bulged out of Dew''s forehead.
"There''s no way I would be seriously mad at a 12-year-old brat!"
Justin swiftly stepped forward to supplement.
"Indeed, if anything, Dew-san looked to be in quite a good mood after that. He kept waiting for another strong-minded examinee to challenge him with a fierce grin. Though as more and more examiners avoided him, his face gradually turned depressed..."
As Justin fanned the me, the ever-so-capable magic instructor Emily swiftly changed the image projected on the monitor. In it was the back of the Dew, waiting there all alone, with a mncholic expression.
"Ahahaha! This angle is perfect, Emmy-chan!"
Parch burst out inughter once again, inciting others to follow as well.
"Stop showing that! All of them were cowards, choosing their examiners based on expression! The ones who came straight to me at the beginning were decent, but the rest were utterly mediocre! Have their levels dropped or something?!"
"Fufufu. Well everyone, don''tugh. It was after having fun with an interesting toy. So he must have been quite excited and unintentionally leaked out some of his aura¡ Though I also wished the examinees were more gutsy!"
Godorfun put a leash on everyone''s fun. Finally, when everyone reigned in theirughter, Mujikka urged everyone to continue their work.
"Come one, this should be enough now, so please return to grading, everyone! We are already behind schedulepared tost year! We''re short on time!
Everyone was about to head to their respective work when the magic instructor Emmy murmured in a soft voice.
"Ah... The reason why the examinees didn''te to Dew-san. I think I happened to see it......"
Everyone stopped in their tracks.
tter-tter
Emmy operated the magic tool once again.
There, it reflected the image of Allen advising a cute girl while shing a smile.
"That girl apparently had an acquaintance in the ''Pruningwn'', and passed on what he said to her other two friends. Most likely, that advice then spread out like wildfire between the other examinees."
Emmy further exined.
"That prickly brat! What kind of nonsense was he spreading?! How the hell would I, the defense-in-charge, have the time to drink alcohol?! Even though¡ª even though I was awake the whole night and then even came to assist in their examssssssss!!!"
Dew flipped on his earlier remark and snapped in the end, having been triggered by a 12-year-old brat. The ever-so-capable Emmy once again projected Dew''s mncholic back profile.
Parch mustered all his will to control himself. However, his effort was for naught as the big boss Godorfun ended upughing, making the othersugh as well.
"Buhahaha."
"U-Unkepmt beard... Pff..."
"That back of the ''Efficient Operator'' De¡ª fu."
Emmy''s finger danced in an upbeat mood as she operated the magic tool.
"¡Don''t try to act all fresh and cheerful like you''re putting on a show!"
After that, Dew announced he was changing his bet from Allen scoring ss A to him failing in the theory test¡ª a risky gamble.
¡ô
Later that night¡ª
As everyone was going through the grading to make up for the lost time, the man overlooking the theory test grading floor entered their floor.
"The theory test results have been finalized~"
Everyone''s gaze immediately focused on that man. There was a subtle aura drifting in the air.
"Hmm¡ What''s the result of Allen Rovenne?"
The kind-looking old man Godorfun asked with a grin. The old man was once feared as an indomitable warrior in his active days but after retirement, his burning spirit finally mellowed down and nowadays, he was even called ''Godorfun the Buddha''.
However, beneath that serene exterior, his body still bore the visage of the formidable spirit he once possessed.
In these several hours, under the repeated provocations of Justin and Emmy, the betting amount had piled up to a staggering amount. It had increased to such an extent even the betting people withrge sries would find it hard to fork it out. Now that an astronomical amount was at stake riding on Allen''s score......
"A-Allen Rovenne?? Err, that kid... ah¡ª"
The result left everyone stunned.
¡ô
It was half past ten in the morning.
I made my way through the crowd of students ¡ª some shouting in joy while some whimpering in sadness ¡ª along with my Mother and came to the front of the notice board where the list of the passing candidates was posted.
I had confidence in myself.
I tried to calm myself down. I did have faith in my result but there had been precedents from my past life. Despite my exhaustive studies, I failed to qualify for Tokyo''s ''Prestigious Institute''.
I just couldn''t get rid of the ''what if'' feeling.
I started looking for my name in the column of the ss E candidates while praying mentally. Mother softly called out to me.
"You''re in, Allen. Look there."
I hurriedly checked the section my Mother pointed to, and the following was written¡ª
©`©`©`©`©`©`©`©`©`
Allen Rovenne
Mana Capacity - (C)
Knight Course Practical Exam - (S)
Theoretical Exam - (A)
Assigned ss - (A!)
Knight Course Overall Rank - (4/50)
©`©`©`©`©`©`©`©`©`
Certainly, my Mana Capacity being rated C indicated a rank between 40th and 60th among the sessful candidates. I understood this much. I had deduced such would be the result as well.
An A in the theoretical exam meant I was ranked somewhere between the 2nd and 20th position. I think I may have overdone things in this, though knowing that it was the result of my hard work made me proud of my result.
However, the thing that stumped me was the S in the practical exam. There was only one person with an S rank in each section.
My test was taken by that guard uncle with the unkempt beard suffering from a hangover. Maybe there was some kind of misunderstanding? Also, there was something else in the detail that further piqued my interest¡ª Assigned ss (A!).
......I don¡¯t think I''ve ever heard about such a ss.
I reflexively turn to look at my mother. She was staring at the notice board with a scowl on her face.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 15 - Crafting Connections in the Class Tapestry
"Umm, Mom... What in the world does that exmation mark mean...?"
Mother stared at the notice board with a scowl, before suddenly putting up a soft smile and slowly looking at me.
"Allen. Congrattions on passing and getting to ss A. It''s through your own resolve and effort that you were able to grasp the privilege of joining this academy. I can''t be any more proud of you."
......It was worth it.
I was honestly wondering if I was on the right path, vying for the Royal Academy. I was worried, wondering if I was just drifting along with the unexpected flow of the situation I suddenly found myself in.
However, hearing the heartfelt praise from my Mother, who always urately acknowledged the efforts of her child, I felt like that fog finally vanished like a puff of smoke.
That was right.
It was the best path that I could have grasped with my own two hands, the most adequate path that I had ''chosen by my own will'' to ''live freely like the wind''.
Academic society or future sess could be damned for all I cared. When the time came, I wouldn''t hesitate to throw away the privilege I have gained today.
I would do so for sure if it came to that, but for now, I would believe in the value of the effort I have put into studying together with Schord in these three months.
I would believe in the 12 years of effort ''Allen'' has put in to be a strong knight.
Tears streamed down my cheeks. Once started, they keep tickling down like torrential rain.
''Oh my, look at you'', Mother''s expression gave way to a gentle smile as she gently pulled me into her warm embrace.
Warm...... Her heart was the real definition ofpassion. I know the enormity of thispassion and its value.
After a short pause, Mother sped my face in her hands while the corner of her lips lifted ever so slightly, she said in a very soft voice,
"Allen. I believe in you."
However, that smile didn''t reach her eyes.
My tears which I thought were uncontrolled pulled back. Looking carefully, my Mother''s hands sping my face were pure white, a sense of chill pervading into me through them.
It was the omen that she was angry.
The pleasant warmth I had been feeling earlier melted faster than butter on a hot pan.
"W, Well, Mother... What do you exactly mean by that...?"
My throat suddenly felt dry, and the eyes that had been shedding beautiful tears were now dry as if they were experiencing severe drought.
"Don''t sweat over it. Anyway, I''m going to leave for the Viscount territory today. I''m sure Bell and Schord must be impatiently waiting for good news."
"Alright, take care. Or not, I mean, does Mother know the meaning of that exmation mark?!"
"A true knight must have the determination to crush everything if they feel like they''re being threatened. Otherwise, they''ll be taken lightly, you know?"
Mother smiled, her lips parting like a young girl.
"I see. I understood¡ª ah, I am not asking that, Mother......"
She wasn''t listening at all...... The contrast between her girlish smile and her words was just too far apart.
"Anyday, the orientation for the sessful examinees starts at 11 a.m. You wouldn''t want to bete on the first day, right?"
Mother gave me a push and turned on her heel toward the main gate. I really didn''t understand the sudden situation, but there was something I wanted to say to Mother and hurriedly raised my voice¡ª
"Mother, thank you for the delicious meal! See youter!"
Mother was also from a good family, and having a sheltered upbringing, she wasn''t that proficient in housework.
Yet, she didn''t skimp on my meals and cooked ready-made dishes for me. She had gone out grocery shopping each day and through her struggles, served me warm food in the morning and at night, carefully considering nutrition.
Mother turned back with a shy smile and replied with a wave.
¡ô
After asking for directions, I entered the school building.
Other than the building being stone-built, there was nothing worth mentioning about it whenpared to Japanese standards. The only exceptional points were the polished marble beneath my feet and the lounge to the left of the entrance, which was filled with luxurious furniture, that had been closed yesterday.
Did a school with only 300 students really need such a huge lounge?
I threw a sideway nce to see some people, seemingly upperssmen, curiously watching us from the lounge. The air in the entrance was filled with a coffee-like, fragrant aroma.
I arrived in front of the ss A ssroom on the second floor.
¡ô
...Nervousness seized my body...
In my past life, I had dedicated my whole youth to studying. Whether it was middle school or high school, I had been preparing for the exam from the first day of the first term of my first year.
''All the ssmates you see are nothing but stepping stones1 you must step on'' used to be the catchphrase of my previous life''s parents. It obviously ended with me having bleak memories of school and not a single person whom I could call a close friend.
''Allen'' was not any different as while he had attended the local elementary school until the age of 11, being the son of their lord and exceptionally talented in magic aptitude, he had always been kept at arm''s length by his ssmates.
In this Royal Academy, I wanted to lead a rosy school life that I had never been able to experience before.
I wanted to create a club, have a girlfriend, research magic with friends, register with the Explorer Association, subjugate monsters to earn money, or sneak out of the dormitory and wander through the town''s nightscape with mischievous friends. There were many things I wanted to try.
I didn''t care about the result. All I wanted to do was to enjoy this moment, this chance I had managed to grasp again...... And if I wanted to fulfill my long-standing dream, the beginning was indeed the most important part.
Should I make a bold move at first or should I y it safe?...... Well, this wasn''t the situation where I needed to take a risk yet. I was no longer the socially inept person I used to be in my previous life. Let''s just take it easy, enter naturally, and make friends normally.
I knew the current me could do it. If something irregr happened, I''d just go with the flow.
I opened the door to the ssroom while steeling myself.
"I''ve been waiting for you, Allen. My irrepressible curiosity to meet you again just made me restless all this time."
In front of me, Fey (code red individual) was smiling at me amused.
¡ô
I reflexively shut the door, caught off guard by the sudden situation.
I was careless...... I had already simted this possibility countless times in my head, yet I failed to prepare any countermeasures......
My attention was focused on the strange appearance of my Mother so I even forgot to take a nce at the names of my ssmates and went straight to ss instead.
Troubles came as a surprise, but not as strangers. The door opened mercilessly without giving me a moment to think about my countermeasures.
"......My, oh my, if it isn''t Fey-sama!"
"That''s enough of that."
Tsk. I temporarily ignored Fey and scanned the ssroom.
The ssroom was furnished simply, with sturdy desks and chairs arranged in a typical school style. Several groups of students had already formed, chatting happily.
Did I lose the head start here?
But it''s alright. I shouldn''t be thatte, most likely.
Students were free to choose their seats, so I exuded an air of innocence as much as possible while walking toward an empty seat by the window.
"You really are an aloof person, huh? But my word, I was so surprised seeing your knight course''s practical exam result!"
As if we were long-time friends, Fey followed after me. I ignored her.
Just then, a man with short, sky-blue hair, sharp features, and a slender, muscr build, apanied by two students, approached me. Despite his hair color, he seemed like someone you would find in a basketball club.
"I heard someone saying ''Allen''... Are you Allen Rovenne?"
"Yes, I am...... You are?"
I introduced myself before asking about their sudden approach.
Fufufu. I have remembered all the noble names in this kingdom above the rank of baron along with basic information about their territories and special products. I would gradually start the conversation with topics about their territories and seize victory in this precious first battle!
"Ah, how rude of me. I am Aldore Engraver. I''m in the Mage Course, specializing in magic. Feel free to call me Al."
Oh? Engraver means he was from a Viscount family like me. But appearances sure could be deceiving, I thought he would be one of those athletic type guys but he specialized in magic that I wanted so badly...... It would be nice if we could be friends.
"Oh, the Engravers. So you''re from that Viscount family famous for growing Anju trees, one of the materials for a Mage''s wand, in the Endymion Marquisate. Let''s get along, Al."
A slightly surprised expression appeared on Al''s face before revealing a smile as he patted me on the shoulder, saying ''I should have expected so''.
Well, Anju trees were just some minor material after all. I guess I had more or less grasped the flow of this conversation, no?
"So strange, this reaction is so differentpared to our meeting."
Fey seemed to be muttering something behind me, but I turned a deaf ear to that.
"Let me introduce you to my two friends, Allen. Err, this guy here is Coconial Canardial."
He then introduced the short guy next to him.
"Coco, co-co-co-co..."
...Stranger''s anxiety, huh?...
I understood that nervousness to a certain degree so I wasn''t going to drop some harshments here. It was like I was watching the past version of me.
Canardia used to be one of the prestigious Count families but for some unknown reason, they had fallen to baron rank in my understanding.
He had a pale slender feature and a chubby face, someone that would definitely be unpopr with the girls, though that was one of the parts I liked most about him.
I looked at him, and said,
"Can I call you Coco? I have seen the Canardia monster encyclopedia your ancestors havepiled. I must say it is one fine piece of work. I could feel how much effort they put into it and their enthusiasm was clearly visible. From that, I presume Coco must be from the civil course, right? I hope we can be good friends."
The Canardia Monster Encyclopedia was a past masterpiece detailing the ecology and habitats of monsters in this kingdom. I usually read it whenever I have time to spare.
Coco looked up, his eyes widened in surprise. It seemed like he wanted to say something¡ª
"Y, You can. Just call me Coco. Civil course. Nice to meet you."
And the words he finally muttered were just introductions. Alright, I dare say I have managed to be friends with him as well. Here, I scored my second consecutive victory!
"Kyahaha! Why do you even know about the monster encyclopedia that doesn''t have any rtion to the exam at all? Do you just love to surprise me that much?"
"I''m not talking to you."
Crap... She was chirping around like a noisy magpie, I reflexively jabbed at her.
Al looked at our exchange with a doubtful expression but he quickly changed it as he introduced the remaining member.
"This guy here is Leo Zatsinger. I assume you already know about him as well, no?"
Thest person he introduced was an incredibly handsome guy. He had glossy ck hair, with a bluish tint, and a tall and slim figure¡ª he was very much the definition of a nobleman.
...Oh boy, what to do?... I had no idea who this guy was.
Editor''s Note - I wonder what that exmation mark means? His mother acted suspiciously there though I can''t think of why she would be angry when he passed with amazing results.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 16 - Crafting Connections in the Class Tapestry (2)
Chapter 16 - Crafting Connections in the ss Tapestry (2)
I wasn''t unfamiliar with the name Zatsinger. After all, it was one of three crown jewels of the noblemunity, the Ducal houses.
The current head of the Zatsinger family was the brother of the previous king.
A renowned aristocratic lineage, known far and wide, yetcking any remarkable distinction. But judging from the way Al introduced him, was he someone famous?
"I am Leo. I hope we get along."
A very in self-introduction.
His eyes were resolute and his voice was serene, though one could sense his self-confidence oozing from it.
I really would have preferred a bit more information......
"Don''t kneel and lower your head this time, alright? Pfft."
......I kicked Fey with my leg as she whispered so in my ears.
As I was quietly dealing with her, Al supplemented with his exnation from the side. I knew I was right in my money that we would surely be good friends.
"Bless me, you never know how wide the world is without venturing outside. The top scorers from the kingdom-wide theory exam and the talented individuals with exceptional aptitudes for magic had already been invited to the Royal Capital, giving them the chance to know each other beforehand, so there are already many who know each other. At least, I already know their names."
......Ah, that mock exam-like thing that determined one''s probability of passing the exam for the Royal Academy?
I see, so that was how it was. I nodded at Al''s exnation. So basically, the two, who felt out of ce to have a connection with someone from a Ducal house, were his friends, huh?
"That''s why... I mean, I don''t mean it the wrong way, we were surprised to see that a nobody named Allen, whom we have never heard about so far, managed to prevent Leo''s perfect ''All S evaluation'' score froming to fruition this morning. All the people were abuzz wondering what kind of person you are."
...So without the blunder of that unkempt beard, his score would have been perfect? And from their appearance, it seemed like none had any doubt about it.
"Al, I''ve been saying this for a while now, but I don''t care much about the score."
Leo warned Al with a fed-up tone.
If it was vague before, then I was sure of it now. Leo was that. The so-called central figure of the ss. In these three months, he must have been fawned over by the girls, being called ''Cool Nobleman'', ''Royal Academy''s Top Three'', or ''The Soothing Six''.
I dare say I, the average-faced guy, would surely be treated as the love letter delivery man. Deciding in my heart to keep my distance from him, I asked.
"Leo... Can I call you that? Also, to make it clear from the beginning, I''m just the third son of a Viscount from a countryside so far away even a fly from the Royal Capital wouldn''t want to wander there, and I have no noble grace or anything of the sort."
"Of course. I came to this academy to sharpen my abilities with my fellow talented peers, not to unt my status."
...Well~ He doesn''t sound like a bad guy... But I just couldn''t bring myself to be friends with him for three years...
The power he came with was alluring enough, but there was no free lunch in this world. With power came responsibility. He was probably the type to strive for a better future or to put it bluntly, live for the country''s sake.
It was the pr opposite path from me, who was aiming for a free and leisurely life. I just wanted to get this schooling done, that was all.
However, showing tant rejection and turning him into my enemy now would surelye to bite meter and might even make things difficult for me. I guess the best solution would be to act innocuously and talk with him like a ssmate every now and then......
Just as I was musing over my options, Leo looked straight at me with his unwavering gaze and said,
"You, Allen, for what reason have youe to this Royal Academy?"
The glint in his eyes was reminiscent of a provocation. Though, I wasn''t particrly offended by the question. It wasn''t a casual decision of a parent or a move made to secure my future prospects. I chose my path by my own will, and that made his question valid.
But my answer to that question was on the opposite side of the spectrumpared to Leo. Mother''s words from this morning echoed inside my mind.
...Ah, not that.
I stopped trying to y safe.
"It''s to do whatever I want, like the whimsical wind which stops at no one''s call."
Leo''s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, nevertheless, he continued.
"What do you want to do? To be strong and protect the kingdom and its people?"
My lips reflexively made a wry smile.
"My dreams aren''t so lofty. All I want to do is to live doing whateveres to my mind, travel to wherever the road leads me, follow the things I find interesting, and be able to do anything that I want at any time¡ª a capricious and carefree life. I thought that to have my ideal life, it might be necessary toe to this academy. Nothing more, nothing less."
"...So you''re saying you havee to this academy for your desires? Do you have no attachment to the kingdom where you were born? You are also a noble, no? Don''t you feel a sense of duty as someone born with power? Don''t you have the desire to protect the weak?"
I knew it. Our fundamentals in life were two parallel lines that would never cross each other. I stopped being roundabout anymore and replied directly.
"I havee to this academy just for myself. Attachment to this kingdom? Sorry, I don''t have that. And I have already said it in the beginning, I''m just the third son of a Viscount from the countryside so far away not even the flies of the Royal Capital would want to wander there. This is probably something that doesn''t align with whatever your thoughts are. What I want to protect is what I will protect. It''s a matter of differing values."
Leo looked dumbfounded. It was written all over his face that he hadn''t expected this answer.
"I see. I understand, Allen Rovenne. Thank you foring out clean with me. As you said, it seems our values will never align. We won''t cross paths in life."
As I took notice of the surroundings, I realized that the whole ss was listening to our conversation with bated breath.
¡ô
"Fuahahaha. It seems like self-introduction is mostly over."
I turned to look at the entrance of the ssroom, the source of the suddenughter, and saw an amicable-looking old man standing there.
Who in the world was that gramps? I didn''t sense his presence at all.
"It''s not over yet. Allen has yet to introduce me, his friend, to his newly made friends."
...Oh please, had this person identally eaten the guts of a lion? Who in their right mind would willingly throw themselves out there just as the situation was about to change?
And more importantly, haven''t the people here more or less gotten acquainted with each other already?
The ss''s attention was gathering here.
"I see. But we don''t have all the time in the world in our hands. Keep it short."
"Come on, Allen. Quickly introduce your more-than-friend-less-than-lover, aka me, to your friends."
What the hell was this person doing jumping straight from gear 1 to gear 5 while taking advantage of the situation? Anyway, I might have a tough time if I let everyone think I was her lover or something......
"This person here is someone less-than-friend-more-than-stranger. I don''t know her."
I said it loud and clear.
"Heavens! That''s so mean of you, Allen. How can you call me a stranger after making me a captive of yours until 6 in the morning just some five days ago!"
What mumbo-jumbo is this guy spewing out?!
I could clearly feel the envious gazes of the boys drilling through me and the frigid gazes of the girls mentally slicing me apart. Why am I being convicted for a crime I didn''t remember doing!?
Ah, a guy was ring at me with a tant look of jealousy... Does he like Fey or something? No, now was not the time to get distracted, me! I had to quickly say something, or my image would forever be tarnished as a wolf who held a girl captive in the hearts of the jury (my ssmates)!
"Stop saying your words in a suggestive way! Wasn''t it you who followed me all around on your own?!"
When I said that, Fay''s eyes widened as if she had received the shock of her life. A thinyer of tears veiled her shock-stricken eyes.
If I were given the right, I would surely give her the title of the ''world''s most talented ''realistic'' actress''!
"...Allen, so you are the push-and-pull type of person, huh? Even though you approached me so passionately that it would have melted even a cier at the beginning, you flipped faster than a coin in mid-air as soon as you were done and left saying you have to go to do a ''number one'' or you might wet yourself¡
But I understand, some guys like to fiddle with the hearts of girls. As long as I can be by your side, I don''t mind really."
My god, why don''t you just start selling the ''how to effectively distort the truth'' course!!
I wanted to refute this right then and there but I dreaded that she would pull out another bizarre magic tool and reproduce the scene if I said that wasn''t true at all!
I have this inkling it might actually happen as long as it was this person in question. That would just end like me kicking at a rock¡ª No, wait, why am I currently thinking about an excuse? Why am I being forced toe up with a good excuse?
Also, don''t look at me with your chilly eyes, girls! The boys too, saving for strong-minded ones, mostly looked disgusted...
"Fuhaha. I see... , was it? Alright, the self-introduction time is over, everyone. Return to your seats."
Old man? Where the hell did you hear those words?! Why are you talking like there''s no problem?!
With my mouth slightly agape, I tottered to my seat by the window and sprawled over it. I didn''t think I would ever be able to lift my head anymore.
¡ô
In this way, Allen, against his own will, seeded in leaving his ssmates bbergasted in a spectacr way in his new ss.
Editor''s Note - I don''t like Fey. I never liked maniptive girls and I wouldn''t want to be friends with someone who thought ruining my image and reputation in front of other people was a good prank.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 17 - Suspicious
"Let''s proceed with the orientation now."
The old man''s voice resounded. He seemed to be in charge of this ss. But at this point, I didn''t care about anything.
How I wish I could be like those clouds in the sky, to think of nothing and let the wind decide my course.
"Hey, Allen. Wake up. You''re going to leave a bad impression on day one if you sleep like this."
And who do you think was behind my current state!?
Fey had gone and secured her seat next to me. I didn''t even have the energy to talk back, haaa¡¡
"I guess I should start by introducing myself. I am Godorfun Von Wangyus. I''ll be the ss teacher of Royal Academy''s ss A. And on that note, I was also appointed as the director of the academy just the other day. It seems like some already know me."
The whole ss buzzed upon hearing his words.
"Holy gracious! So that ''Godorfun the Buddha'' is going to be our ss teacher?!
"The venerable Godorfun who had served as the second-inmand of the Kingdom''s Knight Order?"
Oh, even his name was just as old-fashioned¡ Well, whatever¡
"I can''t believe, the hero of thest war is here!"
"But why is the central figure of the military in the academy?"
"I heard he''s apparently the right hand of the King."
"It makes sense if you think about how he is a dual attribute Mage, and his swordsmanship is just as spectacr as well. I heard he''s called a Magic Knight."
This old man sure has quite a title for his age¡ Whatever¡
¡No wait, I think I''ve heard something I couldn''t miss out on. Dual attribute Magic Swordsman¡
What a romantic title, I was jealous, to be honest¡
I slightly raised my head.
"Lacking the aptitude for magic at a young age, he joined the Royal Academy as a ss E student. He paved the road as a Knight and a Mage from there through his effort, sweat, and blood. Now we have that ''Indomitable'' Godorfun Von Wangyus as our ss teacher¡¡"
Hmm, interesting, so he wasn''t blessed with magic talent at a young age, huh?
I don''t know who you are, but thanks for the details, nameless ssmate.
I slowly righted myself up.
¡ô
"I am sure many must be wondering why this old man has been dispatched as the lecturer in the Royal Academy so suddenly¡ In fact, it was a request from the King."
Like a grandpa looking at his grandson, Godorfun, exuding an air of amicability, said.
"If I may, there''s something I want to ask."
From the way he was talking, he seemed like he was about to say something important but paying it no heed, I interrupted.
I didn''t care about the long talk the old man was about to tell.
However, Godorfun didn''t look offended at my sudden interruption, instead, he urged me to continue.
"Hmm. What might that be, Allen Rovenne?"
I looked straight at the old man with an upright posture and worked my body strengthening at full throttle. Then, I bent my waist at a perfect 45-degree angle.
"Please make me your disciple, Godorfun-sensei!"
This world followed the same tradition of bowing when you needed to ask for someone''s favor or make a request.
However, if I were toment on this ¡ª as someone who had been drilled with the proper bowing etiquette to an absurd degree during the training program of new employees in Japanesepanies ¡ª each and everyone here seemed tock sincerity.
Bowing was not just about lowering your head, it was far more than that. It involved controlling the pace to quickly lower your head, freezing for the required duration, and then smoothly rising. The profound control to show the sincerity of your heart with the angle of your bow.
Back so straight it looked like someone had stuck an iron stick in it, fingers extended so far they curved like hooks, and many more details. There was no end to how meticulous one needed to be for a bow.
Meanwhile, my ssmates looked at my sudden transformation as if they were looking at a schizophrenic person after I had just loudly dered I didn''t care about anything but myself.
However, this was a chance I couldn''t let slip past my grip. Each minute and each second counted here.
Combing his white beard with his hand, Godofrfun narrowed his eyes. I was no esper who could read his heart and just stared at him as I waited for his reply.
"Haa¡ The order of the discussion has switched, but I guess it can''t be helped. I also hate to be roundabout."
The old man in front of me let out a deep sigh and continued with the discussion that was wildly outside of my expectations.
"Allen Rovenne. You are under suspicion of cheating in the entrance academy."
......Cheating? What the hell was this old man bbering about...
"A lot must have seen it too, I presume. A certain symbol that apanied An Rovenne''s assigned ss on the notice board."
¡I had literally given my all to escape from having that drunkard guard give me such a score.
"That means your eptance is currently temporary, and your final result has been withheld."
That unkempt beard did say I passed even before I took the exam. So was this old man saying that what happened there was ''unfair''? So what, don''t tell me he was going to say something like the practical exam was a test of the examinee''s heart? And even though the situation was a bit different, didn''t I still ept the unkempt beard''s exam?
"You have two options. The first is to prove your worth and stay in the Royal Academy. Another is to depart from the academy as a dishonest coward without achieving anything."
My body shivered with rage.
Ah, now I understand... Was this the situation my mother was talking about? The path I worked so hard for was unreasonably hindered by someone.
She said to fight back. To destroy the people who dared to obstruct my way.
Even if there had been some kind of error in that unkempt beard''s evaluation, that didn''t mean they could just shift the responsibility to me, the examinee. Uneptable.
However, without any weapon and being under the watchful eyes of everyone, it was close to impossible to strike that old man to prove my value.
I fixed my gaze on the old man and took a step forward while mentally assessing the means I could employ from the things ced in the ssroom.
But as if to stop my n, Leo stood up from his seat and ced himself between me and the old man. So he was with them?
"Step aside, Leo."
Leo quietly stared at me like I was some sort of trash for a while before reluctantly stepping aside.
"Allen Rovenne. Is this the way you have chosen to prove your value?"
"Hmph. I don''t remember cheating or anything. But I guess anything I say will fall on deaf ears to people already in cahoots with these damned scoundrels from the beginning."
I kept my gaze fixated on the Godorfun and slowly approached the ckboard. I took the ckboard duster in my left hand.
"I see. So if it''s like that, then shouldn''t you show your value in a different way?"
"Hmph. Who are you to say that? Not only have you transferred the responsibility of the blunder of that drunkard examiner to me, the examinee, but you''re even preaching to me oh so solemnly¡ª you disgust me. Looking at your agape expression, I must have nailed it. Do you think I will plead to the academy and shake my tail for you? I might be just some roadside stone from your perspective, but no matter who it is, I will crush all who dare to stand in my way!"
I dered loudly.
"Huh? ...You have been used of cheating in the theoretical exam though?"
.........What?
"Your practical exam results were determined by all the examiners, including me, in a unanimous decision, something that hasn''t happened in 20 years. Nobody, not a single one of us, had any doubts about that."
I pretended to wipe the dust off the new and sparkling duster, put it back in its position, and returned to my seat.
I closed my eyes and crossed my hand.
"Exnation please."
Just thinking about the look everyone was going to give me made me even more discouraged to open my eyes. But Fey, in a hushed voice that echoed throughout the ss, said concernedly.
"Allen, aren''t you going to destroy him? ...Your face ispletely red, you know? Pfft."
¡ô
"You are under suspicion of cheating based on the difference in your result between the theoretical exam from yesterday and the kingdom-wide mock theoretical exam from before.
I can''t give you the details, but there was a judgment indicating that the growth in your academic abilities was unnatural, reaching a level where it couldn''t be exined away."
After saying that, Godorfun unfolded a piece of paper.
It disyed that out of five subjects, I was gged in four of them. Particrly, the magic theory subject ¡ª which I felt was slightly tougherpared to the past exams and simrly the subject that the unawakened ''Allen'' hated to the core. It said my probability of cheating in it was 99.99%......
"Of course, after seeing the result, our analytics team has thoroughly examined your every move from the moment you passed through the gates of the Academy to the moment you left it.
However, that was the mystery as we didn''t find anything suspicious. There was almost no sign of using magic tools at any moment.
But still, it''s just too bizarre. One could have called it a miracle if it had been just one subject, but for all four subjects to have such stark improvement was hard to believe."
"...So, let me hear what you have to say."
Editor''s note - 99.99%? Is the MC a germ or something? Sorry, I know the joke''s kindame but hearing that number reminded me of those toilet cleanermercials¡
Vol. 1 - Ch. 18 - Legend
"...Well then, let''s hear what you have to say."
I see. So he wanted me to exin the reason why my grades had suddenly improved, huh......? Like hell, I could exin!
There was no way I could say that I suddenly realized that I had reincarnated into another world and became a study nerd...
"Well, all I can say is that I studied like crazy for the past 3 months as if my life depended on it."
I spoke straight, exining within the range that I could.
"Hmph. Too cliche. For the investigation, simply saying that won''t cut it."
Godorfun exhaled a deep sigh and then red at me intensely. The air grew tense.
"You see, I believe the true purpose of exams is to reflect on your past behavior through self-reflection and then use the result as a guide for further self-improvement. I despise the scum who cheats in this sanctuary of self-improvement the most. If I wish so, I can cancel your enrollment right here. So speak with preparedness to ept the result. Don''t think you''ll be able to lie through your teeth."
"Eeeek."
Screams escaped from the lips of several ssmates.
Godorfun the Buddha, was it? I must say he was quite impressive, however, the pressure from him was just on the same level as my mother when she got angry.
He did seem like someone who wouldn''t be tricked with lies. I spoke discreetly.
"...Our family has a remarkable private tutor... His name is Schord Bainfause. It''s due to his efforts that I''m able to stand here today."
I pinned everything on Schord.
"Schord Bainfause? Never heard of him. So you are saying that a private tutor alone has managed to drastically improve your abilities in a short time?"
Godorfun repeatedly tapped at the paper under his hand while staring at me.
Well, of course. There''s no way the right-hand man of His Majesty the King would have ever heard of Schord.
"I don''t think he''s a renowned private tutor. But, his abilities are definitely a cut above the rest. I am living proof of his abilities. I used to be a certified study hater, however, he managed to make me turn a new leaf, to the point that I had skipped food and sleep just to study.
...I can still vividly recall the details of that day, as if it just happened yesterday. Schord had said to me¡ª ''I can see a glorious future awaiting for you, young master.'' That he was prepared to apologize by forfeiting his life if I failed.
That was the turning point for me, the day the being called Allen had awakened. In fact, for the past three months, I have slept for no more than 3 hours a day, saving time in every activity as much as possible to the point I ate only portable emergency rations for almost the entirety of the duration.
Every possible second had been devoted to nothing but self-improvement."
It wasn''t like I was lying. I was sinctly describing the main point.
Godorfun''s eyebrows slightly shot up.
"......What do you think about the recentlyunched Smi vor?"
"God forbid, I wouldn''t even have my enemies try it."
I replied instantly.
"I was the one who made it."
......Holy damn, that was so close. At least, he didn''t seem like he was going to cancel my result just yet.
Be more careful, me.
"Schord hadn''t bothered about the superficial tricks for the exam, what he had fostered was the heart.
Conduct yourself as if you''re always on a battlefield. That old private tutor used to say so, constantly reminding me ''This is a battlefield''.
Despite his old age, he never allowed himself to rest for more than 5 minutes, even going so far as to wear diapers to save time going to the toilet. He kept facing me until the very end. It was like he was telling me to stop being a spoiled kid."
I wasn''t lying¡ª this was what you would call eloquence. It wasn''t a lie as long as my wordspletely danced on the edge of the truth.
As for what Schord wanted me toprehend back then, how I interpreted it was up to me!
"This sounds so absurd it''s hard to believe. How could a man of such sheer will be content with just being a private tutor in a countryside Viscount territory."
Godorfun looked at me with a skeptical gaze while stroking his white beard.
"I don''t know what sort of events led Schord to move to our territory. But at the very least, I''m sure without his involvement, my elder sister ¡ª who moved to Advanced Magic Tool Research Institute from the Aristocratic Academyst year ¡ª and I might have been walking on a different path.
In this short frame of time, the two of us have produced remarkable results. I believe there couldn''t be any more clear indication of his abilities."
I was by no means exaggerating! This was still safe! This was the so-called butterfly effect if one must ask! It was hard to tell how me and my elder sister would have turned out in his absence!
"I have heard of rumors about the Research Institute epting a talented girl from the Dragoon Territory. So that''s how it is. So the one who cultivated her talent was the same person, huh......?"
"Kyahahaha! Now that''s interesting. I''ve heard how, despite being a beauty, the gets herself absorbed in her research so much she often forgets to bathe, let alone sleep and eat. Who would have thought there was such a hidden backstory behind the rumors? The world has a lot of wonders, huh?"
Fey licked her lips as her eyes, reminiscent of a carnivorous feline, gleamed with a radiant shine.
It was nothing but herzy nature for god''s sake! Don''t try to steer away the topic to where it doesn''t belong! I was sure I had almost managed to convince him!
However, Fey wasn''t the only one, as there was one more unexpected person who let out an astonished yelp.
"What, ? So you''re the brother of the victim of the , Allen!?"
Al looked at me with an incredulous expression.
¡ô
I surveyed the ss and it wasn''t just him, many of my ssmates were chatting between themselves with surprised expressions.
Ah, I can see the world spinning... Just what in the world had my elder sister done...
"What!? By , you mean the ......?"
I could see Godorfun gaze boring into me. Like hell would I know...... I''d bet even with my eyes closed that it would be anything but a story that sang her praises.
"Ahem, so in the name of Schord Bainfause, I once again swear that I had carried out my exam with nothing but pure devotion!"
"Can you tell me more about that?"
Godorfun ignored me and wrapped himself back in an air of amiability as he gently asked Al.
"Well, it isn''t actually a pleasant story for the Marquis Endumion''s side. ording to what I heard, it happened four years ago during the exam for the Royal Academy, the heir to the Marquis Endumion family tried to be overbearing against a certain youngdy in the pruningwn, but instead had their backsides whooped by her, resulting in sending more than 60 of the examinees from Marquis Endumion''s territory to the hospital.
Ever since then, they had passed a rule in the Endumion territory stating that they were strictly forbidden from talking to other examinees during the Royal Academy exam for no reason."
La~La, I can''t hear anything.
"Ah, I have heard about the case of the dumb boy and the pitifuldy.
The dumb kid apparently chased after her proiming ''I want you to be my concubine'', and even after the youngdy''s polite rejection in the beginning, he forcefully grabbed her hand and tried to put her thumb mark on the contract, finally draining thest of her patience. Thedy sank him along with hisckeys in their own pools of blood. She was a valiant heroine."
La~La, I''m not hearing anything!
"After the incident, that youngdy was given a clean chit after the investigation of the security group, marking her the victim in all this. However, the youngdy had also injured even the two staff members who tried to mediate the situation.
The people from Endumion then, to protect the honor of their family, secretly pulled strings and disowned that dumb boy, leading to an extremely unjust resolution of both sides being med for the conflict.
The youngdy in question just said ''I''m withdrawing from the exam'' and left the ce without paying any heed to what others had to say at all, and since she didn''t try to offer any exnation, it seemed like she had epted the unfair judgment."
...Oh my dear sister... Since she didn''t want to talk about it with Mother, she manipted the information...
After my awakening, I did find this part to be fishy after giving this matter some thought. Even though there were around 10,000 examinees, the requirement to clear the preliminary round happened to be 1.5 times higher than usual in only that year...
It was without a doubt that they were ignoring thew ofrge numbers.
"As a result of that incident, the elites of the Knight Order were made to be in charge of security for the duration of the Royal Academy exam from the following year onwards.
I was still the vicemander then, and the details had been passed to me, as well as the discussion. I heard that this incident was deemed too sensitive for it happened at the prestigious Royal Academy examination venue, so a gag order had been imposed... Though there exists no lock sturdy enough to silence the human tongue, huh?"
"Kyahahaa! Fuhahaha! Th-That''s so refreshing to hear. Even I didn''t know about it."
Fey broke out intoughter to the point tears had poured out of her eyes.
What the heck is refreshing about this? Is there anything else to reveal? I''m already so full so I would like my ears to be spared from hearing all this again,
"I heard the rumors that the victim, still harboring intense resentment against Endumion until this date, is being called ...... But the world is really a small ce, I didn''t expect Allen to be the brother of the victim..."
Impossible. I know her very well, there was no way my sister remembered whom she punched and where. She was the ''feeling refreshed after punching'' type.
In fact, I dare say she must have already forgotten about the matter on her way back home.
"...Haaa... I think I have grasped the gist of it. The teaching way of Schord Bainfause."
Crap, the old man seems to be seeing something he shouldn''t be seeing... If I let it be, I wouldn''t have tears left to cry outter.
"By all means, this is far from the philosophical aspect that he wanted to teach us. It''s more metaphorical, about giving our best as if our life depends on it, that''s it."
"Despite being the victim, she didn''t stoop down to give her exnation and had the resolution to throw away the chance to enter the Royal Academy on the spot. And you, boy... you didn''t know about this matter until now, right?
A little girl of tender age kept everything within her tiny existence and didn''t try to make any excuses, even to her family. On top of that, she wed her way to the Advanced Magic Tool Research Institute from the Aristocratic Academy through her own effort, this rebellious spirit of hers is really praiseworthy."
I didn''t expect thecent story to actually have such a magnificent tale.
"No, no, you''re giving her too much credit here. No matter what you think, you can hardly call my elder sister, who sent over 60 people to the hospital, a victim of all this. And if you give it some thought, Elder Sister''s achievement in Dragried hardly has any rtion with Sch¡ª"
"You were indeed correct earlier, one can train one''s abilities but the heart is always the hardest to cultivate. That''s something I deeply understand, having seen many young ones in the Knight Order for a long time. But a cultivated heart, like your elder sister''s, is an invaluable treasure all other materialistic things fall short in front of.
As a fellow guide who imparts knowledge, Schord Bainfause''s teaching method has such value that even I would like to seek some guidance from him.
....He is the one. I want him in this Academy."
"But he is someone from Dragried, alright? Don''t think you can bring in talent from our ce so easily."
Fey, who hadn''t even heard of the ''Sc'' of Schord before today, suddenly put up a noble persona and asserted her ownership right.
Godorfun red at her with a sharp gaze. Fey nonchntly ignored it.
Anyone worth their salt could predict the situation afterward, let alone the students of ss A¡ª the best talents from all over the kingdom. They quickly jotted down the name of ''Schord Bainfause'' in their notebooks to inform their families as soon as possible.
¡ô
This was the prelude to the intense battle that took ce between the various forces of the kingdom over Schold Bainfause¡ª the legendary private tutor that had astonished even Godorfun Von Wangyus, the right-hand man of the King, enough to make him seek his guidance.
Though, this was a tale for another time.
Editor''s Note - Well, I do understand he was trying to calm them down but I don''t agree with what the MC said that her sister can''t be called a victim. Was she supposed to just take the idiot noble''s pestering? Having said that, sending 60 people to the hospital is a bit excessive so I can see why the Academy said both sides were to me.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 19 - Imposed Condition
Chapter 19 - Imposed Condition
"Very well, Allen Rovenne. I''ll have another meeting with the others, and in case of absence of any proof that otherwise implies you have cheated, we will recognize your enrollment in the E ss."
...Haaa. I had to make a dear sacrifice, but at least I managed to sail through this sea of ordeal.
The Royal Academy could cook whatever story they wanted. I wasn''t so obsessed with it, but it was another matter to be dismissed within one hour of being admitted into it. I would have been ashamed to meet my parents otherwise...... Thank you, Schord. Your sacrifice won''t be wasted or forgotten.
I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes, praying for the happiness of my sworn friend in his next life.
"Not a single word ofint, huh? Schord Bainfause''s teachings really hadn''t been wasted on you."
Well, Mother had said she would be leaving for the Viscount Rovenne territory soon, so maybe the situation wouldn''t be taking an ugly turn.
...To be honest, I was wondering why she had to leave so soon. I wonder if she had already predicted this development (the excuse I would be giving). The scary part was I couldn''t even deny the possibility.
.......Hmm? Wait, I think I just misheard something.
"I understand you may have many things to say after being told you''ll be ced in ss E. But that''s how significant the weight of this situation is, and how difficult it is to overturn the cheating allegation. After all, it was no different from doubting the long-standingprehensive ability judgment system of the Yugria Kingdom.
Furthermore, in your case, it happened in four subjects, and nothing seems to prove that you cheated...... To be frank, this is the first time such huge discrepancies have urred in the entirety of its history.
Those who were innocent after investigation in the past were all ced in ss E. That isn''t to say that the ss assigned was permanent, it depended on their performance after enrollment. But unfortunately, not a single person has managed to go beyond ss E......"
ss E!?... Whatever, I wasn''t that fixated on ss. In fact, considering how I wanted to live without being bound by anything, this just sounded perfect.
Of course, I haven''t cheated but theprehensive ability judgment system wasn''t wrong either. After all, there was no way something as absurd as reincarnation would ever cross their mind.
"I understand."
I nodded, putting up a resigned expression purposely.
"Well, this should be the end of the orientation but there''s a bit of circumstance this time around."
Godorfun swept over the ss with a sharp gaze, and once the atmosphere tensed up, he continued.
"In as early as ten years, there is a high chance for a war to break out."
His bombshell remark made everyone in the ss gasp audibly.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"I was interrupted by that brat earlier, but this is one of the reasons why I''m here and the decree of His Majesty is rted to this.
Every single student in this Academy is someone handpicked from the pool of talents from all over the kingdom, the cream of the crop. So to put it bluntly, His Majesty is expecting me to choose the top 20 students from the Academy that would serve as the battle force to this kingdom."
Pausing there, Godorfun briefly nced at Allen.
"I don''t expect everyone present to be a soldier. How one lives is their freedom.
...But no matter the role you all take, given the ability and authority of the Royal Academy graduates, you''ll be an important force to support the country. The war is first and foremost about the power of solidarity."
Then, Leo raised his hand.
"May I ask a question, Sir?"
"What is it, Leo?"
"If it''s not overstepping my boundary, may I ask which country we''ll be going against?"
"Hmm. The Intelligence department is currently consolidating the vital pieces of information as we speak. So there''s nothing that can be concretely exined to you students... In the end, there''s no stopping the needless rumors from jumping out. So it''s useless to ask me anything about it for now. Though if I have to make a guess, the first one to make a move should be the Rosemieur Empire in the north."
"Sure enough."
Leo gritted his teeth together.
The Rosemieur Empire was another major power that has been contending with the Yugria Kingdom over the hegemony of this continent for a long time.
It had been just a decade ago that the Rosemieur Empire invaded the kingdom, and at that time, we had been invaded with a force that brought a huge change on the borders for a brief period.
However, with the surprise attack from the elite troops that included Godorfun himself which resulted in the fall of the enemy''smander, the kingdom''s Knight Order swiftly took advantage of the gap to break the enemy line and somehow managed to keep the status quo.
"In tandem with their movement, there are chances the Zestiria Nation in the west might make a move as well."
"For real!?"
A mor broke out in ss as soon as another unexpected country was brought up.
"Does Zestiria have friendly rtions with Rosemiure ever since its foundation? Why in the world are they joining hands to wage war on our nation after never partaking in one so far?!"
"It''s not concrete whether they''ll make a move or not for now. However, there are frequent suspicious signs like the exchange of military supplies with the Empire that we have confirmed. While nothing is confirmed, we ought to prepare for the worst."
After suppressing the buzzing ss with a gesture of his hand, Godorfune turned to look at Allen.
"That¡¯s why, even if, hypothetically, what you imed to be was right and this was the result of working hard day and night as if your life depended on it, the kingdom doesn''t have the leeway to let talent go to waste. Having said that, I can''t make an exception based on my judgment alone.
Therefore, I''m giving you the task to gain rmendations from the members of this ss saying ''you''re qualified to be in ss A'' within one week. With the rmendations from all the members of this ss and the examiners, I''ll directly advise His Majesty and obtain permission through a royal decree. Understand?"
¡ô
''Understand'' he said.
Like hell! What in the world was cooking in that senile mind of that old man...
I had no intention of participating in the war and most of all, I didn''t see any merit in me bowing my head in front of everyone just to stay in this ss A...... No wait, maybe I was just ignorant about the advantages?
"Just to confirm, Are there any special privileges associated with being in ss A? For example, facilities exclusive to ss A, ess to special materials, and the like?"
Godorfun answered with a dubious expression.
"There is no such special privilege. All Academy students are equal regardless of their ss. However...... I''m not fond of saying this but the graduates of ss A receive preferential treatment in their future endeavors. Being a graduate of ss A means you are almost guaranteed to join the kingdom''s Knight Order, have priority in all possible employment, and you could even pursue advanced study in the Research Academy. You are promised to have sess anywhere you go. Besides......"
Godorfun paused there as he raised an eyebrow and released a threatening aura, eliciting cries of surprise from all over the ss.
"For someone who is a disciple of Schord Bainfause, I hope you are not thinking of something like ''Then who cares which ss I''m in¡¯, right?"
Just how high had the stock of Schord shot up in the mind of this old man? It was almost as if they were war buddies who had gone through perilous situations together......
''Don''t bber whateveres to your mind! It''s not like I didn''t think I wouldn''t mind being in ss E at all!''
What''s wrong with ss E anyway?!
The old man had talked about employment, advanced studies, or sess in life which meant jack shit to me!
"Remember, behind your ss assignment is an investment worth 30 million rea... your parents'' happiness who have raised you so far, Master Schord''s efforts, and my pride as the one who rmended you for this ss! If I ever saw you deliberately cking off in your effort, mark my words, I''ll tear you apart myself even if you managed to stay in the Academy!"
"Eeeek."
...30 million rea? Really?
That was almost equivalent to the annual tax revenue of our viscount territory, which, after removing the necessary expenditure, left us with an ie of 3 million real.
For reference, 1 real is equivalent to 1 dor.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
As long as one calmly analyzed the situation, it wasn''t hard to see that it was impossible to gain the rmendation of the whole ss in just one week.
First of all, I was under suspicion of cheating on the academic tests. Moreover, in four out of five subjects, especially in Magic Theory, I was used of a 99.9% chance of cheating. If that wasn''t enough, there was also my exchange with Leo.
When the kingdom was facing a critical situation, would he want a ssmate who would openly announce that he didn''t have any shred of favorability towards the kingdom? At least, I wouldn''t have. So it was almost impossible to persuade Leo.
Furthermore, there was that bombshell remark from Fey. To be honest, I was still annoyed at her since my value in the eyes of the girls currently was even lower than a roadside pebble due to her.
Just who was that old man kidding? It was damned impossible to gain rmendations from the members of the ss who looked at me like I was trash in a week.
If that wasn''t enough, that old man, whom I was pushing to be the disciple of, instead announced he would trash me and ended up saying some mumbo-jumbo that I didn''t get at all.
Most of all, the existence of my elder sister has been exposed, which wasn''t aughing matter for me at all.
Kukuku. Impossible. No one would believe that this was achievable.
I couldn''t help but marvel at how the situation turned out like this. I tried to appear as someone innocuous, and yet, in the end, I was trapped in this hopeless situation. I questioned myself back-to-back, what was it that I did wrong that time? I was sure that I had just given my best.
As for why it was impossible, it was simple, I had no drive to follow up with this charade. Had there been even a single reason that made me want to pass the qualification for ss A at any cost, I would have made it a reality by deploying any means possible.
But there wasn''t any. Absolutely none.
Alright, I would just pretend I was doing my best, but secretly aim for ss E in secret.
Editor''s note - To be honest, I''d also feel the same way if I was the MC. Not only was the usation of cheating insulting to the effort he put in to ace the exam, but their test to prove that he didn''t cheat had nothing to do with academics. Coupled with no actual benefits in staying with ss A and a waring a decade at thetest, it wasn''t a surprise he had no motivation to prove himself.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 20 - Moving into Dormitory
Chapter 20 - Moving into Dormitory
"Can I ask a question?"
Fey raised her hand.
"What is it?"
"How exactly do you want Allen to gain our rmendations?"
"It''s actually pretty easy. Just have the ss admit Allen Rovenne as one of their ssmates, that''s all. As it happens, there are only nobles and quasi-nobles in this ss. Whether it''s your ability to discern his character, your individual feelings, your decision based on your family''s perspective, or any other factors¡ª it''s up to you to make a decision. No matter the reason behind your decision, I will silently mark it down with no questions asked."
"I see."
Then Fey stood up from her chair and pressed her right hand on her chest.
"In the name of Feyrune Von Dragoon, I vouch for Allen Rovenne as one befitting to be a member of the Yugria Royal Knight and Mage Academy''s ss A."
"Sure enough."
I had already expected Fey to stand up for me. However, no matter her stance on the matter, there was no way to overturn the current situation.
Besides, I would like to stay far from this troublesome person. Just that point alone was enough incentive for me to instead move to ss E.
Anyway, this ss really has no one but nobles, huh¡? It wasn''t anything strange, even in my previous life, academic ability was directly rted to a family''s financial strength¡ª life was never fair.
But, not everyone shared the same sentiment as a serious-faced boy, feeling jealous, stood up as Fey was delivering her wless performance.
"What are you thinking, Fey-sama?! Even if you are a member of the Dragoon family, it''s preposterous to stake your family name for the third son of a poor viscount without confirming the alleged cheating suspicions!
Besides, given his rude attitude toward the esteemed Fey-sama since a while ago, he is nothing but a sham! Who will take the responsibility if he tarnishes the good name of the Dragoon family?! I''ll be informing the Master of this matter!"
Ah, I see. I didn''t know if he was from a branch family, a vassal family, or a prestigious count family, but he should be the so-called ''attendant'' assigned to a member of the main branch. Furthermore, considering he was in the same ss as Fey, he should be hard-working.
''Kukuku. I bet he doesn''t like me very much.'' Allen chuckled at the newfound card up his sleeve.
"I''ve stepped forth not as an individual but as the spokesperson of the Marquis Dragoon family to show this is the family''s collective judgment. In noble politics, there are times when you have to make quick decisions even at the risk of taking a gamble. There are things I can see that you cannot, Parry. I don''t care what you want to reportter but shut your mouth for now."
What was the scary nonsense she was saying? I don''t see anything special in myself though.
But once the main family had spoken so, Parry probably had nothing else he could say. The pitiful Parry turned to re at me, looking like he was ready to jump at any moment to kill me.
"...I will definitely tear away that facade of yours and show the truth to Fey-sama... Just wash your neck and wait for me."
"But Allen''s battle power is discerned to be Level 5 you know? You should stop here unless you want to be beaten ck and blue."
Once again, the sound of scribbling on paper echoed inside the ss.
Oh please, I am no better than trash lying on the roadside. There was no deep meaning behind it, you lot......
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Alright, this is the end of today''s homeroom. Those who want to move to the dormitory can move in today, so make sure toplete the procedure by 5 o''clock. Tomorrow, make sure to be back at school by 9 AM."
As soon as the old man''s words dropped, I bolted out of the ssroom, fearing that Fey might want to follow me home and ask me to introduce her to my elder sister.
Once I got to the dormitory, I could escape anything. After all, it was just a matter of time before I said goodbye to this ss and moved to ss E.
I wasn''t in the mood to stay back in the ssroom and deepened my rtionship with my ssmates. I was exhausted...... Who would have thought just the greeting and first orientation would sap away all of my energy?
When I returned home, Mother had already left for the viscount territory. Elder sister wasn''t back from her school yet either. The Advanced Magical Tools Research Institute was more like a doctoral program at a university in my past life. Each student had their own research theme, and rather than taking sses, they conducted research independently and obtained a degree when they managed to show certain results.
It also had a strong aspect of being a research institute, and each student was given an extraordinary budget for their research.
Taking advantage of her absence, I packed my luggage and left for the dormitory.
I was honestly scared of her realizing that I had already left but after hearing about the red carpet incident, I couldn''t imagine her offering her congrattions to me for passing with just a smile......
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The general dormitory of the academy was a quaint brick building. It had a stark contrast to the luxurious marble-covered school building, but I wasn''t the type to be particr about where I lived. I just needed to have a ce to sleep, that was all.
In fact, I nned to sneak out at night and needed to hide myself from the eyes of the security, so this quaint dorm was perfect for me.
I went to the office on the left side of the entrance and called out.
"Excuse me! I''vee for the dormitory registration!"
"Just a moment!"
After waiting for a while, a seniordy, who looked to be the dorm mother, came out. It was hard to tell her exact age as she was carrying a cane in her hand but her back was straight as a pine tree and she exuded a youthful vitality contrary to her looks.
"A freshman, I presume? I''m Sora, the dorm mother of this dormitory. Write down your name and ss here."
I wrote down ''1-A! Allen Rovenne''.
"...So you''re that rumored boy who scored the highest in the practical exam while being alleged of cheating in the theory exam, huh?
......Did you really cheat?"
"I didn''t."
I returned the straightforward gaze of the dorm mother with the same look and replied.
Sora stared straight at me for a while but eventually murmured ''Hmm, whatever'' and guided me inside.
"This general dormitory of the Royal Academy only has one rule. Look there."
I shifted my gaze to where Sora was pointing at where a board was ced. On that board, ''unaffected and sincere, with fortitude and vigor'' was written out in ck bold letters.
I secretly chuckled to myself.
Unpretentiously, upfront, unperturbed, and unfazed¡ª they were words I resonated with. For someone like me chasing after a carefree life, I despised pretentiousness and showiness the most.
Meanwhile, upfront, unperturbed, and unfazed depended on how one perceived them. But more than anyone else, I had a strong and determined will to confidently say I would lead my otherworld life doing whatever I wanted and found interesting.
"The dorm fee includes breakfast and costs 1000 rea per month. Well, with the namete of the Royal Academy in this Royal Capital, it''s not a difficult amount to earn. You can look up some private tutor or explorer jobs if you are tight on budget. Breakfast is served from 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM. Tell me beforehand when you don''t need it.
Each roomes with its own toilet but the baths aremunal. There''s arge bath house at the back right corner of the entrance which operates from 6:00 PM to 10:00 AM.
You should be a noble birth, right? Can you dress by yourself?"
Sora looked at me like I was some sort of an idiot.
Woah! The room came with its own toilet!
I already inquired beforehand that the rent of the dormitory was 1000 rea, which was an exception among the Royal Capital''s steep prices, so I was a bit worried that it would be kind of run-down. But that wasn''t half-bad.
And there was even arge bath house. Being able to stretch myself in a spacious bath whenever I wanted was heaven for me!
"You don''t need to worry about that. I''m just the third son of a poverty-stricken rural viscount family. I can handle my personal matters by myself."
"...You really are one strange boy, this is the first time I''ve seen someone of noble birth showing an ecstatic expression after hearing about the dormitory......
My role is to curb the attitude of the fellows who misunderstand some things when they get epted into the Royal Academy. It might be harsh to listen to, but I''m not gonna sugarcoat things. Students of ss D and above can stay in the noble dormitory for the same rent as here.
In short, only the bottom rung ss E students, furthermore those who are too poor to pay even the regr fee of 5000 rea for the Aristocratic Dormitory, gathered here. They also called this ce¡ª the Doghouse Dormitory of the Loser Dogs.
If you don''t like it, work hard to move up to ss D."
Aristocratic Dormitory? It sounded more like a gathering of idiots who thought they could assert dominance just by scoring higher. The food and facilities might be betterpared to here but I didn''t see any charm in it.
If I wanted delicious food, I could sneak out into the city at night and find some myself.
"It''s fine, I fancy this ce¡ª unaffected and sincere, with fortitude and vigor. I must say, that''s a wonderful dormitory rule. Though I''ll give it my all, I have no intention of moving anywhere for the next three years. So I''ll be under your care for the duration of my stay, Sora-san.¡±
Sora looked baffled, but,
"Hahaha. I hope to hear those words even after you move up a ss."
Sheughed heartily and left.
Editor''s Note - So, after 20 chapters what do you guys think? For me, I find the premise quite interesting. Though I could see how the author might screw it up but as long as themon pitfalls and cliches are avoided this could turn out to be quite a good novel.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 21 - The Situation Behind the Orientation
"Now, let''s see what everyone''s judgment is."
"Clear."
"Sounds clear to me."
"Clear of course."
"I will go with a clear."
"I have analyzed it thoroughly. Even without questioning him, he''s undoubtedly clear."
Everyone dered the person in question was clear.
"Suspicious", thest one remaining, Dew, sighed as he replied.
"That''s not very fair of you. You look so excited, even though gambling doesn''t suit your nature." (Justin)
"That isn''t something a maniptive bastard like you have the right to say, Justin! Once that damned brat is disqualified, I''ll be the one to hog those 300 million rea! Fuhaha!" (Dew)
Dew was so excited at the prospect of winning the bet that he couldn''t sleep for the whole night, and in the end, it even strained him mentally and physically. He was practically drooling as he thought of the money that would soon be rolling onto hisp. He waspletely detached from reality¡ª a fairly typical example of someone who easily sumbed to gambling.
"Very well, with a unanimous decision and no clear evidence of cheating, Allen will be demoted to ss E."
Mujikka, the head of the meeting, announced.
"Hey! Didn''t I say my doubts!? How did it be a unanimous decision!? Stop messing with me! And what ''Unceasing Prudence'' Schord Bainfause!? Like hell, there can be such an amazing tutor in this world! That was obviously an on-the-spot bullshit that that damned brat came up with!"
Dew''s statement sounded like a loser dog attempting to salvage the situation. But in a sense, he wasn''t far from the truth.
However, it was an undeniable fact that Schord had raised two exceptional students. And another point was that they didn''t find any suspicious part about Allen no matter how much they investigated.
Especially the exam footage of the magical theory exam with a cheating probability of 99.99% which was thoroughly reviewed. They had stared at the projection of the scene where Allen solved the application problem of the magic conversion principle so hard that one would have imagined they were trying to open holes through the monitor just with their gazes. As for why, it was because a few questions in the exam paper had far surpassed the level fitting for the entrance examination, with Allen being the only one to solve them.
He solved the problem like everyone else, giving the question a bit of thought and then using the nk space for calctions. Or correcting the minor mistakes he found during his review and fixing them. There was no way calcting on the nk pace and correcting minor mistakes during the review could be considered cheating. Throughout the entire exam, he skipped the questions that he didn''t have any chance of solving at all with ease.
They also considered the possibility that the one who took the exam wasn¡¯t Allen but Allen¡¯s proxy or substitute, however, this possibility was abandoned after matching his handwriting with the previous kingdom-wide mock theory exam.
From the outset to the conclusion, there was only one suspicious point ¡ª if it could be even counted as one ¡ª which was him taking a stroll all alone through the vast cobblestone pathway. The only time he had an exchange with other examinees was after the practical exam when he passed by the group awaiting their preliminary results. There was hardly anyone left among the staff who had not analyzed all of his actions.
Everything from his mana residue, his way of walking, to even his voice, indicated the same conclusion¡ª the Allen who took the theory exam was the same Allen who had taken the practical exam. Well of course they would match, for they were the same person. Examiners had the same thought as they saw Allenpleting the 5 subjects of the theory exam in 2 hours and 45 minutes nonchntly and then reviewing them with sleepy eyes¡ª it wasn''t the behavior of someone who was cheating.
And then, as their representative, Godorfun, ss A''s ss teacher, had even questioned him during the orientation. As a result¡ª
"I''ve already dispatched trusted individuals to check that person out. I''ve also instructed them to scout him in case they confirm him to be a hidden talent. If the situation calls for it, I have authorized them to use the name of ''Yugria'' as well."
Godorfun nodded hearing Mujikka''s reply.
"It''s just a matter of time before the name of Schord Bainfause resounds throughout the whole kingdom. Given the current tumultuous times, it is undoubtedly necessary to secure such a talent capable of raising outstanding individuals."
Complex expressions appeared on everyone''s faces.
"Certainly, we must ensure that the bountiful treasures of ournd stay within our borders. You can also coborate with the Dragoons if necessary. Everything beyond that will be a level ying field."
"...By the way, old man, what the hell was that condition about entering ss A?"
"What, are you dissatisfied? I took measures that, in my own way, I believe are in the best interests of the nation."
Godorfun said while staring at Dew.
"Of course I''m dissatisfied! You are putting on such a noble cause, but isn''t it all just to salvage your bet!?"
"Hmm¡ and? What''s everyone''s opinion on this?"
"We already held a meeting regarding this matter. And except for Dew, everyone unanimously agreed with it."
Mujikka triumphantly crushed Dew''s voice of objection.
When taking a vote, alongside the obvious popr choice being the ss A qualification, there was no other way to win so everyone was just resigned at that point.
Furthermore, just as Godorfun said earlier, considering the current circumstances, everyone knew that Allen should be allowed to grow in ss A.
The only one whining was Dew.
"But don''t you think that the condition to stay in ss A is a bit tough? Even if it''s an unprecedented case, it''s quite demanding for a boy who has just arrived from the countryside."
Ignoring Dew, who was still making a fuss, the gentle cleft chin Dante asked.
"Well, after all thatmotion during the self-introduction, it was quite a spectacle. Ahaha¡ It was fantastic, really."
Parch burst out inughter.
"Geez, this isn''t aughing matter! If it''s true, it''s quite troublesome to be honest! To keep her captive for over 6 hours until morning, only toter treat her like aplete stranger in front of everyone and then throw her away like tattered rags!"
Mujikka eximed with simmering rage.
"But weren''t you watching that scene with an ecstatic expression again and again? I guess you really are a masochist after all, getting excited by imagining being humiliated and discarded. You must have lots of pent-up frustration since you haven''t had a boyfriend for so long."
Emmy swiftly added.
"D-D-D-Don''t bber random nonsense, Emmy-chan!!"
"?? But it''s not just a random thought though. Here¡ª"
Emmy''s fingers were about to rise when Mujikka firmly pressed it down with incredible speed.
"S-Stop, just stop! That''s right, I''m a pitiful super old maid who hasn''t had a boyfriend for over three years and my pent-up frustration has grown to unbearable levels! I admit it so please don''t show it!"
"Mujikka really has no eye for men, it won''t be long before you are entangled with a good-for-nothing man and cast away like a ragged cloth."
The glorious administrator of the Royal Academy copsed right there.
"You really are a sadist... Emmy-chan......"
"? What are you saying, I really don''t have any interest in stick and carrot ys. I only bully those whom I dislike."
"......That''s just in bullying, you know?"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Godorfun forcefully steered the conversation back on track, which had been derailed by a mile, and said to Dante.
"Cough. I must admit, that brat really has gone through severe training until he lost his naivety. He must have known there was no chance of winning, yet he challenged me with such confidence."
"Living a life doing whatever he wants and however he wants. To be honest, I judged him to be an egotistic kid when he proimed so to Leo Zatsinger at the beginning¡ª an arrogancemon in noble-born children.
However, the way he eximed ''I will crush anyone, no matter who they are, if they tried to interfere with my path'' to you with an unhesitating tone refreshes his impression in my mind. He really wasn''t impudent, relying solely on his skill."
"Indeed. I sensed that kid''s conviction. But, what about the political side? He is someone who has achieved top-ss results in the Royal Academy. Whether he wants to or not, there''s no way that kid can avoid getting his feet wet when walking on the beach. Without being able to secure a sufficient amount of support, what can he aplish?"
"I see, hence this deliberate political y. It''s indeed a finely-tuned challenge to measure his capabilities. As always, you really have one heck of a personality, old man."
Justin added, grinning to himself.
"I am personally more curious about his intention in wanting to be your disciple. Sir Godorfun is going to be ss A''s homeroom teacher. If there''s any doubt, the ss is the perfect ce to ask any question. He must have heard others calling you ''Godorfun the Buddha'' as well. Yet he wasn''t content with it. Just what was the thing that kid wanted to learn that spurred him to act that way."
"Ahh."
Dew, who had been listening with a frown, spoke, "You''re right, that damned brat actually bowed his head. And It wasn''t just a simple bow just for the sake of bowing. It looked as if he had repeatedly practiced and refined it into a ''form."
"Why would he do that?"
"How would I know? I can''t think of any other reason but you''re right. I also felt elegance in his tempered and refined unique ''form''. I dare say he''d perform the exact same movement every single time."
Emmy projected that scene.
"Oh, that''s indeed some refined movement." Perch expressed his admiration.
"His movements are really beautiful. If I have to pinpoint that indescribable feeling, one can''t help but feel his sincerity."
Dew continued while picking his pose.
"If you ask me, that phony private tutor must have made him practice it for the times when he needs to make requests from his superiors by preaching bullshit like ''It''s a part of mental training''. I really wonder about your discussion~? To even use the name of Yugria and scouting through such a high-handed method. He seems to be quite a picky person."
Crestfallen, Mujikka suddenly raised her head.
"If you had realized it, then you should have said it earlier for god sake! Seriously, Dew-san, you''re just a sloven old man except for your speed in handling work! I''ll immediately send the magic bird!"
This world stillcked any propermunication magic tool.
"...Hmm. I can see that the teaching style of this Schord Bainfause is more spartan, but it''s still surprisingly profound. There might be more to it than meets the eye."
Vol. 1 - Ch. 22 - Morning Routine and Soras Breakfast
The following day, Allen, like any other day, woke up at 5 o''clock in the morning.
He was allocated a 10 tatami-size room on the 3rd floor, with a creaking, old bed and a chair in the name of furniture¡ª probably left behind by the previous upant.
In the corridor part continuing to the entrance from the only room was a toilet, a simple kitchen, and a closet. The room didn''t get the best sunlight, but it dide with a balcony. For a noble''s room, it was quite simple, but for Allen, who had a different outlook as a Japanese person, it was more than satisfactory.
Forundry, there was the magic washing machine tool beside therge bath house which could be used for free, and there were also cleaning workers whose services could be availed, viable for those who foundundry troublesome or those who wanted to have their unique monster-leather made equipment cleaned at a cheap price of 10 rea for the normal clothing that could fit in a 30 litre bag. They just had to leave them in the dedicated space beside therge bath house and the cleaners would get them in the morning or evening of the same day. For special materials, the pricing varied, but it was still quite affordable considering the cost of living in the capital city.
Allen came out of the quiet dormitory and did some light stretches in the dorm garden while enjoying the crisp and cold morning air.
He then crossed the academy''s premises, around 8 km from his location to the entrance gate in 25 minutes at a leisurely pace. He could have taken the exit at the back gate which was closer to the general dormitory and run around the circumference of the Academy but he didn''t change his route that much. It was mostly to gauge his progress.
He left from the main gate on the south side and began his usual clockwise run around the outer perimeter of the Academy.
He did 10 hill dashes along the way and upon returning through to the main gate, he jogged back to the dormitory at a rxed pace. Then he fetched his wooden sword from the room and swung it in the courtyard, imagining himself sparring with Dio, the spear wielder who had helped him on the journey to the capital.
He prepared his body-strengthening magic while looking for an opening in the spear''s form. For the exact 30 minutes, Allen practiced swordsmanship¡ª he aimed to bring forth his maximum controble speed possible with the least amount of mana. He swung his sword, took it back, and eliminated anyg in his movements after using the magic. After that, he carefully did stretches.
The stretching before warming up his body and the stretching exercises to enhance flexibility afterward were simr yet distinct activities.
The focus was on expanding the range of his motions, exhaling while stretching, and holding his position. He repeated this process calmly and methodically.
It was the first day of Allen''s new life.
He was satisfied that he could smoothly start his morning routine.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
I quickly wiped off my sweat and changed into my school uniform.
The uniform from the Royal Academy, woven with special threads, was delivered to my roomst night. I didn''t remember requesting it, and they hadn''t even taken measurements, but it was a perfect fit.
It was a zer type that was easy to move around in and had excellent durability. When it became too small, I could also apply for a new one, and they would give it the recement for free.
By the way, the uniforms weren''t mandatory.
After changing, I arrived at the cafeteria at around 8 AM.
I could have eaten emergency portable rations, but after receiving a sermon from Mother who advised me to have a proper breakfast, and that I did feel the difference after trying it, I decided to make use of the cafeteria in the dormitory that was free of charge.
"You''rete, kid! Your sses start at 9, you know? nning to bete on your first day?!"
When I arrived at the cafeteria, Sora, the dorm mother, addressed me in a fierce tone.
"Of course not, I''m just on schedule. Even if I eat the breakfast slowly, I can leave the dorm at 8:30 and still have plenty of time to run there."
I didn''t n to waste 20 minutes on breakfast, but since it was the first day, I decided to take it easy. After saying that, I looked at the tray Sora brought. There were tworge freshly made hamburgers and a ss of milk along with them. Quite a hefty breakfast, but not an amount that couldn''t be finished.
Assuming it took five minutes to finish, I think I should be able to take a morning bath starting tomorrow. While pondering such things, I took a bite of the hamburger. ''Ugh, this is so greasy. It tastes like oil¡ Part of the simmered pork seemed to have been soaked in oil...''
I really couldn''t eat it, especially in the morning. It was impossible at night as well. So that was why the cafeteria section was so deserted. Sigh, portable rations were really the best for mornings...
However, leaving food unfinished once it was served contradicted my policy from my past life after working in a food and beveragepany.
With teary eyes, I somehow managed to eat the hamburger.
Then, Sora, who had been watching me from the seat across me, spoke up.
"Hehehe. You''ve got some guts there¡ Judging from your previous actions, I assumed you specialize in body strengthening, right?"
It seemed like she watched my training. I nodded while holding back my tears. I really wonder how one could eat this for breakfast.
"Today''s hamburger is a menu designed to assist in the cirction of emission magic and attribute conversion for magic users. If you have the guts to eat it from tomorrow onwards, I''ll prepare a menu that is effective for body strengthening. However, the effect will be minimal."
''Oh?'' The hamburger he was eating reflexively sprayed out of his mouth upon hearing that unexpected information. The brunt of it was borne by the Sora sitting across him, her face getting all oily.
S, sitting in front of him, got sttered with oil.
"This is the first time I''ve heard about such a menu!?"
"...Don''t you have anything to say before that? You really are something, boy. Well, I suppose it''s understandable. The ingredients or craftsmanship isn''t something in regtion for the public.
I might not appear so, but I''m a researcher specializing in the taste and effects of monster ingredients in this Royal Academy. The students joining this dormitory are just the right guinea pigs¡ However, the young ones nowadays have such discerning ptes that they hardly eat in the dormitory. At this rate, it would be hard for me to carry out my experiments."
Sora wiped her face with her apron and stared at Allen with the bloodshot eyes of a researcher.
There were many things he wanted to ask, but he first spoke about the thing he couldn''t stop himself from retorting about.
"Taste research? But I don''t taste any saltiness. It feels like the seasoning is missing?"
"It''s not the vor, but the taste. I''m not a cook. My work is to check out the original taste and effects of ingredients. So salt is obviously a hindrance to that. The minimum required amount of salt for breakfast has been packed into the bread. If you want vor, look for it outside or in the school building''s lounge. I''m sure they will serve you sumptuous dishes at equally magnificent prices."
...Ah-uh, this olddy is beyond salvageable. Who the hell messes with meals, one of the most enjoyable aspects of life, and treats it as some sort of an experiment? I bet she was of the same kind as my elder sister, both being the mad scientist types.
But that said, for me, who yearned to be the Mage even if it meant bing one of the grasshoppers on the string, that approach from the highly specialized field of monster ingredients, and assistance from an expert utilizing undisclosed techniques for free every day was incredibly appealing.
As I rejoiced internally at the newfound prospect, I decided to inquire further for now.
"I have absolutely no talent for emission magic''s attribute conversion, but I want to learn emission magic no matter what. Do you have any ideas for ingredients that could help acquire attribute conversion postnatally?"
Sora''s face revealed a surprised expression, as if she hadn''t expected me to say that, and said,
"...Unfortunately, no. Research on acquiring attribute conversion postnatally has been a theme that researchers from various fields have tackled throughout the long history of the kingdom. It''s clear to anyone that if that could be achieved, it would be a world-shaking achievement. However, it has been a history of hardships that many excellent researchers have only stumbled on. While I don''t cover all fields of research, I haven''t heard of any sess stories."
Sora continued while peering into my eyes.
"By the way, why are you so fixated on emission magic? Didn''t you rank 1st in the practical exam? The fact that the examiners of this academy gave you that much recognition undoubtedly means you have talent in body-strengthening magic. There are exceptions, of course, but mastering body strengthening is the royal road for a knight. In fact, there are multiple examples of Magic Knights who precisely couldn''t choose between body-strengthening magic and emission magic while having talent for both that they stopped at just being mediocre. As they say, jacks of all trades but master of none."
Sora''s expression made it clear.
''I won''t say anything bad, so give it up,'' was probably what she wanted to say.
"Even so, I won''t give up my dream of using emission magic. It''s what I want to do. I don''t see what I would get from achieving sess in knighthood."
"Hmm," S said as she crossed her arms.
"...There are high chances of failing, you know? Moreover, there''s a high possibility that it might crush your talents instead."
"I''m prepared for that."
"Hahaha! You''re interesting! Alright then. Starting from tomorrow, I''ll cooperate with you. Thoroughly. Hahaha! Hahaha!"
I feel like I''ve just made a forbidden deal with a demon, so I wish she would stopughing like that... I just wanted to ask a few questions, but suddenly it felt like we had entered into a contract. Whatever, everything was for a greater cause.
"Come on, finish your breakfast quickly and head to the school. You''re really going to bete."
Considering I would have to put up with eating this bizarre food every day, I need to adjust my bedtime and wake-up time to secure 30 minutes for breakfast. ''To think I would have to modify my routine on the very first day¡''
While thinking about such things, I started running toward the school building. My back reflected my cheerful mood.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 23 - Feint
Just a bit before the clock hit 9 AM, I arrived at the ssroom while running and utilizing my body-strengthening magic. I was so close to throwing up many times after suffering from heartburn due to my breakfast.
When I opened the door, the buzz in the ssroom died out.
''Fuhaha, it''s like they''re paying their respects to the problem child. Sigh, a man''s n could never topple what the heavens have decided for them¡''
My seat was the same as yesterday, by the window, which I guess everyone had tacitly concluded that it would be mine. But being able to watch the clouds be carried away by the wind in itself made it a rewarding position. Though, the only fact that cast a shadow over all this was¡ª
"Good morning, Allen. It''s a nice morning, no? Speaking of which, are youmuting from your viscount estate? Just thinking about how we would be living under the same roof, I spent all my time until evening at the reception of the noble dormitory waiting for you so that I could secure a room next to you, and yet, I didn''t see a glimpse of your shadow...... You haven''tpleted the procedure to enter the dormitory, right?"
The shadow was, of course, Fey sitting next to me.
"Good morning, stalker. I had been of the same thought that it''s indeed a pleasant morning, but the mood has just now been ruined."
This world didn''t know the word ''stalker'' until now, but with this, there was one.
"Stalker? Geez, you and your iprehensible words. What does it mean?"
"It refers to the pest who keeps tailing strangers without their consent, and not reflecting on how much they are a nuisance to them."
"Kyahaha! Wow, this is indeed defining me. But let me tell you, I''m not giving your No.1 stalker seat to anyone!"
Fey remarked, seemingly taunting the pitiful blonde-haired girl who just happened to sit on the adjacent seat for some reason. ''Oh, woe is me! If only someone could give me the instruction manual to read that person''s heart......
"Hey, Allen. You sure are taking it easy huh,ing just barely on time at day one¡? Also, I''m sorry that your elder sister had to go through all that trouble because of the folks from Endumion. I would like to apologize wholeheartedly."
Al sincerely lowered his head. I knew it wasn''t his fault so,
"There is nothing you have to apologize for, Al. Elder sister must have already forgotten about it, so you should also forget about it. At least, I don''t care about it, so let''s leave it at that. Otherwise, it''ll unnecessarily make things awkward."
To be honest, I was indeed curious about it, but I said this to ease the situation.
The one who tried to force himself on my elder sister was indeed paying for his own crime, but I was rather apologetic to his followers who unknowingly got wrapped up in all this drama to the point that they needed to visit the hospital.
Al showed a bit of a mental struggle, but in the end, replied ''Alright'' with a smiling face.
I knew he was someone worth befriending even though I would be leaving the ss.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Soon after, Godorfun entered the ssroom.
I haven¡¯t given up on bing his disciple but I guess it would be better to y the mute for the rest of the week. I felt like I would be making things unnecessarily harder for me by chasing after that. Who knows, he might just set forth a condition like securing my seat in ss A.
"It seems like everyone is present. Well then, without further ado, our practical session this morning will focus on body-strengthening magic. Let''s go to the training ground."
"Is practical lesson not divided based on courses?"
"A tempered body and an exquisite body-strengthening magic are essential for any job. To be more precise, there is absolutely no ce for mages who can only use magic from a safe distance, magic technicians who suck at mana maniption, or thinkers who are all theory and have no practical application experience among the graduates of the Royal Academy.
Cultivating talents well-versed in various fields¡ª this has been the education policy of the Royal Academy ever since its establishment.
In short, proficiency in body-strengthening magic above a certain level, as well as martial arts, is considered general education for the graduates of the Royal Academy. sses in the desired field of expertise are introduced from 2nd year and onwards."
Oh? To put it another way, it meant I would be able to receive training simr to what mages take. Interesting, I''m already getting excited just thinking about it.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The training ground was located along the stone-paved path leading east from the school building, branching off halfway. There were 4 gymnasiums erected there, each as big as the track and field event''s field. I bet their maintenance cost was stupidly high.
"Now, I have a rough idea of your practical exam. First, you need to introduce yourselves to your ssmates. Pair up with someone suitable and engage in mock battles one pair at a time. The rest of you will observe."
Here ites. The temte ''Pair up with someone suitable''...... This was absolutely designed to deal with themon enemy of the masses like me.
Fey was naturally out of the question, so I could see a future with two people being left out, the other being the pitiful soul with whom I would be paired with, smiling bitterly¡ª
"You must not have thought a chance to prove yourself woulde so soon huh, Allen Rovenne!? I don''t give a damn about Battle Power Level 5 or whatever, but I believe you, who earned the S evaluation in the practical exam, won''t cower away from the challenge, right?"
Ah, Parry-kun was there. Sorry, I don¡¯t hate you, Parry-kun...
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Let me make myself clear beforehand. If I win this mock battle, I will never rmend you as someone befitting for ss A. Even if Fey-sama orders me to do so."
"...I hope you don''t turn your back on your words."
I emphasized.
This was like a dreame true for me, who had thought a week would be wasted on this stupid task.
"Hmph, be cocky as much as you want, this is the only time you can act so! Sir Godorfun! I, Parry Abenil, am putting my name and rmendation at stake on the oue of this mock battle! Is that alright?"
"...Go ahead."
"Allen. You can go easy on him. He''ll rmend you either way even if you don''t ept it...... Alright?"
Fey approached me and said in a concerned tone, but her feline-like eyes gave her away. I couldn''t help but mentally give my 2 seconds of silence for Parry-kun who would have to face her anger even if he won against me.
Though, there was something I was more curious about¡ª
"He sounds awfully confident. Is he that strong?"
I was someone who got the top evaluation through a fluke. However, this guy has unwavering confidence in himself. Then, there was also the backup n Fey just mentioned when she usually acted so daringly.
"...If you ask me, Parry-kun will lose to you no matter how many times he challenges you..."
While Fey took her time exining things to me with a hesitant tone, I immediately found my answer.
Parry-kun approached the rack with a training wooden sword leaning against it, but went past it and instead chose a stick imitating a spear from another rack.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
I doubt there should be that many guys my age who trained in spears. In the practical exams for enrollment into higher studies, including those at the Royal Academy, 12-year-olds were always required to use wooden swords. So a spear user like Parry-kun was incredibly rare.
I vaguely remembered something when Parry-kun gave his full name, and after seeing him choose a spear, I recalled the details. Among the many vassals of the Dragoon family, the Count Abenil household was famous as a warrior n. Furthermore, each generation''s family head was also renowned as a master of the Abenil spearmanship.
I know now. Someone inexperienced with spears wouldn''t be able to handle them easily. I also understood the source behind his unshakable confidence.
Up until now, my head was full of thoughts wondering how I would lose this game but I quickly got myself together. I had been defeated soundly by Dio, a C-rank adventurer from the countryside, without him even using thrust techniques. It would be difficult to win even if I gave my all.
Parry-kun was just the perfect litmus test. I would like to see how much the current me could handle spears.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
I chose a suitable wooden sword and faced Parry-kun.
"I hope to learn something from you."
I bowed my head at a perfect 30 degrees, paying my respect to him for the pointers I would be receiving him.
The old man on the side raised his eyebrow. His years hadn''t dulled his understanding of the beauty of this bow.
Parry stood in a half stance, left hand forward. His posture was tall, yet his knees were flexible. From the moment he held the spear, it seemed as if he had abandoned all thought, his mind void of distractions.
...He was going to do a charge attack from the get-go most likely.
Parry-kun inched closer with a sliding step, attempting to shorten the distance between us.
This technique was only viable in a ce like a dojo or this arena, where the ground was level, the distance was significant, and it was a one-on-one battle. I hadn''t had the luxury of time to consider such tactics during my training with Dio, but it would be a tall order to ask that much from Parry-kun. After all,pared to Dio who had years of experience piled up from fighting monsters, it wasn''t hard to imagine the difference in their fundamental thinking.
However, it was a bit dull for me. It wasn''t a battle that I must win at any cost but a trial I was supposed to test myself on.
I rxed my stance, letting the wooden sword in my right hand hang down casually while shortening the distance between us. I calcted in my mind, thinking, just half a step more. My thoughts were interrupted by Parry-kun''s charge attack, he lunged at me like a cannon.
I instantly twisted my body to escape. I had anticipated this move, but thinking was one thing, experiencing it another. That was close......
He was faster than I imagined, and he was swift in closing the distance. By keeping his left hand in a cylinder shape and twisting his right hand as he thrust out, he extended the speed and distance of his attacks.
So this is the spear charge technique, huh? I didn''t notice it, but my lips had reflexively curled up into a smile.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Damn! Why are my attacks not hitting him!?"
Around ten minutes had passed since the mock battle started, but there was no sign of Parry-kun''s spear being able to touch me.
The reason was simple. His spearmanship was too exquisite. To put it inyman''s terms, he was the perfect textbook example. His thrusts were linear, with quick retraction but no continuation. His footwork was focused on keeping at an optimal distance to dealing with swords which gave away what his next move would be.
Of course, he wasn''t just following one moveset. He would asionally chain sweeping strikes or downward thrusts, but as someone who has seen and faced Dio''s fleeting moments, fluttering in and out of range, his movescked any trickery.
This way, he was unable to fully bring out the advantages of the spear.
Initially, I was cautious, expecting a trap. I thought he might intentionally repeat a monotonous attack, leading my thoughts in one direction only to strike unexpectedly from another. But the anticipated move never came. I was waiting for a long time, you know!?
Seeing the expression of Parry-kun getting impatient with each passing second gave me anxiety....... How was I supposed to lose here, especially in front of that old man?
T/N - Below are few colored illustration from v1 of the series.
MC vs Godorfun (Surprised? Yes, I waspletely sure it was some sort of macho dude seriously)
MC vs The man suffering from the alcohol aka Dew
This is our MC in this life vs in the past (Damn, looks cool)
Unfortunately, I also wanted to add Fey and Jeu''s illustration but it showing error. Also please check the note below.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 24 - The Real Opening Move
''Arrangements made in preparation for the future are called a ''Strategic Move''.''
Let''s go back in time to the evening of the orientation day.
In one of the private rooms in the magnificent cafeteria of the Royal Academy ¡ª whose grandeur was enough for it to be misunderstood as a first-ss restaurant ¡ª an informal social gathering of Year-1 ss A students was held there.
The sponsor was Feyrune Von Dragoon; a super-talenteddy, recognized as the future leader of the Dragoon family, one of the 9 Marquises in this prestigious Yugria Kingdom. The obvious sign was the inclusion of ''Von'' in her name, allowed only to the head of the family and the sessor.
The people here were familiar enough with each other that there was no need to rush into getting acquainted. However, no one was foolish enough in ss A of the Royal Academy to decline the invitation of Fey, who knew the true identity of that boy who suddenly appeared with a meteoric rise.
The participants included 18 students from ss A, excluding that boy and Parry. Parry was eyeing the reception of the Aristocratic Dormitory, waiting for the arrival of that boy at the orders of Fey. Though more than being tasked, he was just a pitiful soul who had been gracefully cast aside by Fey in that he would just be a hindrance giving the main topic for tonight.
On a side note, some students were going tomute from their homes, but as long as they were students from ss D or above, they could take advantage of this cafeteria at a cheap price.
After exchanging the usual empty pleasantries and congratting each other for passing into ss A, their conversation shifted to today''s main topic¡ª Allen Rovenne.
"He really was quite an amusing person as Fey said."
Said Kate, a female student with purple hair tied into a low ponytail, while pushing up the bridge of her slender sses. With how she had styled herself, she was the very definition of a ss president type.
"Quite interesting? You must be joking. I don''t think I know any such boy among our male peers who have disyed such a presence on the first day of greeting and orientation."
The bright blonde-haired Jeu, with a scarlet headband adorning her head to hold down her hair, chuckled.
"Seriously. When I first heard Fey saying ''I''ve found an interesting person'', I thought he was just another unfortunate soul who was going to be her toy and didn''t pay attention to it."
Ste, with her pink hair neatly tied into two, said unenthusiastically.
They seemed to be criticizing theck of information. Only these three had been informed about Allen in advance by Fey.
But if Fey herself was asked, even she had never thought he would make it to ss A, let alone earn the top evaluation in the practical exam.
As they talked, Al, the social animal¡ª no, the social demon by birth, interjected as the representative of the boys'' group.
"Fey, how well do you know Allen''s abilitie¡ª"
However, his words were cut short by Ste''s interruption.
"Who cares about that? I''m more interested in how f-f-f-far you''ve gone with him. To keep you a c-c-captive until 6 AM, is he that amazing!?"
" "Kyaa!!" "
A scream arose among the female students at the straightforward question. Even the gutless boys, including Al, hung their heads in embarrassment.
At this point, it was evident that the girls had taken full control of the conversation. It wasn''t like Ste had schemed to put that ball in their court. It was simply that young people were naturally curious, and women were typically more direct and outspoken when it came to discussing such topics no matter the age or ethnicity.
"If I''m not wrong, you met him on the direct train from Dragried to the Royal Capital, right? There should be an attendant in the room I reckon, no?? Where in the world did you do that?!"
" "Kya¡ª!! You dirtbag!!" "
Jeu''s jab triggered another fresh round of shrieks.
Girls continued to take turns bursting into wild fantasies, which were followed by more screams.
The boys kept looking at their feet in embarrassment.
Once the heat of the moment died down, Fey confessed.
"I''m sorry to burst your bubble but in fact, I still haven''t figured out how to take him down. I believe you''ve already seen him, it''s really hard to start anything with him."
"...Ah, I guess so. With how his face keeps changing between red and blue when you tease him, he is definitely a V."
ss president-like Kate replied with a sudden calm voice in contrast to her demeanor previously when she was the one who had been the loudest and most excited until a moment ago.
All the girls nodded in agreement with Kate''s insightful analysis, but in this world, it was natural to be inexperienced at this age. It was the phase where they wanted to appear more mature.
Not that anyone asked, but in the entirety of his 48 years of life, including his previous life, Allen was a staunch virgin.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"The reason why I''ve gathered everyone was to hear your thoughts on what you think about Allen''s rmendation. I''ve already given my name as a Dragoon so I can''t afford to lose here."
Fey said with a smile as her gaze swept through everyone.
"What do you mean by ''what do we think''? I mean, he''s already left the whole ss dumbfounded with his self-introduction."
Jeu, striking a typical nobledy pose with her left arm supporting her chest that was rather big for her age while her other hand was touching her lips, said with an amused smile.
"Furthermore, ''Godorfun the Buddha'' even cited the kingdom''s crisis and said that with enough rmendations, he would appeal to His Majesty and get his approval. And the Dragoon family hasn''t concealed their intention to back him up as well. On the other hand, we don''t have any reason to purposely remove him from the ss. I don''t see any reason he will lose."
Pigtailed Ste, who may look like someone from the muscle-brain clique at a nce, added calmly. Contrary to her calm demeanor, she was another short-tempered person.
Those who managed to get into the Royal Academy, especially in ss A, were obviously not fools.
"Normally, that should be the case. But there are some aspects I really can''t read. So, I would like to crush any variables possible."
Fey nced at Leo, who had been silent up to this point. Leo sighed and answered.
"Don''t misunderstand me, Feyrune. His way of living is indeed iprehensible to me, but I''m no fool to mix personal feelings with the rmendation issue. Besides, he is someone who has received top evaluation unanimously from all the examiners including Sir Godorfun.
I wanted to enter this academy to further polish myself by studying with simr prodigies so there''s no reason why I would do that. But, I''m not going to vouch for him as a Zatsinger until I confirm his skill myself."
"Indeed¡ In his self-introduction with Al, at least I get the gist of his character to some extent. After seeing his conduct today, I believe he isn''t someone who has crawled his way in through cheating."
From behind, Dan, who shared the same fate with Allen as ''The three ordinary-faced brothers of ss A'', nodded.
"He looks a bit stubborn but otherwise, he sounds like a nice guy."
Dol, another person who shared the fate of ''The three ordinary-faced brothers of ss A'' along with Allen and Dan, simrly showed his approval. Coco simply nodded without saying anything.
"Then how about this, everyone inform Godorfun-sensei about their decision over the rmendation tomorrow morning. Can you guys do that? I''ll leave it up to you whether to mention your family name."
"Tomorrow morning...? We''ve just finished the groundwork. Is there any need to hurry that much?"
Al, on behalf of his perplexed ssmates, inquired.
"Well, this is just my hunch. But I feel like Allen really doesn''t care about ss A. Rather, he might even be thinking that ss E is much better for him."
Her words left all her ssmates speechless.
It didn''t matter how influential the family they were born in, passing the Royal Academy''s exam was by no means aughing matter. It was such a remarkable feat that even the people blessed with talent would have to persistently refine themselves, even if it meant shedding sweat and blood before they could narrowly seize the opportunity.
Qualifying for ss A¡ª the immensity of this glory could be understood from the fact that it was considered a once-in-a-century achievement even for prestigious families such as Zatsinger or Dragoon to get into ss A, let alone the lesser ranked families¡ª there were historically none. That being said, it also meant the befitting reward matched that glory.
"Hahaha. And here I was so excited after seeing the results this morning that I hugged everyone in my family and shed tears of joy."
Al said with a mncholic expression.
"Allen seems like he is living in his own world. The first time I met him and introduced myself as one of the Dragoons, he couldn¡¯t hide his displeased expression. I''m sure he didn''t cheat, but it isn''t ''like him'' to quietly back down if I must say.
I''m sure he must have something he wants to achieve at all costs. I don¡¯t know what that is but if therees a time to make a decision, he will not hesitate to kick away his qualification for ss A for sure."
"Pardon me."
Just then, a restaurant staff, who looked no more than a waiter, entered the room, passed a note to Fey, and politely took his exit.
"Pfft."
Fey let out an amused chuckle as she looked at the note.
"After seeing him hurriedly scampering off as soon as the orientation ended, I had one of my people keep an eye on Allen...... and it seemed like he headed straight for the general dormitory. He really has lost any interest in ss A already."
In this Royal Academy, even if you were a servant-like attendant, you couldn''t enter unless you were a staff member or a student. Therefore, when outsiders needed to convey information, they entrusted it to the gatekeepers via letters.
By the way, this noble dormitory was equipped with all sorts of household services at ridiculously low prices, so even children not from well-to-do families didn''t have trouble with their lives.
"He really doesn''t put any of us in his eyes at all, huh?"
Ste muttered in a vexed tone. Not just her, everyone had bitter expressions. A mncholic atmosphere descended on the private room, far from the celebratory atmosphere they should have with it being the night they had achieved their life-long dream.
"I will handle Parry. As for the rest of you, I hope you give your all. And I believe you guys already know, but don''t mutter a word of what we just discussed here and the rmendation matter to anyone else. If possible, let him remain in his own bubble where he believes he is disliked by everyone. While Allen still has his guard down, we will take him down in one fell swoop."
Fey''s feline-like eyes glinted with a ferocious look as she reminded everyone.
In this way, leaving aside Allen and the unfortunate Parry, ss A was united in just one day.
Speaking of Allen, he was currently in a good mood after finding a delicious soba restaurant near the back gate of the Academy. While he was enjoying his zaru soba, his fate had already been determined.
"...I''m going to take his V-card."
Jeu remarked.
" "Kyaa¡ª!! A cat-fight~!!"
"Hold on!"
" "Kya¡ª!!" "
...Though, the night had just started to grow deeper.
T/N - My first thought was, what a birch. Then ah, as expected of noble and finally, am not sure if MC could be considered unlucky at this point.
Editor Note- What the TL said. I dunno if the MC is lucky or not at this point either. Still don''t like Fey very much but we''ll see in the future.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 25 - Conclusion of the examination war
Let''s return to the present time, in the training ground.
Currently, I was watching an unexpected situation unfolding before my eyes.
Just as I was thinking ''Maybe I should suddenly trip myself'' while dealing with Parry-kun''s attacks, and waited for the right time to act, he suddenly fell to his knees.
His shoulders were heavily heaving up and down, a long continuous huff escaping from his lungs. He seemed to be having a hard time breathing.
...Excuse me? No matter what, I think that your acting was going too far, Parry-kun... Only around 10 minutes had passed since our match started after all.
I endured the slight embarrassment welling inside me and, pretending to be slightly careless, I approached him without putting myself on guard.
"That''s enough¡ He''s out of mana. Lend him a shoulder."
Out of mana?!... No matter how you use mana, wasn''t it too soon to run out of it? Even if your mana capacity was just barely above the limit, 10 minutes was just too short.
In a fight, no matter how intense your actions were, you''d always alternate between movement and breathing. When you had enough leeway during such a fight, it was always best to make a move to interrupt your opponent''s rhythm, but here¡ª I hadn''t even made a single move yet. It wasn''t like we were doing anaerobic exercise for these 10 minutes either. Though that sort of exercise should be impossible for the people of this world as well...
While I was struggling to catch up with the current situation and desperately thinking about how to make myself trip here, Leo stepped forward and said quietly¡ª
"...Allen Rovenne, how about we have a match?"
He was already holding a wooden sword in his hand, and his face revealed a daring grin.
Ah, Leo huh?... Thinking about it, this could be a chance. I still didn''t understand what in the world had happened, but this could be my chance to lower my stock that had been raised due to Parry-kun''s fault in the minds of the others.
And to be honest, I also wanted to go all out at least once. I doubt there would be that many chances after I transferred to ss E. In the current confusing situation where I was unsure about my current position among the others, this was also a good opportunity to test it.
I lowered my head to a perfect 30 degrees and then raised it again.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After waiting for me to get into my stance, Leo struck first with a textbook example-esque of a beautiful sweeping sh, seemingly to try out my reaction.
It was quite fast, but within range that I could handle. I epted that sh with my wooden sword while contemting the next development. But the instant his hit collided, I was blown back by nearly 3m due to a force beyond my expectation.
I swiftly covered myself with body-strengthening magic, did a break-fall move, and took a backward roll to create some distance before getting up.
...So this was the strength of the person aiming for a perfect score in the Royal Academy''s entrance exam. And from the look of it, he still hadn''t gone all out. He was definitely a cut above the rest with the feeling transmitted to me from the earlier probing move.
It wasn''t going to be easy to cross that difference in this fight. But...
Leo didn''t show any intention to pursue, however, and just shed a fearless smile¡ I almost felt like tearing up there!
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Just force won''t work, I quickly concluded that and decided to overwhelm him with a flurry of moves. It would be an instant defeat for me if our swords locked onto each other.
Speed was the key here.
When he followed with an attack, I put enough force to knock it down. When he dodged, I immediately chained in the next attack. And when he decided to take my attack head-on, I hurriedly pulled myself back.
I responded to the changes in his movements right before receiving them in my own way.
I was asionally blown back by Leo''s attacks, but I utilized those chances to quicklypress my magic while adjusting my breathing to regain as much mana as possible before following up with a sh.
However, I couldn''t hit him.
We repeated the same pattern for almost thirty minutes, but Leo, unlike Parry-kun, showed no signs of magic exhaustion. His irritating smirk had disappeared, but I still couldn''t find any opening.
I decided to stake everything on one decisive move. Up until now, I hadn''t used a thrusting technique. I changed from a high stance to a stabbing motion, which I had deliberately omitted from my thoughts, and directly aimed at his forehead. I threw away any idea of holding back in this move and poured all my strength into it.
However, Leo twisted his neck and dodged the attack. What the hell! Here I thought he would take it directly!
I kept my gaze fixed on Leo''s forehead and, using the flow of my thrust, immediately followed up with a full-force kick aimed at his groin. I hadn''t used any form of martial arts all so far just toy the groundwork for this attack!
To my amazement, Leo closed his legs at paper-thin timing and managed to block even this move.
"Guooo!!"
However, he didn''t have enough time to stabilize his posture, so his stance fell apart as he got blown backward. I attempted to deliver the finishing blow, but the following development left me stunned.
A bright red fireball came flying at me from Leo''s outstretched left hand as he staggered backward.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
There wasn''t enough time to cancel my forwarding momentum, so I immediately let go of my wooden sword, covered both of my hands with body-strengthening magic and repelled the fireball.
However, the instant I rxed my arms, I found Leo''s wooden sword resting on my neck.
I plopped down on the spot face-up in a ''´ó'' shape.
"It''s my loss."
I hadn''t nned to intentionally lose against Leo. It was an all-out battle. But I still lost.
If he had used emission magic from the get-go, I believe the match would have concluded earlier. He probably just didn''t want to use it.
It was frustrating, but that was my current situation. No choice but to move on.
In the countryside viscounty, I couldn''t fathom losing to my peers, so tears streamed down my cheeks. These were the so-called ''tears of vexation''.
However, a part of me also felt somewhat refreshed.
Leo Zatsinger.
I''ll definitely make you cry someday!
I resolved to do a start-over from ss E and re-train myself from scratch.
¡ô
"What kind of training do you usually do?"
Leo asked as he extended his hand. His gaze wasn''t one of a victor looking down on the defeated. He wasn''t a bad person, we just didn''t get along well.
"It''s nothing special. Just the basic training like running every morning, practicing my sword moves, and doing manapression exercises before bedtime. I was quite busy with my studies," I replied, taking hold of Leo''s hand and standing up.
"...It seems like you still have room for improvement. Do you know your stamina is beyond the norm?"
Leo asked, with a genuine look of curiosity.
...Beyond the norm?
"Well, I do focus on running to the limit each day."
I didn''t quite understand what he was talking about, but it would be frustrating if I looked like I didn''t understand anything after my defeat, so I gave a vague response.
Lio wore a bold smile once again, then turned to Godorfun and ced his right hand on his chest while saying,
"In the name of Leo Zatsinger, I recognize Allen Rovenne to be worthy of being in the first-year ss A ."
"...Noted."
"Huh?"
Why did it turn out like this?
"I will run with you from tomorrow onward."
Did I wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Why the hell was the guy whom I had no chance of getting along with suddenly proposing to exercise together? What in tarnation was this hellish situation...
He even rmended me. Who was the one who said he would never get along with me yesterday? What a simpleton. He still wore that sly smile.
But this was bad. Losing Parry and Leo, my two aces, at this point was beyond my expectations. I had to be more careful in the remaining time, otherwise, I might really end up in this ss.
Just as my brain was working overtime to make sense of the whole situation, Godorfun said something unexpected.
"With Leo''s current rmendation, all the first-year A-ss students have rmended Allen Rovenne. Last night, along with the rmendation from all the other examiners, I received His Majesty''s approval as well. Therefore, Allen Rovenne is now officially a member of ss A."
Huh? What in the nine realms was this old man bbering about? Did he go senile overnight?
"Fufufu! To think that within a day, all your ssmates would recognize you, and with their family names to boot... Just what kind of magic did you use?"
Kukuku, I would like to learn that magic as well if it really exists. Though, there was no way I was going to use it if possible...
Err, so this wasn''t some kind of borate prank? When I entered the ssroom this morning, I was sure all my ssmates were looking at me with disdain.
"Pfft."
...So it was all that person''s ploy?
I turned around slowly. There, with smiles on their faces, were Fey and my ssmates, who should have been giving me cold looks just this morning.
"That was amazing, Allen! You continued to fight for so long that I almost wondered how the hell was your mana capacity only judged as C. To keep fighting toe-to-toe with someone like Leo who has over 50,000 units of mana, just what kind of sorcery did you use to manage that?"
Al approached me with a big smile, slinging his arm around my shoulder.
"Allen, did you seriously think you could escape from me? I''ll chase you no matter how far you run, so it''s better to give up early."
Stalker said to me with an amused grin.
Then a ssic blonde-haired youngdy, wearing a scarlet-colored headband to hold back her hair, approached. She was the same unlucky soul who identally happened to sit next to Fey and bore her ridicule.
"Nice to meet you, Allen-san. I am Jeuri Levarance. Please call me Jeu. If you feel bothered by Fey-san''s constant meddling, feel free to consult with me."
Levarance, huh?... Why is a Marquis family on the level of Fey''s family suddenly acting so friendly? I suddenly felt my heart throbbing after receiving a wink from a cute, gentle-looking girl...
But as someone who knew the two sides of my elder sister, I really hated myself for not being able topletely trust her friendliness.
"...Weren''t girls giving me contempt-filled gazes just before...?"
I asked, feeling apprehensive.
The one who cleared my doubt was the purple-haired girl with a ss president sort of vibe, who was standing next to Jeu.
"Can I call you Allen? I''m Kate from the civil course. Everyone in the ss knows you''re a virgin. Haven''t you been teased by Fey?"
Ridiculous! Why the hell did I never hear there exists a magic tool like that!? With which principle does it even use to determine that?!
"Anyway, I''ll be joining in for the morning run as well. I''m Ste, from the knight course. Let''s get along well," remarked a spirited girl with pink twin tails.
Just what in the world was happening...
"Allen, I also want to join in. I''ll make sure I won''t slow you down, so please."
"A-Alright. I don''t mind, Coco."
I somehow managed to reply.
"So, at what time are we going to run?"
"Let''s decide on a meeting ce as well!"
The mob-faced A-kun and B-kun chimed in, acting overly familiar.
"Hey! I''ll also join in! Don''t you dare forget me!"
He was a bitte, but Parry-kun hurriedly got up and dered so. Was it that? I was weed into the ss...
"Fuhaha. You''ve managed to force everyone to surrender to your ''Potential''. This is another of politics'' tapestry."
The old man chimed in with his know-it-all attitude, bringing politics into this.
I looked at the grinning faces of my ssmates. Each and everyone''s face was screaming ''Serves you right''. It seemed like I had tripped into a ssic of reincarnation stories, ''Serves you right''.
Fey put her right hand on her chest, and spoke my name as the ss representative,
"Allen Rovenne."
Then, everyone said it out loud, together,
" "Wee to the Royal Academy Year-1 ss A!" "
Except for Parry-kun, everyone was perfectly in sync.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
In the long history of the Yugria Royal Knight and Mage Academy, the 1127th batch graduates were hailed as the exception among exceptions with the achievements they earned. Alternatively, they even earned the nickname ''Unicorn Generation''.
And in the center of it all, those who left behind their names in the annals of history like¡ª
Leo Zatsinger
Feyrune Von Dragoon
Aldore Engraver
Coconial Canardial
Along with many other great personas, they were hailed as the aces of their generation, ''The Heavenly Prodigies''.
Allen Rovenne, against all odds, showed his worth in front of the whole ss¡ª each being more outstanding than the other, and overturned the unprecedented cheating allegation on four subjects, thus, gaining the right to enter ss A.
This was but a small prelude to his grand legend.
A/N - This concludes Chapter 1. If I were to give this chapter a title, it would be Unceasing Prudence Examination War Edition.
Editor Note - I assume the author meant Volume 1 instead of Chapter 1. So what do you guys think? I felt like it was a pretty good 1st volume overall. (T/N - These ones can be considered episodes, so author probably meant that.)
T/N - I like how author ended the first arc, atleast there''re not that many stereotypes among students, except certain individuals xD.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 25.1 - Schord Bainfauses Investigation Report
** ~Intermission~**
After 15 minutes
"I must say, I''ve heard an intriguing story today. I understand Riyad-kun''s concerns. I''ll report it to the president as part of my duty, but I won''t go around spreading rumors like that."
Sawato followed up to reassure senpai. But senpai remained slumped in the corner of the sofa like a burned-out boxer, not moving.
Editor Note - Is this really how Japanese interviews are conducted? Sounds exhausting. The interviews I went through were more straightforward and felt like cross-examinations more than anything else.
T/N - As a matter of fact, yes. Without going into the details, seniority matters very much there. So if you guys are wondering, and I am sure you are, this is precisely the cause and as exined in his monologue, such politeness are usually hammered in their mind. That''s why mc politeness and response maye out as strange to others.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 33 - Splitting Loot and Back to the Dorm
Allen was walking back to the dorm after beingpletely stripped (of information) by the professional interviewer. Next to him was his senpai, who had been so lively before, walking with sluggish steps while murmuring something.
"I''m tired... I just want to return to the dorm right away... But I also need to inform my family of today''s event..."
"...I''m sorry, senpai. I intended to stay silent but when I saw the amicable creases under Satowa-san''s eyes, I couldn''t help but want to speak about the excellence of senpai... Wait, did he secretly use mind maniption-type magic...?"
When everything was said and done, and as I was walking back after prattling about the admirable senpai''s excellence and was immersed in the ''I have outdone myself!'' feeling, I suddenly felt a sense of deja-vu simr to the time I had a mountain of rejection letters piled up.
"...I haven''t heard a single word about such magic... You''re not purposely mocking me, right?"
Senpai gave me a reproachful re and then quietly made a sigh.
......So there really was no mind maniption magic in this world, huh?
"Well, it has already passed, so there''s no point agonizing over it. It''s sure to make quite a buzz but... Whatever will be, will be."
Looking at the mncholic senpai, I said in as bright a tone as possible.
"Didn''t Satowa-san say he wouldn''t prattle off about this to anyone but the president? And I don''t think it''s going to be that much of a rumor, right?"
As far as I could recall, all I said was how I coincidentally met senpai, went on a trip to collect materials with him, and decided to register as an explorer after being impressed by him.
"...If only that was the case. I said it yesterday as well, but you should learn to be more aware of your influence. You can look at the meaning of what he said from another angle, and it would mean he will at least exin it to the president. As they say, a secret''s safe only when no one knows of it. It won''t be long before the rumor spreads once it''s divulged to someone¡ Anyway, I''m returning to my home from here, so take this."
Senapi said and came to a halt at the Magic Carpooling stop.
The air turned a bit awkward, though I believe there was no need to think too deeply about it. I bowed to the Senpai at a perfect 45-degree angle and spoke my words of gratitude.
"Riyad-senpai! This one day and one night I spent with you were incredibly fun! Thank you very much!"
Senpai quietly sighed once again and responded with a bright smile as if trying to brush off something.
"Ahaha. Your greeting ''bowing'' is foul y. It really makes it hard to scold you properly for these things that all I can say is ''It is what it is''... It''s also due to you that I have such a collection after a long time. Can I intrude in your morning training from tomorrow onwards?"
"Of course!"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The materials were sold for 5000 rea. It should be around 500,000 yen if I were to convert it. The breakdown was:
-The horned rabbit''s fur sold for 2500 rea,
-Poporu mushroom, the glowing mushroom that senpai had discovered, went for 1500 rea, and
-The rest of the materials were sold for 1000 rea in total.
After splitting with senpai, we each took 2500 rea. I was really ashamed to receive my share, it was all the effort of senpai, after all. But, after being cornered by him saying ''Splitting is a must, no concession on it'', I ended up epting them.
As for the split horn, it really turned into unusable material, but there might be some sort of hobbyist or collector who might buy it, so it had been left in the association for the time being. Oh, and we also had the horned rabbit''s rear leg meat that we brought with us. I intended to keep it as a souvenir for Sora so we didn''t sell it.
Our overnight stay in the cabin was made on the fly so Ipletely missed this morning''s breakfast, after all. I hoped this would put her in a good mood at least......
Also, I safely became a G-rank explorer.
In the beginning, Satowa kept saying how it would be breaking the custom of the Royal Academy, that it was better to start from C-rank. I insisted that D-rank was fine, or even better, G-rank would suffice, but he continued to say that this interview was to determine a suitable rank for me, that it was his work, and that he didn''t want to agree to my request.
I was already standing out with strange rumors swirling around about me, who knew what kind of gossip would spread around if I went against tradition? Still, seeing that I was adamant about it, Satowa seemed to have some kind of misunderstanding as he began to say something like ''Then I will put in some words to the president so that you can register as B-rank''. To show my stance, I left my seat and dered that I would not be registering myself in that case.
Panicked, Satowa eventually caved in and said ''Alright, so let''s start you at D-rank then!''. But in negotiations like these, the one who conceded first always lost.
I remarked ''I will not ept anything above G-rank''. I remained steadfast to my words no matter how much he tried to persuade me, and in the end, I safely obtained the G-rank registration license.
With the association''s evaluation of me being G-rank, I believe it should dampen down the tone of the rumors to some extent.
By the way, regardless of rank, all registration licenses were made of paper, although the decorative patterns differed. In the past, the top A-rank license was made out of Mithril, followed by tinum, and Gold, with the material''s value gradually decreasing. Thest G-rank was even made of wooden boards, creating a sort of discriminatory contrast, but it was abolishedter due to cost-cutting and trouble prevention.
I tried asking Satowa what was more important, ''Adventurous spirit or expenses?'' He snapped back with a ''both are important'' reply. It seemed like he harbored a grudge about my G-rank registration.
Well, now that I was a G-rank explorer, we both stood on different ends of the spectrum in terms of status. I reckoned our paths wouldn''t intersect anytimeter, so whatever. Also, I came to know there wasn''t any test to confirm the vanguard job.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
When I returned to the dorm, I found the close-knit quartet of Fey, Jue, Kate, and Ste standing at the entrance of the general dormitory for some reason.
''Hey there, good morning'', I briskly greeted them like climbers passing each other by on a hiking trail and tried to enter the dormitory directly. Though, Fey, with a smile stered on her face, grabbed my wrist.
"Good morning, Allen. I heard from the dorm mother that you weren''t in the dorm for the whole day. Skipping your self-established club activities anding backte in the morning without notice¡ What does that mean? And trying to slip into the dormitory as if you''re guilty of something?... Doesn''t it sound like a thief trying to run away after being caught red-handed?"
She smiled, but I could almost hear menacing sound effects in the background. Who did she think she was, pulling this girlfriend-like act?
"Why does it matter to you!? Let go of my hand... What the hell, aren''t you holding it too tightly?!"
What kind of body strengthening was she using? I couldn''t break free from her clutches.
"...You probably stayed out overnight to go hunting or something. Is that the hind leg of a horned rabbit hanging from your wooden sword?"
Pink-haired pig-tailed Ste remarked.
"You can tell?"
To be able to recognize the hind leg after it was turned into ''meat'', I guess she must have had experience in hunting. I felt my interest piqued by her.
"I knew I was right about you, Allen. There''s no way you''ll be messing with women. But you know, I was really worried about you when I heard Kate saying you, who carries the top score in the Royal Academy''s practical exam, will surely be cajoled by an older girl and sucked dry until not even your bones are left behind if you tried to visit the red-light district. It would have been a matter of time before you were hailed as the ''favorite child of the red-light district''."
Fey said, loosening her grip on my wrist.
"Indeed so. Kate-san dered ''The heads of boys of this age are only filled with such perverted thoughts. Once they get a taste of an older woman''s technique, they would find it hard to escape from the pleasure swamp. It wasn''t strange that you''d get carried away with your boundless stamina and by the time youe to your senses, the morning sun would be streaming through the window, apanied by the chirping of birds.''
I couldn''t help but be worried about Allen-san''s V-card... So I thought of waiting here to hear the details."
Jue added while chuckling to herself. Were you that kind of character? And could you please stop making fun of my V-card? It poked right where it hurts for a 36-year-old virgin!
I red at the purple-haired Kate who had a ss president-like vibe and sses on.
"Ahem. Well, Ste is a member of the Achilies family known for their daring nature. So it''s not surprising she has experience in hunting. Though, I guess that''s an unnecessary exnation for you who already know that, right?"
Kate averted her eyes and changed the topic.
Achilies family, huh?... They were once a tribe ofmoner hunters dwelling in the Dahley mountain range located in the northern region of the kingdom, where monsters were said to be more rampant in the past.
It was one of the viscount families worth a dime a dozen in the kingdom, but the Achilies family was quite famous for their daring nature.
"Ah, Dahley Dwellers. It makes sense then."
"...Only an entric person like you would know of that bygone name. How the hell are you so detailed?"
"Hmm? I was interested, so of course I would know."
When I replied with a straight gaze to Ste, her face suddenly turned red as she looked flustered.
"W-W-W-What do you exactly mean by this!?"
" "Kyaa! So aggressive!!" "
Jue and Kate hugged each other as they let out an excited squeal.
"Allen... Don''t think I''ll ignore you seducing other girls right in front of me¡"
Fey''s loose grip on my hand once again tightened with such intensity I would have wondered if she was trying to break my bones.
What the hell was with this situation?......
T/N - Yikes, the dark night after the full moon is here. That said, at least this novel wasn¡¯t tagged romance/harem by the author (which are more trustable and hardly I have seen the author taking double-takes on it) so there¡¯s this sce.
EN - God, I really hope there''s no romance. They feel more like cats ying with their prey (Allen) rather than love interests though.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 34 - Second Cornerstone
"What''s with all this fuss... Tranquility is the sole merit of this dorm and you lot are destroying it. Oh, you''re back, boy?"
As the perverts continued to make a racket in a loud voice, Sora appeared.
"Sora-san. I''m sorry I couldn''t inform you about this morning, causing my breakfast to go to waste. Here, I brought along some souvenirs."
Sora nced at the meat I held out.
"Geez, you really are a sinful man,d. You''ve kept not one or two, but five beauties waiting for you...... Hmm, a water-attribute horned rabbit, huh? And it must have been 18 to 20 hours since it was subjugated."
Ignoring Sora''s remark as she causally counted herself in the ranks of beauties without batting an eyelid, Ste interjected from the side.
"Water-attribute? You can tell that much from just a nce? Who in the world are you, Aunty?"
"Who''re you calling Aunty, you little brat? The way its muscle fibers run more or less tells you where it must havee from, and it also has a peculiar smell. Did you hunt it, boy?"
Ste interjected again before I could say anything.
"No way, I know he''s strong but a water-attribute horned rabbit isn''t something he should be able to handle alone. They''re unbelievably fast on their feet."
"It hurts!"
My wrist made a cracking sound. I had it covered with body-strengthening magic but it was like my hand was mped on by a gori.
"What does this mean, Allen? Didn''t you say you went alone earlier? If it''s just about messing around in the red light district, I can brush it off as a man''s indulgence, but do you think I''ll ept you having an overnight date?"
" "Kyaa! What a brute!" "
These freaking idiots!
"When did I say I went alone?! And even more than that, do I even need to have permission from you? Get away from me, you gori girl!"
My wrist hurt so much, I cussed at her like an elementary school kid.
"Kyahaha! Who even calls a girl a gori? You have me amused with your childishness, Allen."
I couldn''t deny that it was quite a childish act, but the fault still lies with her. What could be a more apt description of her iron-like grip if not gori-like? I swear her grip force should be over 200kg.
"...Sheesh, can you turn down the mor? You must have gone with that Riyadd, right? This dismantling style is just like him. The cuts on the cross-section of the bone also remind me of the custom knife from Zaimura Corporation that he has."
Ste seemed to have muttered ''You can even identify that?'' in disbelief. Though I couldn''t tell how much of an amazing feat that was.
"...I believed in you, Allen. I never once considered you would forget your training and do something like bringing a girl with you to a cave in the secluded mountain saying it''s to shelter from the rain and kindle your passion there like a fire on drywood."
Fey loosened her grip on my wrist when the name of Riyad-senpai was mentioned. Wasn''t your imagination power too over the top...?
I quickly tried to shake off her grasp from my hand, but it failed.
"...This ''Riyad''-san... Who might he be?"
Jue asked Sora.
"He''s a third-year ss B student of the Royal Academy. He''s quite an entric person to live in this dorm despite not being from ss E, like this boy here. Well, he''s an outstanding child at least."
After hearing that, Jue suddenly announced with a yful look.
"...Sora-san. I''m transferring from the noble dorm to the general dormitory. I don''t see any other buildings adjacent to it, so both boys and girls share the same roof, right? I want the room next to Allen-san."
Even Sora was left stunned by her remark and looked at a loss for words.
"We were finding it strange why Allen-san was not showing any signs of moving when we asked him to transfer to the noble dorm, and you also always try to dodge that topic¡ But it all adds up now considering Allen-san''s close rtionship with that senior. He probably has no intention of moving out, no? I''ve spent so many sleepless nights just worrying about the status of Allen-san''s V-card."
''No, how about you just stop bringing up my V-card at every point... Also, can you stop using it so exaggeratedly? You''ll be buried inints from the V-card fans, you know?''
Fey''s eyes shone with a predator-ish glint when she heard Jue and chuckled.
"...Instant decision, swift action, huh? As expected of the prodigy Jueri Rebnce of the Rebnce family which had ''fortitude and resolve'' as their family motto. Sora, I want another room adjacent to Allen''s as well."
Fey demanded another room next to mine casually as if shouting ''Another serving of dumplings please!''.
"Fufu. If Allen-san''s room happened to be in the corner, the sole room would belong to me. Firste first served."
Jue chuckled and looked down at Fey with a taunting look. Well, Fey was taller than Jue but looking down here meant psychologically.
"...You girls, you must be from good families given the clothes you''re wearing, right? Just so you know, this dorm''s different from a noble dorm and you aren''t going to be served or anything by anyone here. Can you manage? If I''m not wrong, you''re all from ss 1-A whose students are famed for having the best of the best. Do you even know what this ce is called by others? Dog house of the loser dogs."
Sora peered down at the two of them from above and delivered the same threat I had heard before. Nice one, Sora!
"As long as there''s motivation, I can learn how to handle my own chores. Besides, it won''t be just Allen-san, we too will be staying in this dorm. It''s just a matter of time before that title is abandoned."
But it seemed like Sora''s follow-up ended in vain as Jue confidently remarked so.
"Haa...... Whatever. But unfortunately, although his room isn''t in the corner, the rooms above and below are already upied."
...What? Was that so? But I didn''t feel even an atom of anyone''s presence so far though...
Just as I was feeling confused by all this, Sora pointed her cane behind us.
"Well, herees the upants."
When we turned around to look at where she was pointing, we saw Al and others running toward us along with what seemed to be a magic car resembling a truck carrying their luggage.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Hey, Allen! We''re going to be part of this dorm from today onwards. I was going to talk to you about it in morning training but you were absent¡ How is it, are you surprised?"
How did ite to this¡? I especially chose this dormitory to stay away from them.
"......What in the world are you thinking? There''s no merit in doing all this, is there?"
I posed an obvious question.
"...After doing the same number of hill dashes as you in morning training, Leo said he was going to visit here to ask about sword practice... Today''s a holiday so we also tagged along out of curiosity."
Next to Al, there were Leo, Coco, Dan, and Dor.
"...It seems like not everything ispletely set yet, right?"
It seemed like Leo wasn''t just content with the present status quo as he said so bluntly.
"We didn''t find you when we came here. So we asked Sora-san how you usually trained with your sword but during our discussion, we learned you''ve clearly said to her ''I''ll be under your care for the next three years'' even though you said you''ll move to the noble dorm one of these days."
Al looked straight into my eyes and waited for my response. Jue let out an amused giggle as if saying ''I knew it''. I would have given a vague reply but I lost my will to deceive them seeing the serious look in Al''s eyes...
"Well...... Sorry."
I meekly apologized.
"No, I''m not angry or anything... We heard from Sora-san that you were impressed by the dorm rule ''unaffected and sincere, with fortitude and vigor'' when you first came here and decided on the spot that you''ll be living here for the next three years... I just felt embarrassed with myself for being content with passing the exam of the Royal Academy and savoring a luxurious life in the noble dorm which was unthinkable in the rural Engraver Viscounty."
Following Al''s words, the other four beside him hanged their heads down in frustration.
''No-no, my thoughts are not as noble as you''re making it out to be, seriously... I just decided on it casually, without giving any thought... It''s a bit hard to say something like that, but should I say it? It kinda feels like andmine at the moment¡''
"I think you may have misunderstood our goal so first, we aren''t chasing after you like this because we want to improve our proficiency in body-strengthening magic. What we''re aiming for is your mindset, a self-reliant spirit that doesn''t let himself be spoiled. Well, that''s why we decided to move here.¡±
Leo added while gritting his teeth.
"Lately, I''ve started to have a vague understanding of your way of life and what you really want to do, Allen. Your devotion to pursuing what you truly desire and your mindset to discard everything else but that. You possess that thing that Ick, and I want to see what that thing is by staying by your side. And then...... I''ll surely grasp it with my own hand one day."
Leo said it with such a solemn air surrounding him that I really felt like dying. "What he said does sound like me but they''re both different things in essence!''
My brain felt like it had been turned into mush at the rapid development and blurted it out on a whim¡ª
"Hmph. First of all, can you settle on ''you'' or ''Allen''? You''re making it awkward by switching between them."
...
......
Yeah. I know. I messed up......
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"By the way, Al. Why haven''t I heard of this crucial information? Am I the only one who considered us friends?"
Fey finally released my wrist and confronted Al with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Hn? Well, it was a holiday yesterday and today, right? We didn''t meet in morning training as well... I was nning to talk about it in tomorrow''s ss. Ah, but worry not! There seem to be a lot of empty rooms!"
Allen said unfazed. Oh, that''s Al for you! I knew we could be bosom buddies from the get-go!
"...So who might be nning to stay in the room next to Allen-san?"
Jue, giving the speechless Fey a sidelong nce, asked. Somehow, I had a bad feeling.
"Hn? Coco and I are in the adjacent rooms, Dan is in the room above and Dor will be in the room below! After all, this is definitely the best way to increase brotherhood between ourse¡ª"
Jue cut in before Al could finish his words.
"One million rea... Al-san, Coco-san, can one of you consider changing rooms?"
With her trademark calm demeanor, Jue casually presented an outrageous proposal.
Following her, Kate, the girl with the ss president-like aura and crazy fantasies filling most of her mind along with superficial knowledge about perverted crap, also chimed in,
"Rest assured, I''m sure I can persuade my father. In fact, I believe he''ll even rmend me to go over the top."
What a sick parent you have! I knew my hunch was right. She''s definitely a cut from the same cloth as my elder sister, another entric person¡
"I''ll pay 3 million, alright? Coco, we''re friends, right? Will you not change rooms with me?"
Fey astutely preyed on Coco, who was obviously weak to coercion.
"W, well, you don''t need to bring up money. If you want the room that badly, I''ll¡ª"
Not good, I would be checkmated at this rate! I swiftly interrupted them and said,
"No matter what the reason may be, room change is not permitted. If any of you break the rule, that person will be removed from the Hill Road Club under my supervisory authority. And, of course, for three years, I won''t exchange a single word with you."
The ruckus thus put an end to my tranquil dorm life, but the silver lining was that I at least managed to stop the entrics from moving in.
On a side note, Leo seemed to have secured his room closer to the entrance on the first floor saying ''It would be a waste of time to move up and down''.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"...So are you kids going to eat my custom-made breakfast? By the way, I''m a researcher specializing in monster ingredients... My research mostly prioritizes effect over vor, so the food here won''t be vorful. By the way, Allen boy eats it every day saying it''s something necessary for his goal. Hahaha."
Sora suddenly threw away her dorm mother''s consideration and instead, her words were like a mad scientist trying to lure in her guinea pigs. Albeit, I was the only one who knew what she really meant by ''It''s not going to be a vorful dish''.
"So that''s how it is... That''s why you were so detailed about the horned rabbit. I''ll definitely eat your breakfast, Sora-san! It seems like this dorm is full of secrets tied to Allen''s strength. I''m going to move in here as well."
"...You guys... Seems like I have no choice as well. I''ll be moving in too."
Of course, what Ste said about the reason behind my strength was baseless, but the victims Ste and Kate were sessfully unable to see the trap Soraid as they too showed their intention to move in. Kukuku. I bet these two must be the originators behind my ''Lust Incarnate'' rumors. ''Don''t you like to toy with people and make nderous remarks? Now reap what you sow.''
Since they were going to move in, I might as well take them down in one fell swoop. Just to ensure they don''t pull backter, I said provocatively,
"Leave it, you guys can''t endure this sort of discipline. Especially Leo, Fey, and Jue. You guys have refined ptes, right? Heed my advice and think again, you''ll definitely regret itter."
As I said my words, Sora looked at me with a sharp re. I know you don''t want your guinea pigs to run away, but rest assured I know just how much pride they have. See, as long as I taunt them¡ª
"Naturally, I''ll be eating it every day. Rather, I should be the one to request it."
"Your concern is unnecessary. I''m an artificer, did you forget? I was just thinking about how to simplify my meals as much as possible. I''ll dly eat breakfast here."
"Any dish will taste delightful if I can enjoy it while looking at Allen-san''s face."
Sure enough, everyone hopped on the bandwagon.
"Hahaha. So everyone is going to eat, huh? I guess mornings from tomorrow onwards are going to be hectic. Hahaha, ahahaha!"
''Good grief, I warned you guys'', I tried to appear dismayed by lowering my head and shaking my head.
But I chuckled mentally. Hahahaha! This feeling of deceiving people is surprisingly addictive... Ahem, I must make sure to not let it go over my head.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Lining up next to the Royal Academy Hill Road Club, this incident was the precursor to the future where the general dormitory would be hailed as the second cornerstone of the unicorn generation.
EN - So many new guinea pigs! Good for you Sora ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 35 - Behind the Scene After the Explorer Registration (1)
The reception room on the first floor of the association headquarters where Allen had an interview with Satowa was a room devoid of any type of monitoring magic tool like the ones used during the Royal Academy''s exam.
It was arranged in such a way that nobles who visited here could have their secret discussions without worry.
As if to say "You can be rest assured about your privacy", the lounge suite was ced at a considerable distance from the walls and the whole room was missing any kind of painting or vase.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"So, how did it go?"
Shellbour Mounstell, the president of the Yugria Kingdom''s Explorer Association, stared at his subordinate, Satowa, with a sharp gaze and urged him for the details.
Appearance-wise, Shell looked like a stern person with bursting muscles, with a shaved head and a big scar running from his right cheek to his chin.
To speak of his career, it was nothing short of impressive. Rising from the bottom of the barrel G-rank, he earned fame as a monster hunter and climbed his way up to A-rank explorer. When he was at his peak as an explorer at the age of 40, he was courteously invited into the kingdom''s Knight Order where he joined as a squad leader.
Even in the Knight Order, he demonstrated his excellentbat skills and eventually rose to the rank ofmander. However, no matter how prestigious the Knights were, they were still just servants of the pce. He couldn''t stand the rules and endless reports, so when he was once again invited by the Explorer Association, he quickly left the Knight Order and returned to the association, this time as its president.
On that asion, he was recognized for his achievements as an explorer and a knight and was rewarded the one-star medal by the King. Due to this, his explorer rank was raised to S-rank¡ª proof of an exceptional explorer. Within the kingdom, such people could be counted with one hand.
On paper, depending on the medal awarded, there was SS-rank and SSS-rank. However, those who received such high-ranking medals couldn''t possibly continue their explorer activities in the present day. They''ve be legendary explorers, appearing only in stories.
When the news first came that "Allen Rovenne", the talk of the royal capital, hade to register, Shell had insisted that he, the president, would be conducting the interview personally. However, he was soon stopped by his two vice presidents¡ª Satowa and Odilon.
Odilon, his white hair done in a braid swept behind his back, was a man in his prime exuding an aura of a master. And the truth wasn''t far from it as he was in fact a master swordsman. Speaking of which, he just fitted the image that Allen had in mind whom he''d think of as "Someone like him would conduct an intimidating interview."
Though their results were unremarkable, both were A-rank explorers who graduated from the Royal Academy. While serving as an official and a knight respectively, they continued their explorer activities in their spare time and achieved many valuable aplishments, climbing to A-rank.
That being said, graduates of the Royal Academy were normally raised to C-rank upon graduation. Their number of requests, and even the difficulty level, was far from Shell who had risen through from G-rank.
Unlike Shell, who still actively hunted monsters, they had essentially retired from explorer activities. With their outstanding abilities worthy of the Royal Academy''s graduates, they quickly shone like diamonds among coal and became people who covered up for Shell.
Shell was, as one could imagine from his background and appearance, a hot-tempered person.
A few years ago, when one of the Royal Academy''s students hade for registration half out of amusement, it just so happened that there was no other staff with an open schedule. So, following his curiosity, President Shell personally went all the way to the Eastern Branch of the capital to handle the case.
But there, the quick-tempered Shell lost his cool facing the student''s impertinent and insincere attitude and beat him to a pulp. To further fuel the matter, a few familiar explorers from the past were present there, so he, leaving behind that copsed student, began having a drinking contest at the branch''s dining hall, leading to quite a huge matter.
''I gave in to my rage. But I have no regrets.''
This was what Shell said in testimony during the subsequent investigation.
Needless to say, Satowa and Odilon, who had worked hard to cover up the incident, forbade Shell from interviewing Royal Academy students. In the first ce, Shell himself had no particr interest in interviewing a mere student, and he had not expressed any desire to conduct an interview so far. But......
''It''s the brat that old man Godorfun had set his eye on, you know? You guys don''t know just how insane that old man is! Let me handle this!''
Shell tried to rush out of the room saying that. Odilon held him back from behind and the receptionists Mika and Maya clung to his legs and somehow they managed to pin him down.
The problem left was to decide who would conduct the interview.
Though Shell had given up, albeit begrudgingly, this was what he said.
''...He is the brat in the rumors who hadn''t flinched even while facing the old man''s intimidation. On the contrary, he even talked back and was about to challenge him. Having Odilon conduct the interview won''t make any sense. Satowa, you handle it.''
In this way, the candidate Allen''s interview was decided between coercion (Odilon) and aid-back approach (Satowa).
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"So, how was it?"
Shell, who was still sulking about not being able to conduct the interview himself, asked Sattowa in a disgruntled tone.
On a side note, there was also a proposal of having three instead of one making the interview but it was rejected on the grounds that having the top three of the association present at a student''s interview would be inappropriate.
"He is an endearing young man. But also startling¡ That''s how I felt."
Satowa, who excelled in bureaucratic work, began with his conclusion before giving a detailed report.
"Starting with . As far as a roguish attitude was concerned, I didn''t sense an atom of it. I believe it took a considerable amount of time to enter the room after handling the outburst of the President, but he stood upright without moving a muscle and facing the entrance.
When I entered, he gave me a scrutinizing gaze for a fleeting moment but he didn''t flinch. Even when I introduced myself and offered him a seat, he didn''t show any intention of sitting down for some reason. Instead, he waited until he saw me sitting down before politely bowing and introducing himself. After which he sat down. He mentioned that it was natural to show respect to one''s superiors."
"...Hmm, he sounds like an interesting person."
"Indeed, as expected of someone who achieved the highest score in the Royal Academy''s exam. After learning about his rude take against Sir Godorfun, I was worried that he would remain stunted, no matter how talented he was. Though it turned out to be a groundless worry."
Shell and Odilon had differing opinions on that.
"From there, I tried to lighten up the atmosphere and praised his abilities and achievements while bringing up the rumors surrounding him. However, he only humbled himself, never showing a hint of arrogance, and he didn''t even appear pleased. He kept making self-deprecatingments about his own shorings."
"Oh~! Not bad indeed, but... For a kid, he should have more confidence and act a bit more cocky. Kids these days are so dull."
"Heh. He knows what bing the top scorer of the Royal Academy''s practical exam implies. It''s not something anyone can do, disciplining oneself to such an extent at that age."
Shell shook his head, and Odilon nodded.
"That''s not something I''d like to hear from you, President. Not after you thrashed that haughty kid¡ Anyway, it seemed like they had gone through gathering and hunting from yesterday to this morning, and his first battle was against Horner Rabbit, who became a part of their food supply. Riyad-kun chased it down while Allen-kun dealt the finishing blow.
Riyad-kun mentioned that while the horned rabbit tried to escape up the cliff, Allen-kun leaped down from above and, in passing, delivered a blow to break its horns using a wooden sword."
Satowa ced the broken horns, which he had received from Allen, on the table.
"Hmm~? Even if their goal was just meat, a broken horn is useless in other cases. If it were me, I''d catch it and pull the horns out."
"Oh? It seemed to be a horned rabbit with an attribute. It''s enough to say he has acquiredbat skills equivalent to a C-rank. There''s nothing to criticize about his potential with this result for his first battle."
While Odilon was getting more and more impressed, Shell showed an attitude of indifference and was picking earwax from his ears.
...
To be frank, Satowa had taken a fancy to Allen, which was why he had been careful about the order of information and how he exined things to ensure Shell wouldn''t get too interested in him, much less do something troublesome.
But Shell''s indifferent attitude had him a bit miffed so Satowa followed up with a little piece of information that was to Shell''s liking.
"I don''t think it makes any sense topare yourself with a student who had juste for registration, President... Oh, right. I forgot to mention that he did sit down on the sofa following after me but in a strangely unnatural posture with his thighs barely touching the cushion. It was a quiet posture that reminded me of a carnivore about to leap out of the grasnds.
He hadn''t budged from his posture for the entire hour or so we conversed no matter how cordial I tried to spin the conversation. I''m not sure what it means, but he took this posture after saying, ''It is natural to show respect to one''s superiors.''"
Odion looked surprised upon hearing this piece of information, but Shell immediately broke into a grin.
"Oh dang, now that''s what I call interesting. You should have said that in the beginning. I bet he might be thinking ''Like hell, I''m gonna sit on the sofa with legs outstretched facing a stronger opponent, if you wanna make a move just do it'' or ''I will immediately knock you out if you dare say anything audacious''.
I was just wondering that there''s no way a brat who that old man has set on his eyes is going to be a stuck-up person... So, did he punch you?"
Seeing Shell getting more excited about the topic than he expected, Satowa once again shifted the mood using deliberate words.
"As if! He''s not you, President. Ah, right. I asked why he wanted to be an explorer and apparently, he was awed by Riyad-kun. He said after apanying Riyad-kun on his gathering trip, he was impressed with his profound knowledge and wanted to improve himself as well by working as an explorer.¡±
"Tsk, scaredy cat. Brats these daysck guts. Who wants to hear such a perfunctory motive, right?"
"Haha. I''ll say he has an excellent spirit to want to work hard as an explorer when it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say his future is already set to be bright. This goes to show he knows the value of practical experience at a young age."
Shell''s interest dropped as he picked his ears again while Odilon was once again impressed.
Satowa continued, weaving his words carefully to ensure Shell''s evaluation didn''t swing too high or too low.
For Satowa who had served to bnce things as an excellent mid-level manager beforeing to the association, handling such banter was as easy as turning one''s hand over.
EN - Dang, Satowa was a lot more impressive than he let on in the interview chapter.
Shoutout to Matthew for being our 1st patreon. Thank you for supporting us and I hope you continue to enjoy the novel.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 36 - Behind the Scene After the Explorer Registration (2)
Satowa continued to weave his word, being ever so careful that Shell''s impression about Allen neither rocketed up nor dunked down too much.
"One more thing. He said he was impressed by his senpai''s passion. Apparently, Riyad-kun had quite a fun time on this collection trip, which should have been insignificant for him. Allen-kun admired him for his enthusiasm as an explorer, for not forgetting his roots."
"Oh? Interesting, eh? Unfazed by the request''s difficulty or material''s grade, enjoying the hunt in itself. We have nock of fools with their crooked understanding of the initial premise, whether it''s to earn money or fame."
"It''s as you said, President-dono. Riyad-kun is one of the best whopletes his objective, no matter what it is, with zeal."
Shell and Odilon''s opinions agreed for the first time since the start of this meeting.
"However, the aspect I most valued about him is his character. The words from his mouth were that they happened to meet in front of the dorm yesterday when Riyad-kun was leaving for his collection trip and he asked to join in. Allen-kun''s eyes were practically glittering with stars when he spoke about how much of an admirable person Riyad-kun is, adding specific stories to it. Being able to identify the virtue of a stranger in just a short duration of one day should only be possible due to his humility and a natural-born keen eye for people."
"Hmm¡ I can more or less tell what type of character the other party has after having a fistfight and drinking party with them¡ Well, deciding to apany someone on the fly and gleefully working with them can be said to be a merit in itself?"
"Satowa-dono''s evaluation seems just right. Additionally, being able to appraise the virtue of a stranger honestly on the contrary can be interpreted as him having absolute trust in his own evaluation."
Shell''s stock about Allen rises steadily. Satowa, meaningfully ascertaining that, continued.
"Never once did I see Allen-kun stop modestly toning himself down from beginning to end, he didn''t let down his guard at all and resembled an iron wall. To be frank, this is impressive considering the other person is just 12 years old... That being said, he would show an age-appropriate look of adoration whenever it''s about Riyad-kun, eventually prattling on about the details that he might not have wanted to."
Satowa chuckled in amusement recalling the jovial appearance of Allen from the interview.
"However, I can only see his naivety as something of a double-edged sword with respect to the circumstance he will be caught in. Though I must say, his impregnable performance and the atmosphere around him until then were unlike that of a Royal Academy student, so this somewhat absent-minded demeanor of his looks charming to me¡ My appraisal of him ends with an ."
"Hmph. That does make him a bit more likable than those iron-faced brats who only know how to repeat intricate, practiced words."
Satowa''s expression eased in satisfaction having witnessed Shell''s score of Allen stopping at ''a bit better than the other elite kids''. But, the next moment, he stammered with his next words.
"...And well, it''s about his explorer rank..."
"Hmm? Ah, must have given him C-rank I reckon, yeah? What matters is that from the looks of things, it won''t be like throwing pearls before swine, no?"
Odilon shared the same opinion. However, this further deepened the creases on Satowa''s face as if he truly was finding it hard to continue.
"What''s with that bitter expression?... You shouldn''t have gone as far as to give him B-rank, did you? O'' blimey, don''t you think you went too easy on him¡ Haa, but I guess it''s not something I need to butt into if you judged him worthy of that.
But I should meet him at least once. It won''t look good with the other explorers for us to grant a rookie kid, who had juste to register, B-rank under my jurisdiction when I haven''t met him even once. Thebel of ''Academy''s hope'' can''t fill that gap.
But if I can appraise him by myself once, I''m sure to beat down anyone''sint if they ever dare do so."
Though, signifying that the meeting wouldn''t just end with words alone, Shell crackled the bones of his fingers. Odilon, however, showed his objection.
"I''m against it. I''m not denying the underlying potential in him but it doesn''t make sense to raise his rank so suddenly. We''re setting a precedent where we''ll soon be facing the idiotic nonsense of dumb parents from influential noble families through this, which will drop the significance of an explorer rank in itself."
Unlike Shell, Odilon''s objection was very much justified. However, Satowa still retained his awkward silence.
"Heavens, you''re not saying A¡ª"
Before Shell could finish his words, Satowa finally made up his mind and reported.
"...Well, you see¡ since he wanted it, I gave him G-rank."
"...Huh?... What kind of joke is this? This isn''t something that can be med on modesty. G-rank basically means he will be no better than a grunt, having to take on the most trivial errand boy-like tasks. If you saw potential in him, why didn''t you dash his childish hope?"
Needless to say, Shell, too, was dumbfounded.
"...I had indeed suggested registering him as C-rank at the start. However, he kept insisting on the customary D-rank, or even G-rank, saying I don''t need to bother giving him preferential treatment...
He didn''t appear as if he was actually interested in the rank, so I decided to throw in a bait to lure him as a test and asked him ''What do you think about the B-rank then?''. I can''t deny that ¡ª with the elements of having Riyad-kun as an intermediary, his frank self, and a loose tongue that divulged all the information he intended to hide ¡ª I had lost myself unknowingly there and went easy on him...
Anyway, the moment I said it, his amicable expression had all vanished at once, he stood up from his seat, and with a frosty tone, he said ''I''m giving up on the registration'' and headed toward the door..."
"Aha~, this is a rare blunder from your side, Satowa. All the conversation so far points to the one fact that the brat wouldn''t possibly be jumping at the allure of a decorative rank."
"...He approached with sincerity but was treated with contempt... This might be how he saw it, I suppose."
Shell and Odilon''s disapproving tone were directed at Satowa.
"The fault entirely lies on me indeed. I somehow brought him back to his seat, along with Riyad-kun''s intervention, but afterward, he adopted the stance that he wouldn''t be registering at all unless the said rank was G no matter what I said...
He had wanted to aim for a new height through his own effort, to struggle to make himself a worthy explorer with zeal, and said all that so frankly, and yet, I came out as someone mocking his resolve so I could only relent to his condition."
Shell sighed.
"Haaa. He sure wasn''t someone who could be handled with conventional methods as expected. That''s why I had wanted toe out, you know? Whatever, no crying over spilled milk. I guess that brat thought we were trying to provoke him so he ended up being stubborn. I''ll try to talk with him once the dust settles. It would be a waste of time to assign trivial tasks to someone who seems to have both the motivation and the talent."
''And I know this the best'', Shell, who himself hade to prominence from G-rank, added.
However, Satowa''s face continued to harbor a sullen look.
"That, I think that will be hard¡ It seemed like he was truly delighted to have G-rank...You should have seen the look of ecstasy on his face when I gave up and epted to register him as a G-rank explorer.
And when I asked him if it was really something to rejoice over, he replied with a broad smile, ''I can now experience being an explorer from the ground up''. When I saw his smile, I felt terrified. Perhaps, he had aimed to achieve that result from the very beginning. At least, he had the intention to interfere whenever possible. Then, there was his startling, clear change in attitude. I couldn''t help but shudder that he was deliberately guiding the conversation so cleverly that I didn''t even get a hint of his n at all.
That was the impression I had when I saw him smiling so satisfied."
Hearing that, Shell broke intoughter.
"Hehehe. The top scorer of the Royal Academy''s practical exam actually led you around by the nose just to enjoy being an explorer. Amusingd!"
Shell clenched his fist and stood up excitedly.
Ah, I have praised him too much! Flustered, Satowa hurriedly moved to calm the situation.
"Oh, right! He also said he was impressed by Riyad-kun''s attitude to not forget to show gratitude for living beings when Riyad-kun suggested that they eat the entire horned rabbit without wasting anything!"
"Gratitude for living beings? Come now, stop being so ridiculous. How can such a person work as a proper explorer?"
Shell fell back on his seat like a deted balloon.
"He also said this too! Those who keep fussing about boorish things like cost and budget can do nothing!"
C-Crap, I haven''t plummeted his value too much, have I?
"O-Oh, speaking of which¡ª"
15 minutester
"Rats! In the end, I can''t tell what kind of person that brat is! That''s why I should check him out myself! I''ll temporarily raise his hidden evaluation to A with my authority, and pull him up quickly! Then sooner orter, I''ll have a chance to meet him!"
The repeated exchange that was like a boat traversing the sea had made Shell''s emotions fluctuate like the waves in this short period.
Having arrived at this juncture, even Satowa, who was reputed as an elite bureaucrat in the middle management hierarchy, couldn''t control Shell in his current situation.
In this way, Shell''s interest, which could be said to have stopped just in time, had sessfully been drawn toward Allen a bit more than what a normal report could have.
On a side note, the ''hidden evaluation¡¯ referred to the evaluation of personality and perspective by the Explorer''s Association, as Gardener Oliver had mentioned. Contrary to how it sounded, the evaluation was not actually kept secret.
Because it was ranked mainly based on personal traits, in addition to contributions to the association, it took a long time to raise the public rank. This was one of the biggest reasons for this.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
¡ªAllen Rovenne, through his iron will, convinced Satowa Fjord, the vice president of the Yugria Kingdom''s Explorer Association, to register him as the G-rank explorer, abandoning the privilege that came with being a student of the Royal Academy.
The following rumors soon found themselves zigzagging through the Royal Capital, spreading like a forest wildfire, along with another rumor that ¡®Allen Rovenne have forged a friendship with Riyad Gufusha, the heir to the Mount Peni Company¡¯, further adding dry grass to spread the fire even further.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 37 - An Episode in the Dormitory
The morning of a certain day, the dining room of the general dormitory ¡ª which was also called the Loser''s doghouse ¡ª was currently filled with the chatter of people. The time was just a bit under a month since Allen enrolled in the Royal Academy.
The said people were mostly Allen''s ssmates. What were they doing here? The root of the cause could be med on his ssmates who somehow misunderstood his reason for choosing the general dormitory and as a result, not just Leo and thepany, but the other members of ss A also decided to move in as well. Though, as far as Allen was concerned, he just thought ''If there''s a ce to sleep, why bother with other things'' and casually chose to stay.
In fact, there were even some who still decided to move despite having their homes nearby with a private tutor avable to them.
If you asked Allen, he would just shake his head and say ''Their actions are out of my understanding'', but s, if they had just moved in, it would have still been fine. At the end of the day, they were the members of ss A, the finest of the gems among the already shining jewels. So the incident of every single member of ss 1-A moving into the general dormitory had caused quite a huge wave.
As if that wasn''t enough, rumors started to spread that, apparently, the secret behind Allen Rovenne''s stay in the general dormitory was the dorm''s breakfast. Rumors begot rumors, and in the blink of an eye, the general dormitory was soon filled up.
Speaking of which, the general dormitory could only sustain 40 people at best.
Normally, as long as they were students of ss D and above, they would be able to pay the same rent as the general dormitory ¡ª 1000 rea in short ¡ª to stay in the noble dormitory, where they could avail the benefits of other facilities and services.
ss E students could also pay the normal fee of 5000 rea and live in the noble dormitory. There were around 60 students among all three grades of ss E, so as long as it could amodate the students who couldn''t pay the 5000 rea fee for the noble dormitory, having a general dorm with a capacity of 40 people was more than enough.
A majority of the Royal Academy''s students were either from prestigious noble families or were the Young Masters and Young Ladies of wealthy families. Economic strength was corrted to literary ability so it was an obvious oue.
Rarely, there were also prodigies from rtively normal families ¡ª like a poor baron household or amoner origin ¡ª that managed to enroll in the Royal Academy through their talent and hard work. However, even for them, with the title of ''Royal Academy Student'', they could easily choose one or two part-time jobs like tutoring so 5000 rea wasn''t hard to earn. Moreover, that price was already incredibly cheap and it even came with ess to plenty of facilities and services.
In the long history of the Academy, with the splendid achievements of its graduates one after another, the budget granted to it by the kingdom was also substantial, to say the least. In addition, there were also donations from graduates as well.
When considering the pay they would be getting after graduation, it was a no-brainer to choose a blessed environment, a life in the noble dormitory, to devote themselves to studying at the expense of taking a bit of a loan.
And that was why the only people who would bother moving to the general dormitory had to be entric people like Allen or Riyad, a 1st-year student from a remote countryside like Allen, or maybe those who weren''t on friendly terms with the people of the noble dormitory also like Allen.
To begin with, only 5 students were staying in the general dormitory until this happened. Two of the 5 were of course Allen and Riyad. So, when even the 19 students of ss 1-A moved in, excluding Allen, this only left 16 rooms avable for the others.
When the supply couldn''t meet demand, prices were bound to rise. So it didn''t take long for the residential rights of the general dorm to be traded for an exorbitant sum by the students of wealthy families who werete due to their wait-and-see attitude.
And just like that, what was once a neglected dog house in the backwoods, much like a miserable shack in the mountains, suddenly shot up in value, resembling a prime spot in the ''4-Chrome Ginza''.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Seriously! The sudden changes are making my head spin, all because of you, boy! Just how did the situation be so hectic? A little moderation wouldn''t hurt!"
Sora grumbled out herints like usual, but her eyes were gleaming with happiness. ''I bet she must be pondering on the best way to get the most out of her newly arrived guinea pigs.''
''Also, it''s not my fault at all.'' But in the end, I inevitably found myself helping Sora to serve the food.
The breakfast in the dorm usually hovered between ''failure'' and ''utter failure'' depending on the day, however, today''s menu was enough to make even me, who should have been slightly ustomed to breakfast here, want to run away from the ce.
The breakfast consisted of bread, ridiculously oversized fish fillet ¡ª which I assumed to be 800g in weight ¡ª pan-fried in unsalted butter, and a type of milk that was so unsettlingly sticky and had a repulsive muddy yellow color that I couldn''t bring myself to ask what it was. Furthermore, there was a fruit resembling dragon fruit, probably from a nt-based monster or something, with a striking purple color that looked incredibly poisonous included in the meal.
By the way, when the dorm still used to be peaceful, there was just me eating cafeteria food so the menu was centered around the mage aspect following my wishes. But with the sudden explosion in the dorm''s upants, it was impossible to create a menu focused on knights and mages from both the ingredients and time perspective so the current menu was a one-size-fits-all.
"Considering when you manage to learn emission magic, you would want to take the approach of a magic knight, right? So it''s notpletely in vain either. Also, all of this is happening due to you so just ept it!" or so she had said.
''Again, this isn''t my fault.'' But leaving that aside, she was right. I would most likely be taking the magic knight route so I reluctantly agreed.
The fish on the menu reeked so bad it wouldn''t be strange to think that it was already rotting.
The faces of the tired students, exhausted after their morning training, had looks of despair the moment they stepped into the dining room. Well of course. The smell wasn''t just bad, it stank so much that it induced intense nausea the moment they entered the dining room,
After helping out the serving for a while, I finally sat down at a table for six people upied by Al, Jue, Fey, Leo, and Dol.
Their hands were grasping the cutlery, but none looked ready to eat the incredibly daunting menu.
"Aren''t you guys going to eat?"
I stopped my nose, which was already numbed to some extent when I was giving out the dishes, from inhaling the air and mentally prepared myself saying ''This is just a strong smell, nothing more!'' I shoved the sliced rotten (or at least that was what its smell suggested) fish into my mouth.
"...Is this what the people of Viscount Rovenne eat culturally?"
Leo inquired, looking as if he had received an intense culture shock.
I swallowed what was in my mouth and waited until the aftertaste faded before answering. If I had spoken in between, the smell would have crept up to my nose and I was sure to vomit out everything in that case.
"Of course not. It''s a matter of determination. Schord, my private tutor, used to say ''When the mind is at peace, even the fire is nothing more than a cool breeze''... See, this is why I was saying it''s too early for you guys to have this level of discipline. Heed my words, you still have time to escape from here. Yes, run away... With your tails tucked between your legs."
I attributed the saying of my previous world to Schord ¡ª at this point, it hadpletely be a habit ¡ª and taunted my ssmates.
"I see! So this is also a part of mental training. A peaceful mind, huh¡? So as long as my mind is at ease, no matter the predicament, I will not lose to fear or anything at all, is it? What a wise saying!"
Al, with a look of resolution on his face, cut the fish then stuffed a piece into his mouth with a nk look and chewing vigorously.
"Munch, Munch. Hmm, this¡ª Uogggggggggggh!"
He tried to say something while still chewing the fish when he spectacrly threw himself backward and fell to his knees on the spot.
Haa, Haaa, Haa, Haa¡
Seeing Al breathing like he had just gone through a 100-man sparring with bloodshot eyes, the other four, who were just about to move, once again paused.
I watched them while taking another bite. After waiting for the fish to disappear from my mouth, I gave some advice to my motionless ssmates.
"You can''t just jump on the bandwagon of determination without making it clear ''For what reason you are eating this''. I heard from Sora-san earlier that this menu was specifically effective for a mage''s emission magic. Leaving aside Fey, who has no n to be a mage, I think your four should try a little harder."
Fey''s expression immediately brightened upon hearing my words, however, it just served to further deepen the color of desperation on the other four''s faces.
"You aren''t any less evil, you know? You could have given us a hint or two, at least. I''m just going to have bread and fruit for breakfast. Everyone, fight on!"
Fey grinned as she looked at everyone with a triumphant expression while peeling the fruit and taking arge bite out of it.
''Wait,'' I was about to warn her but I missed the timing.
"Buhh¡ª!"
Fey spat out the fruit and then, while swaying her head from side to side with a maniacal ''Kyaha, kyahaha''ughter, fell into the te of rotten fish.
She seemed to have fainted.
"Fey-san!"
Jue hurried to help her out.
"I missed the timing... That fruit is incredibly sour so you better not put too much in your mouth without thinking, alright?"
Though I waste in Fey''s case, I still warned the others.
I once had it for breakfast before they moved in so I could still recall that sharp sour taste, like someone had rung a bell right next to my ear.
"Very sour? There''s no way just the sourness can make someone faint......"
Dol murmured while looking at the Fey sprawled on the floor as her body spasmed intermittently.
"There is still a pulse..."
Jue reported the survival of Fey, whose face was covered with the fish''s sauce, while pinching her nose.
"...Inform us sooner, Allen. Isn''t there any sort of guidebook for this?"
Leo asked me for advice. Well, being frank was his virtue.
"There''s no perfect strategy. But as I said earlier, the most crucial thing is ''metal preparation''. And as for technique, you can make sure to not inhale the smell when you chew so intensely and don''t speak while eating like Al did. If dishes have intense vor, then you can take a small bite at a time and swallow it without chewing too much.
Also, whatever you do, just never think of using body-strengthening magic to quickly finish it all in one go. You know, gathering mana in your mouth can make your senses sharper, and if you fail in precisely circting your mana, the heightened senses will cause your movement to go awry¡ª I don''t think I need to exin the disaster that will ensue."
It wasn''t an empty talk, I had fallen prey to this once. ''Experience speaks, as they say.''
Hearing my exnation, Leo reached out for the fish with a determined expression, and with unhurried movement, he tossed the fish into his mouth and swallowed.
...That was fine. Though I really wish he could stop ring at me with bloodshot eyes with tears streaming down his face while eating...
Just as I was having breakfast wrapped in such a strange atmosphere, I suddenly recalled something.
Coincidentally, everyone here, excluding Fey who fainted, was talented in emission magic.
"I''m thinking of establishing an Emission Magic Research Club. What do you all think?"
Vol. 1 - Ch. 38 - Progress of the Hill Road Club
Soon, two months had passed since Allen''s academy enrollment. As the days passed by, so prospered the Hill Road Club he had established. And currently¡ª¡ª
"I must have told you already to use your upper body to run! Go back!"
"I told you to use your head! Go back!"
"And I told you to not use your head! Go back!"
"Oh, you''re doing great, senpai! You''re the best!"
"Listen to the voice of the earth with your knees and reply with your hips! Give up!"
My work as the coach of the club was just like usual: hurling strict words like apany boss blind to the forest, missing others'' shade while chasing and overtaking them.
As far as I could recall, I had already stopped doing what a ''coach'' was supposed to do. I had run out ofints that were borderline abuses and finally, all that came out of my mouth was just nonsensical crap, yet not a single dropout emerged.
No, let me correct myself. Far from there being a dropout, the members of the Hill Road Club kept increasing at a staggering rate.
For example, around three days after Riyad-senpai joined the club, he brought in three 3rd year students saying they wanted to join the club after school.
"They are my friends from ss 3-A. When they heard that I was participating in the training of the Hill Road Club, they said they wanted to participate as well and hoped I could introduce them to you. It might be tough to guide the upperssmen but I can assure you they aren''t whimsical guys and will make earnest efforts in the club activities. So, do you think you can ept them?"
" "Nice to meet you, and we would like to join the club if possible." "
They bowed and requested to join. Their bowing form was crude but I could see they were fairly trained at least.
But the students of ss 3-A, huh? I was sure they must have their own pride, yet they lowered their head to a junior, someone who was just fresh out of the farm so they say... I reckoned that they were anything but pleased deep inside.
I thought about it but swiftly epted their request in the end. I mean, they were introduced by Riyad-senpai. Turning them down was never an option.
Besides, the club activities were basically sort of self-service all along. All I needed to do was to see how they ran and give them advice ordingly. They just had to follow that advice and then, they would be able to do the follow-up on their own ord. So it wasn''t time-consuming for me either. Or so I had naively thought.
Following them, two dayster, senpais from ss 2-C, a group of ten this time, visited me expressing their desire to join the club.
I thought, ''Why bother joining the club? They can run on their own.'' But I was a bit overwhelmed by the determination of their representative, a short ck-haired man named Konri-senpai, as he made a dogeza pose ¡ª something only criminals did in this world ¡ª and said,
"We''re graduating next year. We absolutely want to jump over the ss rank by then, no matter what it takes! So, please let us join the club!"
He excluded such a grim atmosphere as if the doctor had just announced he didn''t have long to live.
In the end, I epted them, impressed by their determination, thinking ''Well, not like it''s gonna cost me much time..."
After sses, I held a briefing session with the seniors, listened to their goals, exined to them how to control their body-strengthening magic and manapression to show them the basic training n that the club was doing, and gave some advice.
But who would have known that this was just the prelude to the disaster?
After the afternoon lecture, I had nned to go out in town as usual to look for a cliche cksmith, who, despite being a skilled master, would be poor and unknown due to said master''s obstinate nature. However, as soon as I opened the ssroom door, there was a long line of club applicants. A bad feeling crossed my heart.
Godorfun''s assignment, in the beginning, was "Do something about that disastrous scene of the morning ss" which I negotiated to my favor by saying "My responsibility will be limited to the members of the Hill Road Club."
It was a so-called grey area.
I was sure my n was wless, but as they say, the more variables there were, the harder it was to predict the situation. Obviously, I couldn''t predict what unforeseen circumstances might arise. And if Godorfun actually insisted that the talk was about ''all the members of the Hill Road Club'', there was no way I could guarantee my masterstroke of a n would go as intended.
Just as I was contemting my grim situation, the one at the helm of the line spoke out. The said person had a typical cocky smile hanging on his lip, someone I would never consider befriending.
"Are you Allen Rovenne? I assume you already know me. I''m Rudelio von Dialmack, the top performer of ss 2-A. Your Hill Road Club seems to have quite a reputation. Well done reaching this far. I want to join too, and if you ept me, the club''s brand value will skyrocket and I can confidently say its name will echo through the kingdom. However, I have one condition for joining. Switch the role of coach with me in the next year''s grade advancement. Of course, if you want to switch right now, I''m willing to take over."
" "Hehehe." " (Followers A, B, and C, chuckling yada-yada)
He was the typical idiot archetype, spouting gibberish.
"My, oh my, I''m truly honored that the esteemed Rude-senpai has gone to such lengths to visit me. However, I don''t consider myself worthy of teaching others. Especially teaching someone as esteemed as you, senior, is quite beyond me."
"Pfft."
I had all but intended to settle it politely, but hearing Fey, who had been behind me watching the whole spectacle, chuckling made Rudelio-senpai re up in anger.
"What!? I''ve already checked that there''s no requirement for joining! Have you any inkling of your folly for rejecting me? I am the heir of the Dialmack family, one of the nine great marquis families. Do you think you, a country bumpkin of a rural viscount household, will be able to lead a tranquil school life after turning me down?!"
His momentum was certainly impressive, but contrary to the threatening aura of both my mother and Godorfun, his rage was like a toddler throwing a tantrum.
I grew tired of this exchange, feeling it was foolish to waste more time with him, and left the scene in silence.
"Fuhahaha!"
"Hehehe. It seems like you have been rejected, Rudelio-senpai."
I seemed to have heard someone''s tant provoking tone taunting Rudelio-senpai, but it would be a chore to handle the mess so I just ignored them.
However, the next day and the days after that, the applicants for the club didn''t tone down at all. I didn''t know how or whom they learned it from, but seniors and ssmates who had awkwardly learned my hobby of ''bowing'' came every day to apply for membership.
It was in bothersome and I also dreaded Godorfun twisting the assignment so I wanted to turn them down, but I couldn''t find it in me to shoo away the sincere individuals who lowered their heads to a third son of a rural viscount family when there wasn''t any need to.
But I wasn''t so free as to spend my time guiding strangers. So, I decided to bring in Leo and Dan, who were part of the first group of the morning training from the beginning, along with the recently promoted Ste to solve this matter.
"Teaching others is difficult. I''m no exception, and I doubt any of you consider yourselves so great as to teach others. However, it''s through teaching others that you gain insights. I felt it strongly when I became the club''s coach. The one guiding others needs repetitive training too. I want you all to assist in guiding the club as its vice presidents. Make the most of this opportunity. Leo, you''ll be in charge of the third years, Dan, the second years, and Ste, the first years. I''ll leave the teaching approach to you. After about six months, I will choose a captain from among yourselves, incorporate the best aspects of each approach, and create a unified direction for the entire club."
I casually threw in whatever sensible-sounding exnation came to mind and delegated all the handling, including the members'' interviews, to them.
Leo and Ste were both single-minded people by nature, so they were easily motivated to take on the task. Though, it was Dan who seemed to have seen through me as he sharply retorted ''Isn''t this because you find it a chore?...''
However, since our advisor Godorfun had already stated that he wouldn''t interfere with my ns, and that ''I am the rule in the club'', I just pushed everything to them regardless of what they had to say. Dark politics at its finest.
In these two months, I also created one more position using my authority as a coach. It was the introduction of a ''Manager''.
Apparently, this world didn''t have a concept of having a manager position in club activities. Of course, it hadpletely slipped my mind as an eternal member of the go-home club.
However, one morning, it suddenly came to me when I saw our ss president¡ I mean, Kate giving out water to her friends who were somehow shoving down the grilled fish with tearful eyes. No, seriously, it reeked so bad I thought it was a crime to not dere it rotten.
Ahem, I digressed. Anyway, the thought ''Isn''t she the perfect manager...'' came to my mind. So I exercised my authority and pushed the position of manager to her.
"A club without a manager is like udon without green onions¡ªcking essential vor! You don''t understand the importance of condiments and the beauty they add!"
"Manager...? What on earth do you want me to do?"
A pity, people here just didn¡¯t understand the profoundness of my words. Kate ignored whatever I said and simply asked what I wanted her to do.
It started when the club had exceeded 100 members at the mark of one month. I could no longer tell the progress of our members while overtaking them in the morning each day. To be frank, I really didn''t care how they were faring, but saying ''I just tossed the matter to the others so I don''t have any idea'' when reporting to Godorfun felt irresponsible and it would also tarnish my image.
So I had Fey create plenty of that wristwatch-like tool which I once shattered into pieces that could record the changes in someone''s residual mana quantity and used them to record everyone''s mana level during running. The cost waspletely borne by Fey.
Speaking of the person herself, she just uttered something terrifying like ''You really are a brute when ites to using people, you know? This means you owe me one now, alright?'' so casually. As they say, ''Desperate times call for desperate measures.''
The next day after I had requested her, she casually delivered over 100 magic tools, saying ''''It''s just an improvement for a ready-made product, and the design blueprint is already there. Anyone from outside can achieve this as long as everything else is ready". Truly a talented girl that the Dragoon family was proud of.
In this way, without even lifting a finger, I managed to set up the flow where the manager would collect the records,pile them into data, and pass them on to me.
Also, I perceived that it seemed to be too much for a single manager to undertake, so I appointed Kate as the Chief Manager and delegated the duty of scouting and training managers as well as overseeing them to her. As of now, there were 2 managers for each grade, expanding their number to a total of 6 members.
Of course, they, too, were participating in the running training. Basically sort of a ying Manager.
Speaking of which, I had only requested them topile the data into one report for me, but being the elite among elites handpicked by the Royal Academy, I might have forgotten that the girls, all of whom were from the civil course, were undoubtedly national-level talents.
They showed their finesse bying up with tasks of their own volition like analyzing the rtionship between the members'' training condition and growth rate,piling the result, managing their health and schedule, and many others. I never asked them to do all of that.
As for me, I didn''t intervene in any of the intricate matters and just stuck to the task that I needed to do¡ª to throw my weight around as the coach and hurl borderline extreme words like a gruff boss.
And when two months had passed since the time Godorfun handed me this assignment, I stormed into the staff room once again.
EN - I left the name mentioned by the MC as "Rude-senpai" on purpose because it was so sarcastic and hrious. ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 39 - Side - Staff Room
"I have discovered the reason why their pace altogether drops significantly when going around the southeast area of the Academy. It seems like they are trying to climb up the steep slope along their running route with full strength as training. And while each student¡¯s pace varies, Allen Rovenne has been consistently performing 10 rounds of that 500m long slope."
Three days after Godorfun handed Allen¡¯s assignment to him, Keynes, the caretaker of the Royal Academy, reported to Mujikka and Godorfun.
Mujika had asked him to keep tabs on the morning scene since he was also tasked with inspecting the Academy''s premises.
"So Allen Rovenne runs 45km each morning with that pace and still remains unperturbed......?"
Mujikka muttered in astonishment.
"Fuhahaha! I see. After watching him, I knew it didn''t make sense for that brat''s pace to drop in thetter half of his route as if he had run out of fuel... And my hunch was indeed correct. So that was the reason, I see."
Godorfunughed out with a beaming smile.
"I was puzzled why he would name the club ''Hill Road Club'' earlier¡ Usually, the name should be something that resonates with their morning routine, no? But the significance lies in that training more than anything else, huh? Maybe, I should ask Emmy-chan to install a monitoring magic tool in that region?"
Hearing Mujikka''s suggestion, Godorfun mused for a moment before shaking his head.
"No, let''s not intervene on their matter, and believe in them. It''s just as important to let them act on their own ord. Those who will grow will grow even when left alone....... I can now see their main goal. I couldn''t have left them to their own devices if it was just stamina training, but it seems I was mistaken. They have thought about this more than I anticipated."
Seeing that Godorfun looked to be in good spirits, Mujikka asked something that was on her mind.
"......But they seemed to have managed to attend the morning practical lessons to some extent, too. However, most of the students have shortened the distance of their run. What do you think about this approach, Sir?"
When Mujikka posed her question, the sunny expression on Godorfun''s face immediately darkened.
"I had nned to turn down that brat¡¯s request to introduce him to Dew if he really thought lowering the load of his ssmates would be considered inpleting my assignment. Even a monkey could do that much...... But that guy didn''te to me about it. Since I¡¯ve already said I won¡¯t intervene in the club''s matters, I¡¯m going to keep my silence until the appointed date and wait for that brat''s answer."
Godorfun paused there, as his expression became even more somber.
"If it had been me, I would have continued to push my ssmates to the extreme, only keeping the ones who could keep up...... Of course, I¡¯m not expecting him to show me the same answer."
Mujikka once again affirmed the severity of this assignment seeing Godorfun''s somber expression. Contrary to what Allen had been thinking of his ''masterstroke of a n'', Godorfun wasn''t soft enough to approve counting the shorter distance training inpleting the assignment.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Hill Road Club''s member count has surpassed 100. What in the world is going on in his mind...?"
After around a month since then, Mujikka came to Godorfun with another report.
"Fumu. I really didn''t expect that brat would forget the condition ''result will only be limited to the club members'' that he himself had proposed...... The more variables there are, the harder it is to keep the situation linear. The question is, does he have that much confidence in himself to go over and beyond, or......"
Godorfun''s face scrunched up into a scowl.
"I can''t imagine him giving up so easily after witnessing his spirit that day, as long as he could be introduced to a mentor...... After going through the report over his master Schord, I think he is targeting the core goal, which is the cultivation of human resources, rather than just simplypleting the assignment. I mean, just the day after he received the assignment, he was already focusing on something that he prioritized over passing the challenge when adjusting the running distance of the club members...... Am I, perhaps, overthinking?"
Godorfun shook his head.
"......If that is what that brat thinks, then his perception of the result and what he is doing are both in different worlds. For me, all that matters is whether the members of the Hill Road Club, let''s just say his ssmates only for argument''s sake, will be able to attend the morning practical sses properly after running around the Academy''s premises or not. This is something I¡¯m not going to budge on."
You have my pity, Rovenne-kun. Mujikka mentally prayed for Allen. She knew she wouldn''t be able to change the mind of this obstinate geezer (Sir Godorfun) so she refrained from wasting her energy.
Right then, Jeffrey, one of the Royal Academy''s teachers, approached Mujikka.
"Vice-chairman. May I have a moment to discuss something with you?"
"Yes, of course, Jeffrey-sensei. What''s the matter?"
"Well, it''s about the general dormitory residency rights. Parents of a student from our ss 2-D have submitted an application. It seems their child has purchased residency rights for the general dormitory without their consent. They''re asking if the school can regte such transactions and invalidate the purchase."
Mujikka and Godorfun nced at each other.
"Huh, what''s with the general dormitory residency right? Isn''t the general dormitory practically empty, and anyone who wants to enter can get in?"
It was Jeffrey''s turn to be astonished hearing Mujikka''s statement.
"Hmm, you didn''t hear about it, vice-chairman? A new fad has suddenly sprung among the students where they are entering the general dormitory and leaving the life of convenience to train their minds and bodies. In fact, the situation now is such that it is impossible to secure a spot there with official procedure."
Godorfun''s face lit up hearing that.
"Fuhahaha! What a magnificent spirit. The youngsters nowadays don''t seem to understand just how privileged they are. The very first thing that the Kingdom''s Knight Order does to neers is to take them camping for a few years in the beginning to wear off their luxurious outlook. It''s really extraordinary to hear the students willingly discarding the luxury, even going as far as to pay for that inconvenience. Not all hope has been lost it seems."
Mujikka, on the other hand, just sighed.
"......It''s indeed a weing situation as a teacher, but this is not something that I, as a board of director member, can ignore if parents are sending their applications. By the way, what is the amount we¡¯re talking about here?"
"Well, it¡¯s...... 5 million. ''If it continued like this, we wouldn¡¯t be able to manage our county well''... or so they pleaded."
Mujikka and Godorfun both were taken aback when they heard the specific sum, which happened to be an absurd amount.
"5 million rea!? Mujikka, just what is the current state of that dormitory''s facilities!? When I first enrolled in this Academy in ss E, they didn''t have the relief measure where even ss E students could avail of the noble dormitory as long as they paid the rent. I didn''t have that much money at that time either, so I could only helplessly borrow a cramped room in that dpidated building, which looked no worse than a dog house. Since I couldn''t rent a room outside, I had to put myself through a hellish regime to get out of that hellhole.
The general dormitory had a shared bath at that time, no? I can''t imagine it as a ce where students are jumping to pay such a huge sum to get in."
Mujikka hurriedly brought out the documents and began to confirm.
"Umm...... Sir attended the Academy as a student 50 years ago and... There is no record of renovation or improvement in facilities of the general dormitory since that time. The only time something was repaired there was when there was a water leakage problem which happened thrice. I mean, as Sir has experienced first-hand, the general dormitory was left as it is to ignite thepetitive spirits of the low-rankers. Probably, it has been operated in the same way as when Sir was there. Even the dorm mother, the renowned monster material researcher, Miss Sora Sandelion, remains unchanged."
"What......? That person was indeed renowned in her research field, but she was definitely a human being with a ring red g as someone who sees students as her experimental test subjects. Considering the time, she should be over 90 years old now... Is she still actively serving as the dorm mother?"
Then, as if he just recalled it, Jeffrey said,
"Ah, one more thing, it seems like the breakfast of that dorm mother is quite famous. But I¡¯m surprised Sir Godorfun wasn''t aware of the situation either. As a matter of fact, I heard the whole trend started when all the students of ss 1-A, which you are the ss teacher of, moved to the general dormitory to copy Allene Rovenne''s style. So I was sure you must have known about it already since the dorm is mostly filled with the members of the Hill Road Club that Sir Godorfun is the advisor of."
Godorfun was left speechless upon hearing Jeffrey''s words.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 40 - Assignment Result (1)
After sses, precisely two months after Godorfun had handed him the assignment.
"Excuse me!"
Allen opened the door to the staff room, entered inside, and performed a perfect 30-degree bow. Though strange as it was, his ''bowing'' was no longer an unfamiliar spectacle for the Academy''s staff members.
It wasn''t surprising. He had already be famous ¡ª in a positive light ¡ª for bowing before leaving the main gate when starting his morning run, afterpleting his run, and before and after performing his hill dashes.
Well, the person himself had never thought too deeply about the ''spirit of bowing''.
As far as he was concerned, he couldn¡¯t help but feel jealous whenever he looked at the baseball members or Judo members, with their boiled octopus-like red faces, bowing on the field or in the doj¨ in his previous life. Because, to him, it was the sight of youth and he had always wanted to try it.
However, the club members themselves had never heard why their coach (Allen) did this. Even when questioned, Allen merely responded with "It''s just a hobby," yet he never failed to perform this meaningful gesture.
This prompted the club members to imagine its deep significance ¡ª from seeing the timing of Allen''s bowing that he has maintained so far ¡ª in their own way and in no time, this etiquette became a trend among them.
After Allen turned down the application of Rudelio Von Dialmack, a senior from ss 2-A with a haughty attitude, rumors started to circte among the people almost instantly which just further served to fan the mes of this matter.
The prominent students of the Royal Academybined this minor incident with the information they had heard from the club members and concluded that Allen, while being a fearless person himself, surprisingly disliked rude manners and was quite picky about etiquette.
Well, the person himself, who was aspiring to follow the ouw route, would have denied it had he heard of it. But considering his experience as a professional in a major Japanesepany that valued etiquette, it may have actually been an arrow that grazed the target in the dark.
Whatever the reason was, this summed up the groundless rumors that "It''s impossible to join the Hill Road Club unless you know the etiquette of bowing". Soon, some people even stepped forward to establish the "Bowing Etiquette Club", and overnight, the sight of bowing had be amonce scenery in the Royal Academy.
Incidentally, Allen was the honorary supervisor of that club.
Though he couldn''t help but think ''they are exaggerating the matter'', he was unable to turn it down when Thiira-senpai, a student of ss 3-A who was introduced to him by Riyad-senpai, approached him and requested it from him with a bow.
Returning to the staff room, Allen bolted towards the spot where Godorfun and Mujikka were sitting on a sofa.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Excuse me, huh? I have heard about the meaning behind this ''high-toned greeting'' taught by Master Schord. As far as I can tell, the underlying meaning lies in pardoning the ''greeting''... Why does entering the staff room equate to impoliteness?"
As if I know, I thought after hearing Godorfun''s question. I brought out my bullsh*tting spirit and answered.
"It represents the consideration for the superior inside the room. The chance ofing out as rude, of course, is very low. But maybe, the teachers were having a meeting inside the room and my arrival might have interrupted them. Or in another instance, they might be dealing with documents they can''t let any student see. With consideration for such events, this line when entering the room shows one''s apology and gratitude, even if they have already given you permission to enter the room...... Or so it was taught to me by Schord."
"...So, you''re contemting that deeply on the matter of just entering a room? Rovenne-kun, isn''t it difficult to live with such a level of overthinking?"
"Of course, I am not pondering over each and every aspect. Rather, it''s more like engraving these manners into myself than thinking. I let my body act before my thoughts can. It''s simr to the ''form'' of swordsmanship."
To be frank, I was quite grateful that I coulde up with such sophisticated exnations in this world, unlike when I was choppy and clumsy like an antique machine in my previous life.
"I see. Engraving the ''form'' into the body does open up the mind to ponder over the future. I really want to have a conversation with your private tutor Schord at least once... s, he seemed to have turned down the offer to be a lecturer in the Academy along with the other schools altogether. Can''t you somehow persuade him from your end?"
I shook my head as Godorfun asked with a bitter expression.
I had no intention to request that from him, and even if I did, there was no way he woulde to this Academy. The reason was obvious.
"Unfortunately, I am neither in opposition nor in support of it. Schord has his own rule and if that person has already said no, no amount of persuasion will make it through to the brain of that stubborn person, even if I asked him about it¡ Anyway, I¡¯m here for something else..."
I looked straight into Godorfun''s eyes.
"I want to discuss the result of the assignment and the introduction of the mentor you mentioned to me."
In return, Godorfun turned to look into my eyes with a sharp glint.
"Fumu. You had shortened the distance of almost all of your ssmates¡¯ training right off the bat, right? And I believe you already know there is no way I would approve of this method of reducing the burden. Then, why, even when you already knew, did you still proceed with it?"
Confidently, I stated the reason (excuse) I came up with.
"I judged this to be the best way to improve the club members."
Hearing my statement, Godorfun shook his head in disappointment.
"This is a failure, Allen Roveene."
...Seriously?
"If I had been in your shoes and there was something I must achieve no matter what, I would have chosen any possible means. It might have caused some of myrades to not catch up, but I would have never stopped myself from driving them into a corner and afterward just creating an elite force that suited my result. ¡®I did my best¡¯, these are but the words of a loser. What I seek in the end is results¡ You have disappointed me, Allen Rovenne."
A pin-drop silence descended into the staff room.
Mujikka-sensei, sitting beside Godorfun, appeared flustered. However, I was so furious with the geezer in front of me that none of my surroundings registered in my eyes.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
¡®I did my best¡¯ is nothing but the barking of loser dogs!
What I want are results!
Show me the damned results! The results!
This used to be the pet phrase of the sales department head of thepany I had once joined for a short time in my previous world.
Overloading his subordinates with assignments, howling like a rabid dog each and every time¡ª all that he sought was results. But on the flip side, never once did he teach them any tactic to raise the numbers. A typical old-minded superior who knew nothing but to talk others down with his authority.
His creed was to just dish out the results by any means, even if he ended up betraying the trust of the customer or pulling some underhanded tactic.
From a long-term perspective, it was a no-brainer that this sort of business practice would put thepany in a negative light, but he never cared since he would either be promoted or transferred by the time the problem became apparent.
He was obviously a sickening man to me as knew nothing but to shout crap. Godorfun, sitting in front of me, appeared as a mirror copy of that man in my eyes.
Either way, this stubborn geezer wasn''t going to overturn the failing mark. I decided to duke it out with the geezer, with the resentment of my past life smoldering inside me.
"Kukuku. Kuahahaha!"
My sudden maniac-likeughter caused Godorfun to look at me with a skeptical expression.
But I paid it no heed, looked straight into his eyes, and dered with a voice that echoed throughout the staff room.
"Disappointing, huh?... That¡¯s my line, Godorfun!"
The sound of audible gulping could be heard inside the otherwise deathly silent staff room.
"You''re a failure as a teacher, Godorfun!"
EN - Well, I¡¯m on the MC¡¯s side on this one. Godorfun¡¯s approach may work in a work environment, as harsh as it may be. But in a school environment, teachers should be teaching and nurturing students, not kicking them out as soon as they don¡¯t meet some arbitrary metric.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 41 - Assignment Result (2)
"You''re a failure as a teacher, Godorfun."
The sudden rude remark that I spat out brought a change in Godorfun''s expression.
"For a 12-year-old brat, you sure have gotten quite bold... Try to say it one more time!"
Godorfun grabbed me by my cor and tried to intimidate me with a threatening tone. But I also haven''t stepped up just to relent to his paper threats.
On the side, a flustered Mujikka-sensei seemed ready to intervene but I continued regardless.
"Godorfun, you seem to have a grave misunderstanding. You must have thought that the assignment you gave was just for me, right? Hmph. You¡¯re being delusional, and nothing more."
Seemingly not understanding the implication of my words, Godorfun''s brow shot up though his menacing expression remained unchanged.
"What are you trying to say, brat?"
"You mentioned during the first orientation that you were ordered by His Majesty to teach in this academy to raise the students'' levels, didn''t you? But now, you''re preaching the exact opposite by saying ''If it is to reach the goal, I would have to abandon those who couldn''t catch up''. Can you exin this to His Majesty?
Can you puff your chest out with pride and report to His Majesty that ''Although the majority couldn''t catch up even after pushing them to their limits so you gave up on them, but a tiny fraction of them have be elites?¡¯... Now answer that, Godorfun!"
This time, I grabbed Godorfun''s cor and cross-questioned him.
Mujjika-sensei on the sideline let out a yelp seeing mywless behavior toward this old man who seemed to be some bigshot, but I didn''t care about anything at this point. I mean, how could I tread on the ouw path if I didn''t have the guts to at least grab my homeroom teacher¡¯s cor, no?
Perhaps because had I hit a nerve, Godorfun wore a bitter expression and defended himself.
"...That''s some clever wordy you''re using here. Certainly, as you said, I don''t have the option of sacrificing the other students to achieve my goal given my position. But, this assignment, for all intents and purposes, was just to measure your abilities. What I asked from you was to show your determination, don''t be naive!"
Of course, he spouted the same generic ''It''s not about me! We are currently talking about you!'' line that power-harassing bosses usually say.
I despised those who preached arrogantly but would put themselves on the shelf.
My lips curved upward in mockery as I answered Godorfun.
"Determination, you say? Don''t make meugh, Godorfun. Let me ask you in return. How do you perceive the spirit of the Hill Road Club?"
Godorfun didn¡¯t say anything.
But of course, even I was still sorting out the details in my mind as we spoke. My n would be in shambles if he could actually answer that.
"You must have known we climb the slope as a part of our club activities. But did you know why the name of the club that you are the advisor of is not Running Training Club or Hill Dashes Club, but Hill Road Club?"
I asked Godorfun, emphasizing the nuance of ''You''re the advisor, right?''
"...I should have made it clear in the beginning. I¡¯m not going to interfere with the club¡¯s activity or policy..."
¡®Oh, so original'', I thought. I was so fed up with these cliched phrases already. He was basically the ''I will leave the means to you, just show me results¡¯ type of person. Well, yeah, it was my assignment (work), but Godorfun''s thought process was honestly not that different from my previous life¡¯s boss in the end.
As someone who stood above themon masses, he was basically throwing his responsibility to someone else.
"Haha... I really don''t have any opinion on your ''non-interference'' policy. It''s for their own good to let students grope their way around by themselves. But, you can¡¯t say that when you haven''t even tried to grasp the details. What you''re doing is just weaving your words into a fine excuse. If anything, I dare say you must be thinking a diamond will shine on its own even if left alone. You know what that''s called? That''s giving up on thinking!"
As Godorfun let go of my cor, so did I. Though, he was still ring at me with a stern gaze. I further added,
"I know saying anything to you who doesn''t have any interest in the process may be just me ying the flute in front of a deaf person, but let me give you a piece of my mind.
I have said it when the club was established as well, ''Road'' here represents one''s own way of living. I am not nosy enough to go out of my way to consider their names and all if my end goal was to just teach them the techniques.
But what I envisioned in my mind was the tempering of the hearts of the club members through club activities. In simple words, I sought that undefeatable ''spirit'' that would never lose against any adversary!
Yes, I could have chosen to take a more decisive approach to clear the assignment, and as you said, corner those who can''t catch up to drop out. I, myself, am not a saint to stretch my hand to those who don''t have the determination. In fact, I thought it was fine even if they dropped out and so, I chased them every day while throwing in harsher words than ever.
...But, they remained unshakeable. With their hearts set aze by their ideals, and their spirits smoldering in the mes of desperation to seek new heights, they have been confronting their own imperfect selves every day. Did you not find it absurd to question my determination to impose an impossible burden on them and to chase them away right after?
Perhaps Godorfun Von Vankyus might be a great knight figure, and possibly an outstanding individual as well. But you are far from a person who can sincerely face the task of nurturing others.
Ask me anytime, and I will still say the same thing, Godorfun. You ¡ª who didn''t bother to know a single bit about the club¡¯s activities, chose not to think, and threw everything on your student¡¯s shoulders, all the while assessing my determination to discard my friends to reach my goal ¡ª are a failure as a teacher!"
Realize your ipetence, you bastard chief! I could feel a refreshing wave washing over me as I finally dumped my pent-up feelings, which I had wanted to do since my previous life, onto Godorfun.
But as soon as I was done, the menacing aura enveloping Godorfun disappeared with a fwoosh as he began to analyze my statement in his usual manner.
"Fumu. I have seen your mentality up close. While I said to pursue clearing the assignment even if it meant pushing the club members to their limits, it seems you saw a different path."
Tsk, truly a veteran geezer...... Well, were my words enough to make him reconsider his decision, or were they nothing but the barking of a loser dog to him, which one was it?
"You said it earlier, didn''t you? I havee to this academy under the order of His Majesty to raise the standard of the academy''s students. This is as you said. So, shall I take it as you faced the assignment in ordance with ''my true goal''?"
Obviously. Those clowns who attempted to clear away the task with unrealistic means while deviating from budget and timeline themselves only have a fuzzy understanding of ''what they truly needed to achieve'' and set a bogus market standard.
Even for the clients, it was of utmost importance to first urately grasp one''s main goal when working with such people. Otherwise, this would lead to a perpetual entanglement with the clients, who finally came back to their senses just when the task was nearing its end,ining while saying ''That''s not what I wanted''.
"Don''t say the obvious. Thoroughly examining what the client is seeking is the basic principle of marketing."
I repeated the phrase I had heard from a dubious marketing consultant who had been invited as a trainer for our employee training in my previous life.
"Market...? If that''s the case, then this old and senile failure of a teacher is very much interested in hearing what kind of method you used for that. If I¡¯m not wrong, the club you established must be well over 100 members, right? Well, I must say, Schord Bainfause sure raised a capable pupil who can easily supervise and guide so many people.
...Surely, after preaching with such grandiosity, your words shouldn''t be ending short with ''All that I did was to just continue calling them out, while internally thinking it''s fine even if they drop out''... Right?"
True to his alias, Godorfun asked while putting on a truly amicable smile on his face.
Kukuku. His heart inside must be harboring a tempest after listening to me disparaging him. The pulsing vein on his forehead was proof of that.
I took out the report on the activities of the club members,piled by Kate and other managers, from my bag and ced it on the table.
EN - ¡°Realize your ipetence, you bastard chief!¡± I felt that on a spiritual level ??
T/N - Mc spitting out fact xD.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 42 - Assignment Result (3)
Mujikka-sensei swiftly went over the bundle of reports I put down on the desk. Her eyes widened seeing their contents.
It was just the reaction I was expecting. I mean, even I was impressed by seeing their improvement rate in the recent reports. Mujikka-sensei nced at Godorfun and then reported in a t tone.
"...It''s the detailed data on club members¡¯ training progress. In addition, there is the analysis of each member''s tasks, advice on improving their training methods, predictions for their future growth, and even reference to their health and schedule. There are currently 13 students of ss 1-A who have passed your sess criteria, Sir. Everyone will probably be able to meet your required criteria in around 2 months. It''s a tremendous growth rate."
The old man''s eyebrow twitched in surprise as he listened to the report. Mujikka-sensei asked me in ce of Godorfun who didn''t say anything.
"Rovenne-kun, you¡¯re not only the coach of the Hill Road Club, but also an honorary advisor of the Emission Magic Research Club, Geography Research Club, and Etiquette Club. In addition, you even work as an explorer on your days off and have raised your rank from G to E in a month, right? How is everything so detailed? Are you sleeping properly?"
In my free time, I established the Emission Magic Research Club, with Al being its president, and the Geography Research Club to study thends in the Rondina continent this kingdom was situated in. Thetter¡¯s president was Coco.
Geography had limitless possibilities. A map wasn''t just a simple piece of paper that represented a positional rtionship. It epassed various aspects such as the distribution of monsters, flora and fauna, elevation differences, crucial information like water sources, the status of crop cultivation, and even climate information such as temperature. It allowed people to analyze and categorize every possible area based on their positional rtionships.
However, the maps in this world were far from covering everything I wanted to know and were quite crude copies.
I was having a discussion with Coco on this topic and in the heat of the moment, decided to establish this club. Well, it was a part of the club activities¡¯ awareness program.
As for my rank up as an explorer, it happened against my will. I argued with the receptionistdy at the Explorer Association''s Eastern Branch that ''It''s strange for my rank to rise so quickly''. However, she dismissed it with ''It''s the rule'', and I couldn''t break the defense of thedy''s illogical im.
I didn''t even need to guess who was pulling the strings. I had gone to the headquarters to meet Satowa and protest about it. But he pretended to be out on business.
"Of course, I haven''t done it on my own. In fact, I will say I¡¯ve done practically nothing at all. This data waspiled by the Hill Road Club''s manager group, headed by Chief Manager Kate. I just created the framework for the manager role at first, and the contents of the report were voluntarilypiled by the managers, keeping in mind what each member needs."
I simply stated the truth. Then, I stared back at Godorfun who just kept his silence while looking at me, and asked the question I was genuinely curious about.
"Aren''t you going to check them yourself? Though I guess I should make it clear beforehand, the reports may have their own shorings in your eyes, considering you have seen the reportspiled by specialists in that field, but I¡¯m thoroughly impressed by the details they have put into the report in this short amount of time. Well, I guess that''s why they are students of this Royal Academy, huh?
This isn''t some half-assed work that they¡¯ve done just because their coach asked them to do it. I believe you can get a glimpse of their overflowing enthusiasm every now and then in the reports. Anyway, we can put my assignment to rest, but I do wish for you to take a look at their efforts. If you are still going to adhere to your ''result is all that matters'' policy... Then you are truly a failure. Since I¡¯m at it, let me correct my statement about inviting Schord to this academy. I¡¯m strongly against it. Since it will just be a waste of time."
I said my peace and was about to stand up from my seat. This was my deliberate act to disguise my true intention. However, I was serious about the failure part. It was truly just a waste of time talking with people who weren''t determined enough to foster others.
I also said this to Mujikka-sensei.
"From this day on, I am retiring from the position of coach of the Hill Road Club. Can you please go through the procedure?"
"What!? Do you know the chaos that will ensue if you retire now after setting all this up in such a short time!?" Mujikka-sensei said in a loud voice.
Ah, this person is indeed a teacher, I thought after looking at her intense reaction, showing her kind consideration for the students.
"It''s not something I have to think about. I should have made myself clear earlier. This is a task for Godorfun, not me. I may have grandiosely articted this, but I have zero motivation to be their guide. It''s not my intention to be a great person who teaches others. All I had in my mind was to put forth my answer to the assignment Godorfun had tasked me with. And for thepensation, it is to be introduced to a suitable mentor. Nothing more, nothing less.
The spirit of the Hill Road Club and the managers are just a part of my answer. Let me be clear as well, I¡¯ve already stoppeding up with training ns for the members. The responsibility of each grade has been left to Leo, Dan, and Ste, and they are putting in their effort at their own discretion. Once the dust settles in a few months, they should be able to decide on a president and a unified training policy for the whole club. So, there will be no confusion as you are fearing, Mujikka-sensei. The Hill Road Club is no longer a fledgling that couldn''t take its flight without my presence."
Just as I showed my intention to get up from my seat, Godorfun, who had been silent all this time, finally opened his mouth.
"Wait. I will go through them."
After saying that, Godorfun went over the reports for a short while before letting out a delighted chuckle.
"Good grief, what an unpolished report. But indeed, I can feel their dazzling enthusiasm. This is a good report. It clearly shows the difference in each grade''s training policy. It''s really interesting, their beliefs certainly are reflected here. You can clearly see their struggle in dealing with the task of nurturing others, a question without a clear answer."
I grinned and Godorfun followed suit.
"...I had been thinking all this time, the degree of strictness I should adopt to guide them. I believed those who couldn''t crawl their way up were simply worth only that much. I, as you said, wasn''t facing the teaching role with sincerity..."
I was surprised to hear his words. It was pretty much impossible for a man of his status to swallow such rude remarks from a student in my understanding. For the first time, a stem of respect for him grew inside me.
"I think this method is also just that important. There will surely be some things that others can''t learn no matter how diligently you teach them. I believe this is how you yourself must have trained. However, you can¡¯t just stop teaching as someone from an educational institution. It''s a sign of cutting corners for a professional teacher. You have to have a relentless passion to pursue the best for your students. This was my observation after witnessing the back of Schord Bainfause, another teacher."
These words didn''te out of nowhere. No matter how much I criticized Schord, he never took my words at face value, outright opposed me, nor got angry at me. It was because I knew he always had the best for me in his mind and never cut corners that I was able to argue with him without any apprehension.
"Was the situation in the general dormitory also instigated by you?"
Godorfun asked while stroking his white beard.
"That, too, was done by them at their own discretion. They moved in without telling me. I didn''t do anything."
I answered with a sour expression on my face.
Godorfun closed his eyes for a moment after listening to my words. Then, when he opened his eyes again, he looked at my face and re-announced the result of the assignment.
"I have been negligent in my duties as a teacher in the end... Allen Rovenne, let me correct my previous statement. I am sorry. Also, you have aced the assignment. But, I want you to stay in the Hill Road Club as its coach. Can you do it?"
...Wow, I wasn''t expecting this stubborn old man to so easily change his verdict, and even lower his head... Damn, where was your pride, old man?
"Fine. I also apologize for my rudeness toward Godorfun-sensei."
I still hadn''tpletely let out all of the resentment I had for the chief, but this was what it was. I could only bury the hatchet down here. I also epted his suggestion to stay as the coach. Mujikka-sensei heaved a sigh of relief after hearing that.
"I¡¯m d. I was really worried about the situation for a moment there..."
"Hmph. I used to have such arguments with Schord every day. You''re out of luck to be in charge of a snobbish brat like me, so might as well resign yourself to the situation now."
Hearing my remark, Godorfun broke out into even more heartyughter.
"Fuhahahaha. No, it''s my luck. Through you, I can indirectly grasp the essence of Master Schord. This is the best part for me in all this. But... Did you say ''I have zero motivation to guide them''? You sure know how to joke! Hahahaha!"
......Hey, I was serious about that.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After Allen left the staff room.
Mujikka plopped herself on the sofa like a puppet who had its strings cut.
"Haa~ I¡¯m tired. Just how much of that was your acting, and how serious were you, Sir?"
Godorfun appeared to be in high spirits.
"Fufufu. Nothing was acting, what you saw was all true. Well, a part of it was indeed to incite that brat and ascertain his thinking. For the most part, I was indeed at a loss for words. I guess that just means I stillck discipline when even a brat of his age can shut me up with his preaching! Hahaha!"
"...So basically, everything went along as you had nned... This is another victory for you. Well, the silver lining is that it was all settled peacefully, I guess. But saying ''I didn''t do anything, everything is the fruit of their effort''... The master and disciple (Allen and Schord) pair are really cut from the same cloth."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
As if it were natural, an unbelievable rumor found itself traveling from one ear to another throughout the Royal Capital after three days. The rumor stated that ''Godorfun the Buddha'' failed Allen Rovenne on a nearly impossible assignment that he was tasked with that spanned several months, which followed with Allen Rovenne getting into an argument with him over it. Allen then thoroughly beat Godorfun down with his words and in the end, the result was reevaluated, apanied by an apology.
Three people broke intoughter when they heard that rumor.
Explorer Association Headquarters¡ª
"Wahahaha! Did you guys hear? That geezer lost in an argument against that brat and had to lower his head! Oi, Satowa! What''s that brat''s current rank!?"
"Well, it has been raised to E. But since his contribution level and character evaluation hidden score is A, we can raise his rank anytime as long as he disys his abilities in one request. It shouldn''t take long for it to be raised to C-rank where we can put up a nomination request. Though he did visit the headquarters once to protest, but I pretended I wasn¡¯t here."
Shell chuckled after hearing Satowa''s reply.
"Isn''t his abilities on par with C-rank visible from him hunting down that one horned rabbit so easily? Raise his rank as soon as he submits the medicinal herb quest even once!"
Royal Pce------
"Gahahaha! Even I was curious after hearing the rumor that a 12-year-old kid soundly defeated you in an argument... So that''s the full story, huh?... He¡¯s really an interesting kid."
"Give me a break. it''s not interesting to me. It just means I still haven''tpletely changed my mentality as a member of the knight order. It''s really pathetic that I only realized it when a child pointed it out. And while I was taking it easy, that fellow had already taken care of nurturing the talents in people. He has thoroughly defeated me in this for sure."
"I see. But, I must say, that kid holds quite an unusual viewpoint. A rigorous and challenging education policy should have been an obvious answer to raise not just a knight, but a fine talent overall, no? Is this the influence of that rumored private tutor¡? Or perhaps, that kid just holds a peculiar viewpoint that othersck¡? Very well, I¡¯ll write to Knight Commander Orina then. However, hearing so much about him has certainly made me want to meet him... Allen Rovenne, was it?"
The king of the kingdom had firmly remembered Allen¡¯s name at that moment.
Knight Order Central Garrison in the Royal Capital¡ª
"Oh, look who it is! Old Godorfun! Pfft. I heard that you were preached at by that crooked brat until you cried?! That''s why I said to straighten his crooked personality first! Gyahaha!"
Dew burst into loudughter while pointing at Godorfun.
"It''s not that interesting... Besides, I had promised him to introduce you as a mentor if he managed to pass the assignment, that''s why I didn''t n to ept a half-hearted attempt since I knew how busy you usually were. Though, I seemed to have beenpletely outmaneuvered by that brat. Sorry, and take care of him for me."
Godorfun put up an extremely amicable smile as he informed Dew. After hearing that, Dew¡¯s high-pitchedughter instantly came to a halt.
"......Do-don''t mess around, old man! Do you even know how much work I¡¯ve been buried in!? And you want me to babysit (mentor) that damned brat?! It''s not funny even as a joke! I refuse!"
Godorfun pulled a surprised expression upon hearing that.
"Hey hey hey! Looks like I jumped the gun on this... I thought you''d be delighted. I received a royal decree addressed to the Commander from the King, and I just had it delivered a moment ago..."
Godorfun had just finished his words when a knight ran to where Dew was.
"You have received an assignment, Legion Commander Dew!"
"T-that''s not fair, you geezeeeeeeeer!!!!!"
Vol. 1 - Ch. 43 - First Equipment (1)
In the constant ebb and flow of time, let''s zero in on a day, slightly beyond the one-month mark since enrolling in the academy.
Apparently, Riyand-senpai''s concern turned out to be true. As soon as he had returned to his home after the sses, he was pulled in to deal against the swarm of visitors who visit them after hearing the rumours.
I really wanted senpai''spany to help me out in the purchase of necessary tools for explorers, however, I didn''t catch even a shadow of him in the dorm. And when I finally made a request to him in the morning club activities, he apologetically turned me down.
"I really want to apany you, Allen-kun. But I have to deal with the visitors along with my mother. General riffraff aren''t a problem, but it''s hard to turn down those influential nobles who have officially taken an appointment, and you know, if father were to handle all this stuff, no one will be able to handle the business."
I couldn''t believe I have caused a nuisance for the respected senpai...I said if I could visit his house to apologise, but he rejected this as well saying the situation was still chaotic. Once things settle down, I must bring a present and visit in person. Nevertheless, it was inexcusable when senpai''s home was being bothered due to me. When I apologised however, senpai said ''My parents are in fact delighted to know about our friendship, so you really don''t need to worry that much'' with a wry smile. Feeling his continuous concern for me, I really felt ashamed of myself.
Well, I guess this means I have to look for equipment alone, huh? The club activities were progressing well, even without my intervention, so I thought it was just time to properly start my work as an explorer, and since senpai wasn''t avable, I could only act alone.
Just as I was contemting it in the morning, I noticed Ste in the dinning hall and decided to consult with her. After all, she was a member of the Achilles family who was said to be the protector of Darren mountain range, so she should have an idea about this, right?
"Ste, can I take a bit of your time?"
"My, it''s rare for you to voluntarily call out. What is it?"
"Is that so? You see, I¡¯ve registered as an explorer, and I was thinking of going for the collection and hunting quests to earn living expenses and all that. I want to gather basic equipment for that purpose, such as knives for collection and dismantling, storage bags, and the minimum emergency survival supplies. You seem knowledgeable about it, so I wonder if you can help me out?"
"Ah, explorer¡¯s equipment, huh? Sure. First, the suitable equipment varies depending on the area of activity and purpose. Of course, it also depends on the budget. However, instead of asking me, would it not be better to ask someone from the Explorer''s Association or maybe visit shops for explorers and talk with someone more aware of the situation around the Royal Capital?"
Oh, that makes sense.
"You''re right. That sounds like great advice. Thanks, I¡¯lle to you again if I have something else to discuss."
"...I was sure you came to ask about your weapon and armor or something... So, I presume you already have them ready? You must be using that sword with a curved de, imitating your wooden sword¡ ''Katana'', was it?"
Ah, shoot. Hearing her talk about my weapon made me realize my stupidity. I thought a wooden sword would be sufficient, considering it could handle that Horned Rabbit I huntedst time. But theck of a proper weapon would surely prove detrimental against other monsters, right?
Ste shook her head in exasperation seeing my bewildered expression.
"...One would usually think about securing a weapon or armor first before anything else... You really seem to be missing a few screws in your head. I know you¡¯re more than capable, but I¡¯ll advise against underestimating monsters. Monsters ofparable size can shrug off attacks to some extent. At least make sure to have a weapon that can pose some danger to them and a breastte if you are going to be active in a monster-infested area, alright? What¡¯s your budget?"
I was thinking of covering the initial costs with the money I earned from my first gathering trip with my senior. It was riskier to invest my living expenses when I didn''t even know the projected ie I could get from this.
It kinda sounded like I was deviating from my ouw approach, but I didn''t want to be a daredevil on purpose just to jeopardize my situation and make it difficult for me.
"I can go a bit over my limit, but my overall base budget is around 2500 rea. I don''t n to buy quality stuff right off the bat. I¡¯m thinking of preparing only the essential ones, and if I manage to earn well, then I¡¯ll think of splurging on better things."
Ste crossed her arms and thought for a moment.
"...I don''t know the prices in the Royal Capital, but this budget will most likely be unable to cover the essential equipment. How about you first take a look around and decide on what to prioritize rather than rushing to buy them right away?"
Aposed opinion, indeed. She was rough with her words, but I could always rely on her objective viewpoint. I asked her if she could apany meter to take a look around.
"Are you free after school today? Would you mind apanying me?"
"...A, ah. I don''t really mind. But I didn''t expect you to invite a girl to go shopping so smoothly¡ Are you really a virgin?"
"Ahaha! Come on, I don''t see you as a girl, and your carefree attitude saves me the hassle!"
Thud
"Die, you virgin jerk!"
With a hazy conscience, I somehow conveyed ''3 p.m. at the main gate'' to Ste who left in a huff after delivering a heavy blow to my shoulder.
My tongue certainly slipped there, but why are girls so quick to punch others......
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"And why¡¯re they tagging along?"
I asked as my gaze shifted toward Fey and Jeu beside Ste. I purposely chose to meet at the main gate precisely because I didn¡¯t want them to meddle...
"You might have thought you gained an upper hand on us by sneakily arranging to meet at the main gate, but you underestimate our friendship, Allen. You must have thought that by inviting the innocent Ste to go shopping and purposefully wandering into a dangerous ce, you could be a hero in her eyes by dashingly saving her from some hoodlums and then you would take this chance to throw away your V-card tonight, right? But unfortunate for you, Kate saw through it all."
Fey prattled on her dumb delusions with a snickering smirk.
"I don''t mind if you fool around with other women as long as I can have your V-card, but Ste-san waspletely frightened by Kate-san''s teasing, so I decided to apany her. Kate-san wanted to apany us as well, but she already had a scheduled interview with that ''manager'', and regrettably stayed behind."
Who even talks about taking someone''s V-card so proudly for goodness¡¯ sake¡ Haa, this person has been increasingly losing her restraint.
"Hey! I wasn''t scared, alright!? I would have taken down those hoodlums before Allen could!"
And why did you already assume we would surely encounter some hoodlums... I sighed in exasperation.
"Haa¡ You have made mepletely understand you guys have a chronic illness of delusions. Besides, I also have invited Al and Coco, so you don¡¯t need to worry about anything. How about you two now leave us alone?"
"I always believed in you, Allen."
Fey just chuckled in response to my words, showing no signs of going back.
"I had arranged arge magic car just in case, now I¡¯m d I did it. It''s like we¡¯re going on a triple date."
Jeu seemed to have even arranged a car already. She doesn''t have any intention to go back either, eh?
"Hey, sorry for keeping your wait. Oh? Jeu and Fey are here too! Best regards for today! Let''s get going if everyone''s here!"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The magic car Jeu arranged was a so-called open car type that came along with the driver. It had a vibrant sky-blue finish adorned with the Leverance family crest ¡ª an eagle with outstretched wings holding a sword in its talons ¡ª rendered in a shade of yellow reminiscent of Jeu''s hair color.
I wonder how much it would cost to rent it, this seemed like a private car... We, three males and three females, sat facing each other on seats covered with high-quality leather made from the skin of a monster.
Our first destination was the leading arms store in the Royal Capital¡ª something that Ste rmended.
"By the way, Allen. Why didn''t you invite us when you already invited Al and Coco? Are you that much looking forward to having me increase my stalking tendencies?"
"Can you not utter such a terrifying thing with a smiling face!? They both are like me, with not much allowance to spare, and are interested in bing explorers. So we talked about it and decided it would be better to learn on-site and then earn some pocket money. Though, this should be a waste of time for big-shots like you!"
"Pfft. But I think you¡¯re the one who¡¯s wasting time from an efficiency perspective. I heard that you¡¯re starting as a G-rank explorer. For real, you keep opting for the strangest choices that even my excellent secretary found it hard to keep stalking (information gathering) you and nearly copsed. I guess that''s how much you don''t want me to lose interest in you, huh?"
It was just the other day when I had an interview with Satowa, and she already heard about it? What kind of superhuman secretary did she have¡?
"I share the same opinion. With your current poprity, it would be easy to earn around 10,000 rea in just half a day if you take the job of a private tutor in the Royal Capital. If the goal is just money, bing an explorer is indeed an inefficient choice."
10,000 rea in half a day? Wow, that sure sounded like easy mone¡ª Don''t get tempted by this, me! It''s easy to lose your financial sense when rolling in easy money......
Though this was a bit off-topic, I was the type to think ''Let''s save every penny for three years to avoid crippling myself from wasting too much money'' and was such an ambitionless person in my previous life. Even if I happened to win the lottery, it was the same rinse-and-repeat pattern.
"I haven''t learned much about explorers so forgive me for asking, but is ''G-rank'' really that terrible?"
Al asked in confusion.
Well, explorers in this world were kind of like dayborers in some aspects. So, I could understand why a noble-born like Al, more so being a talented individual, was not aware of it.
How should I exin this now¡? Just as I was contemting this, Jeu answered in my ce.
"I also took this chance to study a bit more about explorers after hearing the rumors from my butler Sebas. Explorers are given ranks that reflect their achievements and abilities, excludingmemorative titles. A-rank is the highest while G-rank is the lowest.
An explorer aspirant usually starts from G-rank, but a Royal Academy student automatically qualifies to start from D-rank. So basically, Allen-san started from bottom rank instead by relinquishing that privilege."
Al and Coco turned to give me a bewildered look after hearing Jeu''s exnation. Ste apparently was already aware of it, judging from her expression.
"You know there is usually an interview with the higher-ups of the organization when students want to register, right? I ended up quarreling with that person, and was assigned the G-rank as a punishment."
I exined my reason.
"Pfft. You¡¯re really not good at lying, are you? I heard youpletely yed Satowa Fjord, the vice-president of the Explorer Association, twisting his argument against him who wanted to register you as B-rank and instead forced him to register you as G-rank."
What the heck¡ It should have been me who waspletely led around by Satowa. Not another outrageous rumor...
"That''s just a baseless rumor. That so-called excellent secretary of yours must have fallen for a fake story."
I assertively shot down that rumor.
"I wonder about that though. Since this is a rumor personally confirmed by the person himself, vice-president Satowa. He said you had a crazed smile while speaking about how you were going to enjoy bing an explorer from the ground up."
That bastard! What ''I will not easily divulge this information to others'', damned jerk! And even embellishing the rumors to such an extent, I will definitely protest next time!
"...Sure enough, is it also a part of that discipline? Make sense, I will start with G-rank as well then!"
Coco nodded along to Al''s statement.
"Don''t do it, Al. It¡¯ll just be a waste of time."
I tried to stop him from jumping into the misunderstanding, but with his current expression, I knew anything I said would just fall on deaf ears. Whatever. I¡¯d firmly drill some sense into them if they ever decided to make being explorers their main profession, but I guess they know when to stop at least.
I really didn''t want them to fuss over the rank as well, if possible.
EN - So, while Fey hasn¡¯t really grown on me, at least she hasn¡¯t be more annoying. Though the running joke about the MC¡¯s V-card is really bing too much now.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 44 - First Equipment (2)
After a 30-minute ride in the car, we arrived at the ''Shinud Royal Capital East Branch''. It was apparently the most prominent weapon and armor retail store in the Royal Capital. It was a spacious one-story building with a high ceiling, resembling a hardware store from my previous life in appearance, with weapons and armor densely arranged inside.
"Well, your primary weapon might be simr to that strange wooden sword, but considering you even forget to arrange proper armor or weapons for hunting, I presume this must be your first time in the store, right? You might want a secondary weaponter, so you can also check out what kind of weapons are avable here."
I see, so she hadn''t brought me here without a n. Though, I didn''t really have any fixation over the katana.
"Thank you, Ste!"
I thanked her from the bottom of my heart.
As I took a step inside the store, nervousness welled up inside me. The arrival of people wearing the Royal Academy''s uniform, more so getting off from a gorgeous open-top car, instantly attracted the attention of a pompously dressed man as he came our way while rubbing his hands together.
"Wee to Shinud. I am Rundo, the branch deputy manager of the Shinud Royal Capital Eastern Branch. I apologize as our Branch Manager just happened to be inconveniently out at this time, so this Rundo will be catering to Jeuri Leverance-sama and her friends from the Royal Academy. Pardon me, but may I enquire what business you have today?"
The old man with a swept-back hairstyle ¡ª one that was toomonce in a department store ¡ª in a sharp attire greeted us with a deep bow.
I guess from the crest on the open-top car and our uniforms, he immediately figured out our and Jeu¡¯s identities. A man who knows his stuff, huh? Hah, but it was due to this excessive courtesy from others that I dislikeding with these guys...
"You need not concern yourself with us. It should be me who should apologize for arriving without any prior notification. I¡¯m here to apany my friends shopping."
Jeu, too, responded in a refined manner. Hmm, well, she is a nobledy, after all.
A buzz spread inside the store at the arrival of our group who not only seemed to be from an influential family but were also students of the Royal Academy.
"So it is, I understand. It''s truly an honor to be able to guide the students of the Royal Academy, the future pirs of this kingdom. I apologize for jumping out first, but may I ask the purpose of your friends¡¯ visit and their approximate budget?"
"I am Feyrune Von Dragoon. I¡¯m also here to apany my friend." (T/N - It wasn¡¯t phon, but von. My brain had a derpy moment and missed the obvious implication. EN - I think we always used von though?)
"Ste Achilles. Likewise, I¡¯m just apanying my friend.¡±
"I am Aldore Engraver. A mage aspirant. I already have the wand, so I guess it will be armor for me. My budget is approximately 20,000 rea."
"Coconial Canardial. I am looking for a short sword and armor. Budget is around 30,000 rea."
Wow~. The statuses of our families were basically the same, but both of them had quite a grand budget. As for me, maybe it was simply because we were poorer, or maybe it was the consideration of my mother, my allowance was quite small inparison¡ Perhaps, it was thebination of both? Anyway, I wasn''t counting on my allowance at all.
On Rundo''s side, I could see a shining glint in his eyes when he heard everyone''s introduction and said.
"My, my! It''s truly my lucky day to meet the shiniest gems of the Royal Academy, the members of ss A. And oh my, that dark-brown hair¡ Dare I wonder, might you be none other than Allen¡ª"
"This humble self goes by the name of Pork Lidz. My budget is meager 2500 rea, and I¡¯m here for a weapon, and if possible, to see if I can cram in a secondary weapon, armor, and necessary survival tools for an explorer."
I spontaneously stated whatever character came to my mind and interrupted Rundo from continuing, who was looking at what seemed to be some kind of list while confirming our identities. I just wanted to be spared from another drama if he also has taken the embellished rumors flying around the Royal Capital at their face value.
Rundo appeared confused at the appearance of an unfamiliar face among the distinguished guests, more so a poor bloke. Hah, he could look at his list countless times, but of course, he wouldn¡¯t be able to find my made-up name.
"2500 rea, is it? I believe we can arrange for your desired equipment with this budget, but they all will be of the lowest quality. Would it be fine with you? Incidentally, we do provide a loan with a trivial interest rate for students of the Royal Academy..."
"Pfft. And here I wonder why you suddenly appeared wearing your casual clothes. Rundo, you don''t need to mind Pork''s budget, I¡¯ll be buying his weapon."
I was indeed wearing casual clothes, though my original intention wasn''t to falsify my origin here. I had nned to visit the Explorer Association Eastern Branch alone afterward and hear the stories of other explorers there.
"Oh my, then let me gift Pork-san with armor to celebrate his registration as an explorer. Please arrange high-grade equipment matching his style."
¡This reminded me again why I wanted to avoid shopping with them.
In any world, it wasn¡¯t hard toe across fools who would splurge on top-of-the-line equipment the moment they registered as explorers in the beginner town. What a way to be a killjoy, no?
"Fey-sama! Jeu-sama! I must humbly request you to cease your jests. Adorning an ordinary porter like myself with top-tier equipment is an act of excessive kindness! Ah, do take note, even Rundo-dono appears vexed! This humble self will look around alone, so please assist Al-dono and Coco-dono."
I said. Then I turned around and hurriedly distanced myself from the group. I bet the other side, too, would prefer to prioritize the distinguished guests like them rather than a poor bloke like me.
It¡¯s just that, Jeu appeared to be enduring the urge tough with a red face as if she had just achieved her goal.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Sure enough, the store was truly spacious and big, befitting their status as the best among others in the Royal Capital. All sorts of weapons were put on disy.
I looked around excitedly while roaming inside the spacious store.
I supposed these were all premium items, weren''t they? I was currently at the section near the entrance where various swords were on disy. As I walked past the wall showcasing a longsword with intricate decorations, I couldn''t help but nce at the price tag attached to it. The sheer number of zeroes confirmed that the sword was beyond my budget.
My current purpose was to scout the market price either way... Let''s see, a two-handed sword, even the least expensive one, costs around 2000 rea. Even ordinary iron swords that seemed to be mass-produced were priced simrly.
Well, the price might be just right considering the cost of living in the Royal Capital, but it was going to be tough for me to get a two-handed sword considering other items I have to buy as well.
On a side note, the sole sword that caught my eye was an expensive ck katana. The details were as follows:
©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤
Name - Dark Crusher
Country of Manufacture - Baerentz Archipgo
Manufacturer - Evyu Ningrose
Material - ck Tiger Iron
Price - 220,000 Real
Description - A single-edged longsword crafted from ck tiger iron ¡ª an ore that boasts 10 times the hardness of regr iron ¡ª through a secret forging technique.
The sword exhibits exceptional resistance to mana, and it can sever even spells.
©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤
The jet-ck de looked really cool, however, the price of 220,000 rea was aplete turn-off. It would take quite some time before I could afford this.
I had never seen anyone carrying a katana in the Royal Capital. So I guess it was a luxury item.
I then moved to the adjacent one-handed sword section. The long swords here were slightly cheaper. The majority had a price tag of 1000 rea. However, there was also a one-handed buckler ced beside each of them. I guess they were sold as a set.
But the set would also put a strain on my limited budget. Perhaps, I should consider just preparing a shield. I was using a sword even before my awakening, so it was my priority but beggars can''t be choosers, huh? Besides, I kinda wanted to try out different equipment.
Afterward, I took a look around the spear, naginata, pole, and other long-reaching weapons. Unfortunately, from the perspective of the lowest price, these weapons, which required arge amount of materials to make, were expensive whenpared to long swords.
Next, I shifted to the bow section. Bows were generally separated into two types: longbows, which were as tall as a person and what I would expect to be used by the archery club members from my previous life, and short bows, which were designed in an M shape and something I would expect a hunter to use.
It seemed like longbows were preferred for the range and power they provide, while short bows were favored by those who prefer rapid rotations. But a bow, huh¡? It was a weapon filled with romance, but I never considered it as an option considering my budget and the fact that an edged tool was first and foremost on my list.
The cheapest longbow was priced at 1000 rea, while short bows started at the price of 500 rea. However, arrows were sold separately.
The simplest pointed wooden arrow cost 5 re each. Arrows with iron-heads were priced at 10 rea. Hmm, considering the running cost, I think it might not be practical...
While I was contemting while groaning with my hand holding the cheapest short bow, a talldy, seemingly the clerk, approached me. She seemed to be 27 or 28 years old.
She was slender, with long legs, and sported shoulder-length brown wavy hair. She didn''t seem to be wearing makeup, but that actually gave her a youthful impression. If anything, she seemed better suited for wielding an assault rifle in an overcoat than a longbow.
"Are you an explorer? Assuming from your appearance, you must be a rookie who just registered, right? We also have a ce to test the bows out if you would like to."
"Really? I would absolutely love that!"
Hearing my swift reply, the femaledy giggled with a teasing smile, said ''Follow me'', and took me to the testing ground beside the building.
Ah, finally, I just wanted this kind of normal interaction......
EN - edited 11/25/2023.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 45 - First Equipment (3)
The testing ce the clerk sister led me to was a facility withnes of boxes lined up next to each other. Appearance-wise, I guess it resembled battle cages.
"I am Rouge. I assume it''s your first time checking out a bow, dear customer?"
"Yes, it''s my first time trying one!"
I replied.
"In that case, I would rmend trying out this short bow. It''s called the ''Lygo Bow'',ing from the Lygo trees whose wood it has been made out of. The wood from Lygo trees in itself is quite strange in fact, featuring a sturdy exterior but supple interior almost as if it was made for bows. The bows made from this wood also retain their simple appearance for ages. Its string is made from the processed leg tendon of a monster called Papi. It''s quite cheap, though it pales inparison to bows made from multiple synthesized materials, and is easy to maintain. It¡¯s something I would rmend if you''re a beginner. Can dear customer use Body Strengthening Magic?"
At my nodding, Rouge-san took me to ane with a 50m testing range. The biggestne, located at the deepest section, offered a 300m distance testing range, and a brawny man was there pulling the string of a staggeringly big bow while aiming through a scope.
"Lygo bows are given a rating of 5. So let''s start with the lightest one, which has an effective range of 50m and a maximum range of 150m."
After a rundown on the basics like how to hold the bow, the stance, how to nock an arrow, and all that from Rouge-san, I made my move. The arrow I fired found its way below the 50m target by quite a margin.
"Impressive, are you really using a bow for the first time, dear customer? You definitely have a knack for it. Though, I am more astonished by your strength."
They might just be some empty praises, nevertheless, I was a bit delighted at thepliments.
"I guess dear customer will not have any problems with pulling Lygo Bow No. 4. Its effective range is 90m while its maximum range is 270m."
Rouge-san handed me another Lygo bow.
I see, its grip certainly was thicker and sturdier than the previous bow. I recalled the trajectory from when I drew the Lygo Bow No.1 earlier and the phrase ''90m effective range''. With that, I adjusted my aim slightly above the target and pulled the bowstring.
My arrow slightly grazed past the target''s upper part.
"...Are you perhaps a student of the Royal Academy?"
The sudden question caught me off-guard. I really didn''t feel like using my false alias to introduce myself. She sounded like a nice person, and I also wanted to further consult with her. Ugh, but using my real name when I had only revealed my false alias to the Deputy Manager earlier sounded like a recipe to invite trouble......
While I was going through my internal monologue, Rouge-san snickered.
"Fufu. It''s an amazing feat to achieve that, so dear customer doesn''t have to put on such aplex expression and should be more proud. I guess sir customer must have some backstory?"
"...I am fresh out of a faraway countryside, so I¡¯m not quite used to the preferential treatment that the Royal Academy students receive. That''s why I¡¯m delighted with the normal customer treatment I¡¯m getting from you. By the way, how did you figure it out?"
Rouge-san smiled in amusement upon hearing my reply.
"I only usually see others delighted when at the receiving end of preferential treatment, and puffing out their chest at various praises. And to answer dear customer''s question, your usage of body-strengthening magic is truly exceptional, to say the least, given your age. Furthermore, many would have to exert some effort in pulling the bowstring with body-strengthening magic, however, dear customer''s breathing remainedposed all this while. It''s easier for the arrow to miss the mark to the left and right with a loose grip and an unstable output. And the Royal Academy is just nearby, so I thought maybe, and I guess I hit the mark."
Oh? That made sense. Mana control was rtively proportional to the given output of one¡¯s body-strengthening magic, after all. Any young boy with a low mana amount wouldn''t be able to keep their hands from wobbling, even if they managed to pull the bowstring.
"I¡¯m Allen¡ Well, please call me Pork. I introduced myself as such to the Deputy Manager earlier."
Rouge-san burst out inughter after hearing my confession.
"Rundo isn''t that bad. The Branch Manager is quite an obstinate person and hates the pompous students of the Royal Academy, so it''s he who always gets the short end of the stick. Ah, but keep that a secret, alright?"
A bit pulled in by her mischievous wink as she tapped her finger to her lips, I smiled wryly. But at the same time, I was slightly relieved to see her not showing any particr reaction to hearing the name ''Allen''.
"Back to the topic, I believe dear customer can handle Lygo Bow No.5 with ease. So, what do you think? I¡¯ve seen dear customers furiously taking note of the price tags, so I presume you must be short on cash. But since you''re a Royal Academy student, you can get a loan with minimal interest. You can also choose a better performance bow with enough money as well."
A loan, huh¡? I was pretty confident of returning it, but with my previous life¡¯s values, I didn''t want to resort to it if possible. I might as well consult with her.
"What do you suggest, Rouge-san? As you have figured out, I¡¯m just a rookie explorer and I don''t have enough information to make a decision. Personally speaking, I would want to sort it out within my budget andter upgrade them as I earned more money..."
The smile on Rouge-san''s face visibly broadened at my response.
"My, that''s admirable of you. Students of the Royal Academy often mistake the performance of their weapons with their own abilities, relying on their financial strength and tending to focus on appearances. I would rmend starting with the simple Lygo Bow No. 5 and gradually honing your basic skills. Come now, try this one. Its effective range is 100m."
I readied the bow she handed to me and carefully nocked the arrow before releasing it. The arrow this time pierced just slightly above the target''s center.
"Splendid! I must say, you really have a knack for the bow. I think this might have given you enough of an idea about your choice.¡±
I was delighted with her appraisal and asked if I could make one more shot. My thoughts revolved around the advice she just gave on ''honing my basic skills''... The power of an arrow relied on the bow''s properties so I guess she must have meant my uracy and rotational speed.
I received another arrow from Rouge-san, nocked it, and adjusted the aim to slightly below the target while re-enacting the body-strengthening magic output I had used earlier. Simr to how I practiced my sword swings, I immediately dispersed the effect of my magic the instant the arrow was shot and watched as it flew toward the target while maintaining my vignce.
The arrow this time struck right on center.
Rouge-san''s eyes widened to the extreme and her face made an exaggerated expression, apparently showing her disbelief at the result. I didn''t know how much she was really surprised, and how much of it she was faking as a customer service employee, but at least I was content to surprise her this far.
I recalled the refreshing feeling that washed over me when the arrow hit the bull''s eye. I knew I had fallen in love with the bow at that point.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Prodigy¡ Though, I don''t think just that word alone is enough to sum it all up..."
Rouge-san said so with an earnest expression when I informed her I was buying Lygo Bow No.5. I was honestly ttered.
My original n was just to check it out, not to buy it...... Well, whatever. I¡¯d just let the wind decide the future.
"You tter me. But I would mostly attribute it to the still target and ack of wind inside the facility, I still have a long way to go. I only have 1500 rea in my budget, so I would like to cram in a dismantling knife, leather armor, and a storage bag to carry the materials. I don''t mind the tool''s rank, just have to fit it within my budget. Oh, and how many arrows should I purchase?"
The Lygo bow cost me 1000 rea, so I was now left with 1500 rea.
"...Good grief, I¡¯m surprised by your calmness. Also, I believe you can have the Academy provide you with normal wooden arrows with iron heads. High-performance storage bags can be expensive, and for those with regr features, you can always borrow them from the Explorer''s Association depending on the task. How about saving that forter?"
What!? I didn¡¯t know I could have arrows free of charge! What a happy miscalction! And yeah, I guess I¡¯d just save the storage bag forter and make do with a rental one. Well, now I only need a knife and a breastte...
"Umm, do you have the ''Zaimura Firm'' dismantling knife? My esteemed senior was fond of his custom-made knife, so I would like to try it out as well..."
A troubled expression appeared on Rouge-san''s face after hearing my request.
"Our store does have ready-made products, but this will be out of your budget. They cost 10,000 rea at the minimum. For custom orders, it wouldn''t be strange to go up another digit in terms of cost."
Ack, I thought it was just your average tool seeing how Riyad-senpai casually used his knife for grilling to roast the meat. I should have seen iting since he was the son of a majorpany owner, and he was a B-rank explorer himself after all. No matter how hard a dragon tries to hide its presence, it still gives out clues, huh?
"Oh, then let''s drop it. Can I ask what you can rmend to me?"
Rouge-san smiled at my response and asked me to apany her. While we were making our way to the knife section, Rouge-san suggested.
"Dear customer still have sses to attend, so I believe your range of activities should focus on the capital''s outskirts, right? The elemental monsters in this area aren''t that strong so I would rmend beginner explorer-oriented leather armor manufactured by our store''s own brand. It''s light, easy to move in, and easy to slip out of by removing the base cloth. Of course, its endurance is on the lower end of the spectrum, but it''s rtively cheaper inparison. It should work for now."
"I¡¯ll have that then."
I immediately decided on it. I mean, I didn''t even know the ''a'' of armor quality. Besides, she seemed to be a nice person, so I might as well ride on a professional''s advice. It''s not like I had deep pockets to choose otherwise.
"This leaves the knife. Please wait for a short while, I will swiftly bring out my rmendation."
Rouge-san said her words and disappeared into the back of the store.
Just as I was waiting, my ssmates, whom I hadpletely forgotten about, approached me.
"Oh! We finally found you, Allen. We searched around but you vanished like a ghost, where were you all this while?"
"Allen?! So he''s indeed Allen Rovenne!"
Al, out of his uncontrolled enthusiasm, ended up calling me by my name in front of Branch Deputy Manager Rundo, revealing my identity. ¡®Crap¡¯, Al''s expression said as much, but the cat was out of the bag at this time.
...What was done was done. I was also almost done with my business here, so it was alright, I guess.
Just then, Rouge-san came back from the back room holding two knives.
"I made you wait. Oh, your friends?"
"Branch Manager! Didn''t you say you¡¯re going out?!... You¡¯ve just returned, right!? Righhht!?"
...Branch Manager? I nced at Rouge-san who mischievously stuck out her tongue.
Let me get this straight. So the obstinate, Royal Academy student-hating Branch Manager in her words was herself...? What a mess, I don''t get it...
"Allen. So youpletely forget about us just to take your sweet time shopping with the pretty elder sister over there and flirt with her. Exin."
Hey there, Fey. Don''t make things messier than it already was...
(For Editor - So, dear customer was my edition. Since JP can also work by keeping pronouns out of the sentence, Rouge didn''t use any ''you'' ''dear customer'' etc to address Allen. Should I remove it, or keep it?)
T/N - Well, I had an inkling. So she was indeed the branch manager. And what a chapter without Fey''s own delusion huh... Reminds me of thosest decade light novel heroine''s with running gag/catchphrases.
EN - Obviously the expert elder sister type clerk was actually the Branch Manager. One of the oldest cliches in the book. ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 46 - First Equipment (4)
"My, your girlfriend? What a cute girl. I¡¯m sorry for keeping your boyfriend busy, but it¡¯ll soon be over. There''s just a knife left to decide on."
The misunderstanding from Rouge-san instantly put Fey in a good mood. I hurriedly cleared up the situation.
"No, we''re nothing like that, Rouge-san. Rather, we aren''t even a teeny bit close, just regr ssmates."
"Is this what I am to you? A woman of convenience you can order around anytime like the other day you didn''t hesitate in telling me ''Make 100 magic tools with your own money!¡¯"
"...You can''t take girls for granted, understand?"
Rouge-san said with a cold tone. I really wanted to deny her im, but it was somewhat true so I couldn''t muster up a strong rebuttal. No, I can''t let this happen again. I have to quickly request for our club budget from Mujikka-sensei or else this girl¡¯s going to use this line at every opportunity...
"What an oundish behavior toward the heiress of the Dragoon family. Truly, the rumors hadn''t lied about you, Allen Rovenne......"
Deputy Branch Manager Rundo was so shocked he ended up revealing his inner thoughts. He even forgot to add honorifics in the end. However, he quickly came back to his senses and continued.
"Branch Manager! The guests here are all the students of ss A from this year''s batch. And¡ Is Branch Manager attending to Allen Rovenne-sama...?"
Rundo looked at Rouge-san with a worried gaze.
"Yeah. He looked so cute furtively taking note of the price tags that I couldn''t help myself from calling out to him. He said to treat him like any other regr customer, but whoever said a talent can''t be concealed is quite right. I guess I should also adopt honorifics, right, dear customer?"
''Anything but that,'' I replied in response to Rouge-san''s teasing question.
After that, Ste butted in as she looked at the short bow in my hands.
"In fact, just treat us the same. By the way, Allen, have you decided to give up on a sword and are now choosing a short bow? It''s a pity considering you can fight with Leo to a stalemate. Also, it''s fine for hunting, but this isn''t a weapon knights often use. I think you could have chosen a longbow instead."
Rouge-san looked surprised upon hearing Ste''s words.
"Deary me, so you were a knight aspirant? I should have properly confirmed it before. What she said is right. How about swapping to a longbow now?"
Rouge-san suggested, though, for me, I had already taken a liking to this ''Lygo Bow''. Besides, I wasn''t particrly aiming to join the knight order anyway. No, maybe I should say I didn''t really care about being a swordsman or bing the world¡¯s strongest. All I wanted was just enough strength to lead a whimsical life.
"Thank you, but I like this one. Besides, I can just use this and if it seems necessary, I¡¯ll think about trying out other weapons. Also, I wasn''t actively pursuing knighthood."
Rouge-san chuckled on hearing my response.
"Alright. Well, you seem to have talent with the bow so I believe you can also use your honed skill with the short bow for the longbow with ease."
"...My, Allen-san has just been away for a while, yet he is already on close terms with anotherdy. This is why I can''t keep my eyes off him. Considering this, maybe I should focus on bing one of the girls around him rather than aiming for his V-card. Ah, but it''s not like the Reverance family to surrender before the oue is decided... Then again... But... Just what exactly do I really want? Kukuku, maybe, this is love?"
No, it isn''t! I thought. As Jeu giggled to herself while murmuring her riddled monologue, Ste and Fey stared at me.
"Back to business. Which one do you want, Allen?"
Rouge-san stepped forward and said as she ced two knives on the table. One was a silver knife with a de length of about 20cm, and another a hefty, thick-ded machete-like weapon with a de length of about 30 cm.
"Both of them are the products of the Banri Firm that has just started to spread among the shops of the Royal Capitaltely. It''s actually a start-uppany but the firm itself has been established by the ex-workers of the Zaimura Company after separating from it. Well, the materials used in making them are different from the originalpany, but they are cheaper and do quite a good job in my opinion."
...Amazing, she¡¯s really knowledgeable. It''s no wonder Rouge-san can be a Branch Manager at such a young age.
The excitement in me was suddenly roused to the max. However, it quickly deted like a balloon when I nced at the price tags. The knife had a price of 1800 rea, while the machete-like de had a 2200 rea price tag.
I could take that much out as it would be going over my nned budget by then.
"Fufu, don''t make such depressed expressions. You can pay a total of 2500 for everything. Ah, but don''t take it as me giving a favor to the Royal Academy, alright? It''s more like my assistance in anticipation of your explorer career, just consider it as an investment from my side. It''s not going to be your first andst purchase in our store, right?"
Rouge-san said with a mischievous smile. If she put it like that, it would be rude of me to turn down her offer. I took her up on her words and epted her assistance.
"Thank you very much. I¡¯ll surelye by to shop again when I¡¯ve earned enough."
"Fufu. I guess my effort isn''t in vain. Alright, which do you choose? The knife is mainly used for harvesting nt-type materials. It can also be used to dismantle small monsters, assist you in draining the blood of big ones, and process their internal organs, if you properly maintain it. The machete here is convenient for cutting down thin branches from bushes or dismantling medium-sized monsters. Make your choice depending on your activities as an explorer."
Ugh, what my main activities will be huh¡? That was something I hadn''t given much thought to. As I was pondering thoughtfully with a groan, Ste chimed in with a piece of advice seeing my troubled expression.
"I say since you can easily earn money with your abilities, why not purchase another when you¡¯ve saved enough? If you¡¯re unsure, maybe choose the knife, I think techniques with a knife will help you outter on. It¡¯ll also help expand yourbat strategy like fighting while utilizing all sorts of weapons in case you aren''t joining the knight order.¡±
Oh, that actually made sense. Truly a mannish way of thinking she had.
"Just what I expect from you, Ste! Then, I¡¯ll go with the knife for now."
This time, I made sure to keep my thoughts to myself while saying my words of admiration to her.
Though, she seemed to have read my mind as what I received in return was her re.
"...Are you trying to pick a fight with me?"
Why the hell does your girlish instinct work only in this regard¡?
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After Allen and co left the store.
"What brought the change today, Branch Manager? I don''t think I¡¯ve ever seen you assisting a student of the Royal Academy, whom you detest, that much and you always ordered us around saying ''Easy discounts are a no-go, take pride in the prices we set''. You even purposely changed the price tag of those knives. I believe that price is just the manufacturing price, right? It''s far from a profitable deal when you include the bow and the chest armor. Maybe you¡¯ve also heard of the rumors about Allen Rovenne despite your disinterest in them?"
Deputy Branch Manager Rundo inquired to his usually moody superior.
"No, it''s as he said. I didn''t know who he was or the rumors about him. I just provided a bit of assistance in hopes that he¡¯ll be our regr customer following his explorer activities. No more, no less."
Rouge answered in an upbeat mood.
"But he is the rising star of this year who has beaten down that prodigy Leo Zatsinger by achieving the top score in the practical exam, Branch Manager. We should give him a discounted price and buy his favor."
Rundo enthusiastically appealed, however, Rouge just smiled in response without saying anything.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"I¡¯m sorry for my earlier blunder, Allen. They found out your real name in the end."
After leaving the store, Al earnestly apologized for his earlier mistake.
"You really don''t have to mind. I was mostly done with my shopping, and considering my future visits, I think it all worked out for the better."
"If you say so. By the way, what¡¯s everyone going to do now? Coco and I n to visit the Association Headquarters and register ourselves as explorers."
Al asked the others about their ns.
"I still have an errand to do here after this. So, see you tomorrow." (Allen)
I had basically gathered all the necessary equipment, so my next stop was to visit the Explorer Association and gather intel on explorer''s work.
"...Can''t you leave that errand for tomorrow? There¡¯s a tasty sweet nearby, it wouldn''t hurt to apany us for a while longer, you know? Even in the arms store, you immediately went out to pick girls up and trapped that beautifuldy with your sweet words... Do you even know why we came here?"
Fey gave me a reproachful re. No, it wasn''t just her, everyone was casting usatory nces my way¡ I only visited the arms store and received a weapon from the clerk, I didn¡¯t think they needed to look at me like that... I really don''t get it.
Well, on the other hand, it''s alreadyte today. I guess I¡¯ll just gather information tomorrow. But sweets, huh? I really wasn''t that excited about it, to be frank.
It¡¯s not that I wasn''t interested in them, far from it. I frequently went out for the sake of sweets, which I think was quite whimsical of me as a man, and pre-awakened ''Allen'' was fond of sweets, which was normal for a kid. However,ing from someone who experienced the world''s top-ss cuisines in the gourmet superpower called Japan, especially in the capital Tokyo, I have serious doubts about the gourmet level here.
At the very least, I didn''t see any dishes served back at our family''s home that managed to impress me. Things like barbecue with just salt sprinkled on monster meat were incredibly delicious, but that was mostly due to the ingredient quality rather than craftsmanship.
There was just one time I visited a first-ss restaurant in this Royal Capital, and that was when I was sightseeing with my elder sister. Honestly, my impression stopped at ''Well, this is it''. I guess the standard of the country called Japan was just that extraordinary from my other world perspective.
But turning down their offer now would be a disservice to Ste who had gone out of her way to help me out this time. And I also decided on my weapons without any prior discussion with them...
"Haa. Alright. Ste went out of her way to apany me, so I can do that much..."
The girl trio cheered when I said that. The connection between girls and sweets never changes, huh?
T/N - I guess others know who Rouge is or how she usually treats royal academy students. On the side note, I added the Allen tag after the dialogue since I thought it might be confusing to check who speaks that line. And on a further side note, I am d this novel isn¡¯t about cooking.
EN - You know, if Allen just stood up to Fey instead of being quiet just because what she said was kinda sorta true, there wouldn¡¯t be any misunderstandings. How hard is it to say ¡°That was for our club activities and you agreed to it quite readily.¡± If he¡¯s gonna act like such a doormat to her, he may as well sign the marriage papers now ¡®cause he¡¯s gonna be her whipped husband at this rate whether he likes it or not. Sorry for the rant, I¡¯m not really fond of these sorts of forcededies when the mc can clearly defend himself if only he spoke out.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 46.5 - Interlude: Ice Cream
The store that we headed to in the shy open-top car of the Leverance family was 15 minutes away from the arms store by car.
I heard from the others that we were going to eat ice cream, so I imagined something like a gtin store or a crepe store crowded with long lines of girls and take-away features like my previous life. Having our take out and eating them somewhere around the shop with friends, didn''t that sound like the springtime of youth!?
I had hyped myself imagining that, but the store we arrived at was just another first-ss restaurant with a sprinkle of Arabian-style atmosphere. What a bummer, so I thought, but it is what it is.
After the staff led us inside the store, I looked at the dreadful menu without any price tags and ordered the simplest ''ice cream''.
"To be honest, I didn''t expect Allen-san to tag along with us. It''s just hard to imagine you eating sweets."
Jeu, putting up her usual polite smile, said.
"No, of course not. Rather, I¡¯m known as someone who¡¯s quite picky about his sweets."
Well, in the previous world that is, and¡ self-proimed at that.
"Pfft. You don''t need to cover for yourself, Allen. Everyone knows you have ''that kind'' of pte. None of us are expecting any insight from you when ites to taste, so it''s fine."
Fey said as if she was looking at something funny.
Is she trying to say "As someone from a rural area oblivious to the refined pte, we know you are trying to appear knowledgeable"...? What the hell?! I didn''t even know rumors about my pte, which had feasted on Japan''s cuisine, was simply ridiculed as ''that kind''.
I mean, yeah, I ate Sora''s breakfast in the morning without anyint, then I only had emergency portable rations for lunch and visited the soba restaurant at night every day after enrolling into the Royal Academy¡ Alright, I know that''s not a healthy eating habit per se... But I absolutely wasn''t someone who didn''t care about taste.
I was someone who managed to enter into a first-ss food & beverage-makingpany''s goods development department. I simply tagged along due to my gratitude for Ste¡¯s help. So, I had nned not to show off my refined pte from my previous life, even if the item just happened to be so-so, so that everyone could have a good time... But it seemed like fate didn''t want me to be quiet. Alright.
I raised my voice to the employee who took my order.
"Excuse me, I would like to change my order with this rollberry-vored thing. Don''t put sauce over it, just bring it on a different te."
"Sauce... is it?"
"You can just ask us if you don''t know about the ice cream, Allen."
Fey said with a grinning tone.
...From the appearance of the shop, I thought they might use homemade berry sauce for topping at least, but from the looks of it, it seemed like all the vors were already mixed into the ice.
"Our Rovenne territory wasn''t so far gone to not have ice cream. But very well, just bring me the usual ''ice cream''. I would like ck tea in addition."
"...Do people eat ice cream by topping it with sauce in your territory?"
Coco inquired, which he seldomly did when in public. He has opened up quite a bit recently, but he still shied away in ces like this. I guess he must have been genuinely curious about it.
Coco¡¯s order was one of the prime choices, hot coffee with chocte ice cream. Speaking of which, he looked lean now, but he was quite round when we first met. Being a sweet lover wasn''t an easy thing, eh?
"No, I just did some research with our chef. The tongues of people easily get molded into monotonous tastes in the blink of an eye. This is the story for all cooking so unevenness in the vor is the most important. In that case, I prefer to add some vor to the ice creamter if possible. Bringing a variation through drinks, like Coco''s choice, is one way to do it."
It was the same reason as to why rice and curry sauce shouldn''t be mixed together. It was easier for the tongue to be numbed if there was no depth to the vors. Let''s say this was necessary even in dishes made as a whole to feel the changes in the taste and smell in the mouth. A close example would be like green spring onion on udon.
A dish missing such a factor was what you¡¯d call nd cooking.
"Haha. It''s hardly convincing when you only eat emergency portable rations every day for lunch even when we try to invite you. Wait, maybe it''s the time for the heavenly chef, Salt Pinefork to take the limelight after legendary private tutor Schord Bainfause? Introduce us once, alright?" (Fey)
This girl... She has the nerve to make fun of my pal, emergency rations. But, hmm, I guess it was a bit out of timing to bring up the research with our chef here...?
Of course, the research was just a white lie of mine, and everything was just me utilizing my previous life knowledge (my cheat) to change the dishes to suit my preference, iming it was ''necessary for the sess of my exam'' to stop the interference of the chef back at our home.
"Our chef''s name is Sugar."
I didn''t forget to emphasize ''It''s a real person'' as I gradually lost my ground.
I really did want to put forth something to floor them but the information on ice cream I had was something I couldn''t exactly exin by omitting scientific details. Thepany in my previous life was a producer of many items, but ice cream wasn¡¯t one of them. However, we asionally had coborations between ice cream makers and our in-house brandy. And I, who was a part of the development team, had studied ice manufacturing to an absurd extent.
However, the ice cream I was involved in developing was amercial product, so the key points in the development included adjusting the stirring of the fat globules at a particle level usingrge-scale machinery in the factory, rapid cooling with a -40¡ãC strong wind, and calibration of continuous freezers. Even I felt it would be a bit of a stretch to say I did those experiments with our chef.
Hmm, maybe I should bring in the story of a wandering magi-tech engineer? No, not a good idea I guess. Else Fey was bound to pull some strings behind my back to get to the bottom of it...
While my ssmates watched me wrack my brain with warm expressions, our orders arrived. I was taken aback when I saw the generous amount served on the high-ss porcin te.
I had no doubt eating that volume of one vor of ice cream would numb my mind and taste buds in the end even if there was ck tea to help out. It reminded me of the foreigner that I saw in my previous life who was digging into an absurdlyrge bucket-like ice cream cup, probably eight times the size of a regr mini cup, with a spoon that could be used for eating curry.
In this world, I realized people tended to start eating a lot more from around the age the mana organ manifested. So, I could certainly finish it, but it was also why I had thoroughly instructed our chef to add some other variations in the cooking so that I didn''t end up getting fed up by eating that amount of food.
"Is it the same for coffee with milk, I mean the twist to bring a more varied taste?" (Coco)
I was thinking that when Coco asked me as he stopped the hand that was mixing the milk in his coffee with a spoon.
Oh, as expected of Coco. In fact, I quite respected his sharp insight and unbiased, straightforward perspective already.
"Of course. Do try it."
"...It''s really delicious without mixing it in." (Coco)
I know, right?
"You''re amazing, Coco. You managed to get advice from Allen which isn¡¯t just ''Don''t breathe in with your nose''."
Ste looked at Coco in admiration.
How rude¡ It was really vexing to see that their opinion of my pte was already rock bottom. Whatever. At least, Coco''s review should have refreshed their opinion about my taste buds a bit, right? I also scooped some of my ice cream and tried it.
...Ugh, really disappointing. No, the ingredients used were all incredible for sure. But this was why I couldn''t help but want to criticize the half-baked nature of its perfection.
I was sure any Japanese would reply with ''It''s incredibly delicious, yes, but it''s a bit icy and soggy'' if they were to take a bite of it. But it would be impossible to exin why I knew that much in detail, and I doubt my proposed improvement n would take flight in this world.
There were many things I wanted to say, but I kept them to myself. I was silently eating when I noticed everyone was ncing at my way as I raised my face.
"Ah, my bad. It''s delicious."
I replied innocuously. Hearing my words, the man, who seemed to be a sommelier, who had been standing nearby looked visibly relieved. I guess serving Royal Academy students must have put him on pins and needles, huh¡?
"Allen-san, you look like you have something to say, is there something you are curious about?"
However, Jeu''s follow-up question once again put the pitiful employee back in a jittery state. I tried to defuse the nervousness.
"No, it''s really delicious. It may be a basic technique to add cream to the ice cream base anise to achieve smoothness and richness, but this level of fat content is just less than 20% including the creme anise, I presume? I¡¯m surprised by this level ofplexity and richness. What kind of milk did they use?"
Seemingly getting into a good mood after hearing my words, the employee exined.
"Yes. We mainly use the cow milk of the Roubrand breed, raised in cold hignds."
Oh? So the main technique is their in-house ratio mixture? But asking about the recipe any further would be prying too much so I held myself back.
"Pfft. Here you are again with your iprehensible words. It¡¯s my first time hearing someone talking about the fat percentage being less than 20% while reviewing the food. Have you measured it before? Why and how did you do it?"
Crap¡ I forgot there wasn''t a concept of ingredientposition in a food item in this world. It was usually clear with just a nce at the ingredientsbel in Japan, so I didn''t know about the fat content to the exact value but this world did have densitometers, so it wasn''tpletely strange.
But if I continued like this, they would surely lump me in the same category as a mad scientist (like Sora) rather than a gourmet.
"I think there is also some milk of a goat monster¡ Ramie goat, to be precise, mixed in as well. The faint smell, reminiscent of stepping on summer grass, gives it away. Allen''s analysis of the fat content is interesting. Ramie goats live in rocky areas and are beefy monsters with exceptional jumping ability. Their milk is light yet possesses a deep richness, like soup made with onions."
We all were surprised to hear Coco identifying the ingredients.
"Amazing, or should I say as expected of the students of the Royal Academy. Both your pte and knowledge are first-ss. Ramie goat milk usually doesn''t appear that much in the market, but... We have indeed incorporated it."
The employee showed his silent gesture of surrender facing the two of us. He was directing an admiration-filled gaze at Coco...... That admiration included me as well, right? I did point it out earlier, didn¡¯t I?
"What does Allen think on how to improve it? Do you have any idea?"
I guess he seemed to have sensed there was more to my words from my expression as he passed the baton of the topic back to me. How keen... And Coco in his analysis mode seemed like he wouldn''t stop until he got to the bottom of something.
I divulged a bit of my previous world''s knowledge in a barely exinable range.
"Like I said earlier, the separable vor should bebined just before consumption. The taste tends to blend if you add it beforehand, even if you don''t mix it in. Leaving the skin and seeds finely chopped without straining them can also contribute to a desirable texture. Aside from that¡ The chef''s skills leave no room toin about but I think there is room for improvement in the magic tool used."
Fey''s eyes immediately shined hearing me mention magic tools.
"How exactly?"
"Stirring the creme anise while cooling it results in ice cream. You must have learned about the phenomenon of lowering the freezing point of water by adding salt or sugar to it in physics ss, right? I believe the icy texture of the ice cream can be further smoothened and it would be easier to melt in the mouth by effectively stirring the sauce at the lowest possible temperature, just right before the solidification process takes ce."
"...That''s quite an interesting theory. I¡¯ll try it next time."
He seemed to be content with that much for now, so Coco stopped there. But I bet he would surelye to my dorm room one of these days to continue this topic.
"Hahaha! How do you even know that much? It can''t be that your results in the mock exam were due to spending most of your time in such experiments with your elder sister and Schord, right? It would be funny if this was the main reason that led to the cheating allegation, hahaha."
Fey began taking more interest in my life than the ice cream itself. I could already smell trouble in the air.
"I am a sweets lover, so of course I have done such experiments."
I bailed myself out of the situation without affirming her guess.
"How did the topic shift to the freezing point or ingredientposition from a simple impression of ice cream¡? Such things only happen around you, Allen. I also don''t know much about taste, so I think it''s fine not to force yourself to delve into such intricate matters!"
"I only know ice cream either tastes good or bad."
Al and Ste cheered me up while conveying a mysterious sense of camaraderie. No, please don''t categorize me as an entric taste connoisseur!
However, exining any more about the knowledge from my previous world to these smart ssmates of mine would onlye back to bite meter. But this gained me another unconventional impression as a cheeky guy who only knew how to bring upplicated cooking theories when reviewing food despite having ''that'' kind of pte.
At least, Coco seemed to have understood my point, so that was fine, I guess¡
It was a story of another time, but in around half a year, this store woulde to be known as the No.1 ice cream store in the Royal Capital.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 47 - Explorer Associations East Branch
The following day after my equipment purchase, I came to visit the Explorer Association''s East Branch alone after sses. I n to get a general understanding of explorer work and then start my own activities tomorrow onwards over the weekend.
Al and Coco had gone to the Headquarters after I told them it would be much better to register themselves there. Fey and the other girls said they would be registering themselves after they had adapted to the academy life. I really don''t think they need to force themselves though...
The eastern branch was a wooden building constructed from glossy, pitch-ck wood, unlike the headquarters. Adjacent to it, there were buildings that I presumed to be a training ground, a monster butcher house, and a warehouse.
Maybe it was because it was almost evening, an incessant row of handcarts loaded with monster and animal materials were brought into the premises.
I passed through the entrance and felt a throb of excitement in my chest as the hustle and bustle washed over me.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Today, I came here alone as a newbie G-rank explorer so I was wearing my casual clothes instead of my Royal Academy uniform.
"Go home if you haven''t had enough sleep, kid! You¡¯re blocking the entrance!"
A man, seemingly a senior explorer, knocked into my shoulder as he uttered that phrase.
"My apologies, I¡¯ll be more careful!"
I hurriedly shifted sideways and apologized. The man just harumped and entered inside.
Fufufu. Would they really be explorers if they weren''t that brash?
I also entered and roughly nced around at the crowd of explorers. After my rundown on the price tags yesterday, I more or less understood the cost of their equipment. Almost all of them had a weapon that should have cost over 10,000 rea and their appearance told tales of their experience. Intermediate-ss explorers huh¡? Well, I expected the Royal Capital to be swarmed with such veterans.
From the pub at the back, I could hear the crude ''Gyahaha!''ughter of drunkard men.
I nced around and then stood in the queue at the ''No.13~15 Consultant Desk'' counter.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Wee! How may I help you today?"
The female staff member, the receptionist, asked in a loud but crisp voice ¡ª probably to avoid being drowned out by the noise ¡ª when it was finally my turn.
Unlike the tailored uniform that the big sisters from the headquarters were dressed in, the receptionist here was wearing a workwear-type jacket with the tag ''Explorer Association Royal Capital''s East Branch'' over her casual clothes¡ª a white blouse and trousers. She was wearing an armband with simr wording.
"Actually, I just registered myself as an explorer the other day, so I¡¯m quite oblivious to how I should proceed from here. I came here to get the basic gist of things."
I asked.
"Understood. Are you carrying your license?"
¡°Yes,¡± I ced my shiny G-rank license on the desk proudly. The receptionist chuckled as she exined.
"Thank you very much for registering in the explorer association. I¡¯m Anya, a staff member of the Explorer Association. Since you''re starting from G-rank, you¡¯ll have to start with simr rank quests. You can also ept a quest that is one rank below or above your current rank, like epting a D-rank quest while having an E-rank license. However, recklessness is absolutely forbidden. Understood?"
Heh, so it was a countermeasure against reckless fellows from taking on quests outside of their capabilities while also making sure those with higher rank didn''t take away work from the lower-ranked explorers.
"Yes! I don''t have an interest in doing the impossible as well! But to be more specific, how do I go about epting requests?"
Anya-san made a surprised expression when I asked her.
"...You''re really a strange kid. Most kids of your age are usually more rash and don''t think before taking on quests... The main quests for G-rank are delivery and clean-up requests. There''s no procedure for such routine quests.
You can look at the applications stuck on the bulletin board behind you, go to the location mentioned, help out the specialized contractor who is the client, and once the task ispleted, get their signature on thepletion document. Afterward, you can im your reward from any of the counters between No.1 to No.12. They are exclusively for that purpose. If you have taken on a collection quest, you can hand them over to the delivery center on the left side of this building. But don''t forget to get their signature on the document after you submit the materials, alright?
You can also deposit your money by opening an ount in the Explorer Association''s Credit Union. And in case you are moving out to any branch outside of the Royal Capital, you need to submit an application beforehand. So please be mindful of this. Do you want to open an ount?"
"Yes, please! Is there any rulebook for that?"
"Fufu, quite a studious boy you are, eh? You can find the instruction guide for explorers in the library of this branch. You aren''t allowed to take out any of the material from the library, but you can find all sorts of vital information there like maps about the monster and materials distribution in the Royal Capital region that are a must for explorers here. Feel free to use it if you are curious about them. Aside from the library, there''s the store, the training grounds, and the pub that anyone who has registered with the association can use."
"Amazing! This is surely going to be useful! It looks like others are waiting for their turn so I¡¯ll take my leave here and check out the library for now. I¡¯ll visit again if I have another query! Thank you for your assistance, Anya-san!"
I bowed my head at the perfect 30-degree angle while in a sitting position.
"Fufu, as long as it helped you out. Do your best, alright? ...But you''re quite a polite kid, aren''t you? I assume you''re a child of a baron or a viscount with no chance of inheritance and had just arrived in the Royal Capital?"
"Ah, yes, it is as you¡¯ve guessed... Is it that obvious?"
"Fufu. Experience talks. I have seen many young ones around your ageing to register themselves. I presume you¡¯ll soon be invited to one of these mutual aid societies, as it usually happens. They aren''t an official organization, but I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll surely be of some help to you if you decide to join. But be careful though, there¡¯s nock of mischievous kids as well, so do think about it carefully before joining."
"...By that, do you mean I might be caught up in something illegal?"
Hearing my words, Anya-san hurriedly shook her hands.
"In a way, every mutual aid society in this royal capital has some sort of dark history. I don''t think you¡¯ll find yourself in such a situation, but looking at your polite attitude, I just thought you might have a hard time fitting in among them. So, just keep my advice in mind."
Make sense. I would be in a pinch if someone rolled me into one of these illegal acts, but a bit of rash confrontation shouldn''t be a problem.
I once again thanked Anya-san for her concern and left that ce.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After that, I visited the eastern branch''s library to check out the ''Explorer Instruction Manual, Latest Edition!''. The book was incredibly helpful. I learned about the must-know rules for explorers, how to form a party, rank and their merit, and other employee benefits like free training.
After cramming the necessary information into my head, I visited the store and bought a consumable ignition magic tool for 10 rea. For the remaining time, I took a nce at the bulletin board for the routine tasks to see what quests I could take after sses, and if there was any interesting quest that I might want to spend my time on during the weekend.
I left the eastern branch at around 6 p.m. The sun had already started to set by that time and it was getting dark.
Well, well. Time to start my new training from tonight, huh? I wonder if it¡¯ll be okay to train with a bow in the Academy''s facility at this time? I was about to start jogging while contemting my training when I heard someone calling out to me.
"Hey, you there. Come and show your face to us."
"We''re the ''Apple Familia'', a mutual aid society that¡¯s mainly active around this eastern branch. It would be in your favor to silently listen to us if you wanna hang out here!"
...I stopped in my tracks and turned around. Two delinquent-looking boys, seemingly 3 or 4 years older than me, were standing there with an atmosphere of unruliness and arrogance.
"Very well. I ept your offer."
"Enough bbering! Follow us quietly or else¡ª what?"
T/N - Also Mc in his mind¡ªHerees the temte! xD.
EN - I don¡¯t get why the MC chases these temtes. I¡¯d have avoided them like the gue xD
Vol. 1 - Ch. 48 - Mutual Aid Society
"Aren''t you here to invite me to a mutual aid society? There, you have my answer."
They ought to be experienced explorers if they were here to solicit me, while I was just fresh out of the farm to know anything about it.
Unfortunately, Riyad-senpai was too busy to apany me. So when Anya-san told me about the mutual aid society, I suddenly felt like I had found my oasis in the desert.
The act of me bowing in greeting to the two seniors was met with expressions somewhere between surprise and dumbfoundedness. Eh, but they were so animated a while back...
"Go-goodd. It seems like we don''t need to knock some sense into you, unlike the other ignorant rural noble brats."
I didn''t know I stank so much of the rural air.
"The ability to quickly think is a must to survive as the third son of a poverty-stricken countryside noble after all. It hasn''t been more than a month since I came here. What do I do now?"
"A smart-ass or a in-ass fool... Ah, I suddenly feel pissed off at your attitude. Anyway, follow us to our superior for now."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"State your name."
"Yes, sir. Please call me Ren."
It was another pseudonym that I had already thought of just for this scenario. Yesterday was such a mess. I regretted that I was only able toe up with ''Pork'' as my alias in the arms store.
"Call you that, huh¡? Whatever. It''s not like we never had ''oddballs'' in our familia. So be it, you don''t need to worry about that here."
"That''s a delight to my ears."
"...When did you be so cloying?"
The ce that the two senpai, Amur and Loye, led me to was a rundown house situated in what seemed to be the shantytown of the Royal Capital. The area was quite detached from 1st Street.
But boy, was I surprised to see such a decrepit building still standing on the outskirts of the Royal Capital. I mean, the wooden building itself seemed so old as if it had withstood far more weather than what I have in the entirety of my two lives. ''Apple Familia'' in cute handwriting was written on the namete.
To be honest, everything felt so ouw-ish that I felt like this was the calling of my fate, so I was actually quite looking forward to how this developed.
The first thing that caught my eyes as I entered through the gate of the dpidated building was the mountain of bats with nails and iron rods embedded into them. Hmm, I bet this was to serve as obstacles for opponents when they came to assault unannounced or the Apple Familia members themselves could act swiftly by grabbing any weapon at hand and going whack-a-bonk.
"Bro Amur... Is that boss of yours a strict person?"
I asked bro ¡ª because he was earlier than me here ¡ª Amur.
"...You bet. Just the title of B-rank explorer should be enough to exin his prowess. You must pay attention to not get into his bad side. Well, you¡¯ll find the answer to that either way."
Amur said with a shiver.
I went out for coal and found gold! A B-rank explorer was a first-ss talent that our countryside branch never got to see a glimpse of even in the blue moon! I was d that I followed them.
A sharp, irked shout was directed our way as soon as senpai opened the creaking, weathered door.
"Took you long enough! How many times do I have to tell you not to run around when we have a shortage of manpower, you fools!"
Loye, the shorter bro who had been walking with his shoulders squared up until now, immediately cowered like a cat at the angry voice.
"W-we weren''t wasting time, Boss! We found this rookie who seemed to have just registered as an explorer so we were looking for a chance to invite him. It''s just¡ We didn''t know he would hole himself up in the library for hours which caused us to bete! But we managed to bring him in! Please forgive us."
The person shifted his gaze to me with his ogre-like contorted expression. He was quite a tall figure, around 190 cm in height, and was sporting a white mustache and short-cut hair.
I bet any normal person would have run away with their tail tucked between their tails when suddenly faced with such pressure. Oh, I wasn''t feeling anything though.
"Invite? Do you take my eyes for mere decorations!? Like hell, this brat who obviously seemed to have never broken the curfew set by his parents would willingly follow delinquents like you! Each and every one of you is an utter fool. How many times have I told you, no coercion!"
The guy roared as he swung his fists to knock over the head of the two bros. I hurriedly added in.
"They''re right, boss! I don''t even know the ''E'' of explorer so I happily tagged along when the two bros invited me since I just became an explorer. By all means, I would like to be a part of the Apple Familia and learn the ropes of being an explorer!"
Hearing my words, the boss once again brandished his massive fist on the two bros, grumbling ''What nonsense Apple Familia''.
"...You''re quite an odd guy for someone of your demeanor. Well, weck manpower so the more people there are, the more beneficial it is. I don''t know what crap exnation these two dunces have given you, but we are the mutual aid society ''Apple House'' whose purpose is to drill the ''ABC'' of explorers into broke kids to get them on their own two feet. This ce also serves as an orphanage so the older kids here often find the short end of the stick since they are also kids with insufficient money. If you don''t mind the downside, then be my guest..."
I unhesitatingly bowed my head at 30 degrees and replied like that delinquent I had seen in a drama in my previous life.
"Aye, I have enough balls to not get cold feet, boss!"
"...Cut it out with your strange garbled words, it makes me feel sick. Anyway, show me your explorer license."
...Ugh, this was going to blow my cover. Don''t tell me my pseudonyms were cursed to never live more than a few hours...
While I was groaning inwardly, Amur said.
"Boss, Ren seems to have some situation¡ So why not just leave it at that?"
Their boss, however, inly denied it as he red at Amur.
"I must see it. I don''t care what special circumstance someone is in as long as they work seriously, but I have the responsibility to look after this ''Apple House''. It''s your choice to hide your name but I must at least get to the bottom of things."
In the end, I took out my license after being stared at by him.
"So be it. Here."
And as soon as the boss saw my license, he hugged his head in his arms.
"The fuzz, so that entric brat Shell mentioned was you¡ Why did you two have to adopt the troublemaker of the fish tank? Are you guys out for my life or what? Whatever, go and help out in preparing dinner!"
The boss smacked the heads of the two bros for the third time as he growled. The two looked utterly confused at the iprehensible situation, however, they disappeared into the back of the house while massaging their heads.
"Err, who is that Shell¡?"
On my part, I was wondering why an unknown man knew about me.
"What?... Just a drinking buddy from old times who seems to be curious about you. Leave the meaningless talk, and let¡¯s get to the point. I am sure you can easily find a far better society than us who will dly support you. I wager anyone would be willing to take a hotcake like you. Back down, it¡¯ll be good for you as well."
The boss said in annoyance.
"I have already said what my goal is. I am straight out of Hicksville and I don¡¯t have a single clue about being an explorer. So I dly epted their invitation and decided to follow along. I was also quite interested in it after all, and that''s it. I still want to join in."
I replied, staring back into his eyes.
I wasn''t here expecting some in-depth teaching. However, I also didn''t want to be swarmed by seniors who simply saw the billboard of the Royal Academy behind me and followed the strange rumors about me.
"Haa~. What a pain in the ass. You really have to be out of your mind¡ Fine, but I have two conditions."
I held my breath and waited for his words¡
"I don''t care how great you may beter, but I don''t want charity here. A bit of food here and there would be fine at best. This rule applies to everyone who grows enough to leave this society, not just you. Do you know why?"
I nodded.
"Self-reliance¡ I presume."
"Hmm. So you aren''t just a desk warrior, huh? But that''s correct. Think about what''s alright to donate and what¡¯s not, that''s it.
And another condition. Don''t drag your study down by hanging around here. In your case, I will immediately throw you out of this society if you drop in ss rank or get expelled from the Academy."
...Thest one was quite an unfavorable term. Both of these were entirely usible in the future. It would be nice if I could rx the conditions somewhat through discussion.
"...Why though? I¡¯m not that fixated on my ss rank. No, to put it into words, I have my own road I want to pursue, and getting expelled from the Academy is irrelevant to it."
Boss silently looked at me with an appraising gaze before shaking his head.
"...I understand your resolve. But that doesn''t mean I ept it. I took pride in fostering the kids in this ''Apple House''. Education is a must for kids, and it would tarnish my pride if rumors that you failed due to this society spread around."
...Pride, huh? However, it seemed like he was more concerned about how those rumors would affect this mutual aid society than his pride. Not that fault could be put on him, notorious rumors exert more influence than good ones. He should be worried about the future challenges they might face in gathering individuals, and the effect could also show in the requests they could take.
Quite an indirect way to say how much he cherished the ''Apple House'', eh?
"...I can''t guarantee that I won''t follow my conviction. But, I also won¡¯tin when we reach that juncture. Of course, I¡¯ll be careful to not drag this society down due to my affairs. What now? If that''s all, then please confirm my entry."
I bowed my head once again.
"What an uncouth fe. Keep your words to yourself if you have realized my intention, for darn sake. You really aren''t a cute kid.
..Sign here. This states that 20% of your ie will be deposited in this society. Out of which, 15% will be returned when you decide to go independent. Though I doubt it,e and call me out when you find yourself in a financial crunch. I¡¯ll pass that to you."
"I understand! And I look forward to working with you all!"
And that was how I ended up joining the ''Apple House''.
T/N - I should have put it earlier, but Mc¡¯s monologue is a window to how he appraises or thinks about the world. You can see him calling ¡®Mujikka-sensei¡¯ as it is but never Godorfun with honorifics. So you may see some discrepancy of how he addresses some in dialogue while different in monologues.
EN - Well, quite different from the temte again. You expect the ¡®Apple Familia¡¯ to be some sort of gang that takes advantage of its members but you instead get a legit mutual aid society in ¡®Apple House¡¯. Poor MC and his temte chasing. xD
Vol. 1 - Ch. 49 - Bow Training and First Quest
The scene with the mutual aid society had dyed my schedule, but I was now back at the Academy to practice the bow.
The training facility in the Royal Academy ranged from normal batting cage-like vertical longpartments ¡ª like the ones I had seen in the arms store yesterday ¡ª to obstacle courses that imitated forests and rocky regions. I could only guess the exorbitant amount they must have sunk in making these.
I guess that just showed that the kingdom''s foremost education center wasn''t just some run-of-the-mill ce. The surface almost always didn''t reflect the depth, huh? I felt funny when I recalled how I once thought of them, thinking why they were upying such arge space in the Royal Capital for no reason.
On another note, I was the only one here in the bow practicing facility. It was the same yesterday.
A world with magic plus the fact that a student''s future was almost promised a glittering career as a member of the Kingdom''s knight order resulted in the students not having much interest in weapons like the bow as Ste said.
For now, I trained my basic maneuvring in the batting cage-like facility. The facility had two types of arrows that I could use freely. Simple wooden arrows with sharpened points and iron arrows with simr iron arrowheads.
I chose an arrow by taking a quiver with 20 arrows in it, nocked one, and released it. Each arrow had its own minor quirk. I adjusted my aim based on the subtle difference in the time it took to draw the arrow from the quiver and nocking it on the bow.
I first practiced my ''form''. I made sure my arrows traced the same path I formted in my mind. Then next was to focus on firing an arrow as soon as possible¡ª basically improving my firing speed.
All the arrows were finding themselves at the center of the target or around it but the arrows I used so far just didn¡¯t feel ¡®right¡¯.
My mana capacity held up quite well in my two hours of practice ¡ª I practiced for one hour with wooden arrows and another with iron arrows ¡ª but my arms were dead tired. At the same time, the feedback from firing the arrows started changing depending on the degree of umtion of fatigue in my arms.
I hadn''t tried shooting while moving or firing from an elevated position, but I presumed those would surely feel different as well. There really was a lot to think of about the bow. But I quite liked it, it was right up my alley.
After that, I decided to retire earlier than usual as I felt the sweet weariness in my arms, and my heart thumping with excitement for the explorer work I was about to start on tomorrow.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The next day. Allen was visiting a certain construction site downtown.
If everything had gone ording to n, he would have undertaken a quest along with Al and Coco here. However, it just happened that the two ended up with D-ranks as they informed Allen when they visited his room yesterday night.
ording to them, they did propose to start from G-rank. However, the one who took their interview this time was another vice president with an intimidating aura who instead preached against it. As such, they could only register themselves as D-rank explorers.
(Al)
(Allen)
Allen said in an attempt to cheer up the dejected duo. However, the two just stared at him with skeptical gazes. Well, there was no valid reason to start from G-rank so that was bound to happen. They were just unlucky, yeah.
Since that happened and the quests that G-rank and D-rank explorers could undertake were different, Allen decided to act on his own until he reached E-rank, then he would be able to take D-rank quests.
This was the task Boss gave to Allen when he visited the Apple House at 8 a.m.
Along the way, Allen heard from Amur how demolition work was quite a niche task in the Royal Capital that most people didn''t want to take.
The reason could be traced back to the insufficient supply of medicinal materials that Riyad had initially talked to him about, which in turn raised their price.
Where there was a bargain, a crowd would follow. It went without saying that low-rank explorers rushed in to take advantage of the situation which led to the shortage of manpower for other tasks.
The construction work that demanded physicalbor coupled with the fact that the wage was fixed since it was contract-based and the work would go on for a set amount of time, it didn''t take long for it to lose poprity among explorers. As a result, the owners of such construction firms could only turn to the mutual aid societies like ''Apple House'' which had long-standing give-and-take rtionships with them in hopes that they could somehow put in a word to the explorers.
"So vexing, why are we the only ones who get to do such shit work!? I heard the bunch from Round Peace found a small patch of Hugh leaves the day before yesterday and earned a lot of money. Goddamn, we should be, we should be working on finding those leftover harvesting spots, and not doing shit work here...!" (Amur)
"We just aren¡¯t that lucky, haa... Not to mention, our turn for the collection request is still three weekster. There''s no way this bubble will remain afloat for long... I also don''t understand why the hell the president is focusing on the waning construction firm work. Doesn''t he want to rake in the money as well?!" (Allen)
The dayborer-like work, needless to say, wasn''t received well by the explorers present at the scene. The human mind was such, after all. It would always hope for better pay and better work than their current one, even if just a bit.
However, they were oblivious to the reason behind the surge in price and demand for medicinal materials¡ª the war. If they had known, they wouldn''t be worrying about the copse of this bubble¡ Or maybe they wouldn¡¯t be so impatient, at least.
People only moved on the principle of ''how much they could earn on that day''.
Back to the present. Amur and Allen, the members of the Apple House society, arrived at the demolition site just in the nick of time as they grumbled their grievances.
¡°Hey, look there... Apple''s Amur brought in an unknown brat."
One of the explorers noticed Amur and Allen.
"Fuhahaha. I did hear that almost all of the capable bunch left after getting fed up with their stubborn boss and that the society is in a pinch but I didn¡¯t think it would be to the extent that they will have to recruit a kid who is still wet behind the ears."
"Well, great. My stiff body wasn''t in the mood to do heavy work, time to vent out some stress."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"What the hell are you slowpokes doing?! Work is piling up!"
Today, I was undertaking a quest alongside Amur-aniki. Aside from us, two senior explorers, seemingly around 18 years old, were also assigned to assist in the work.
"Bastards, acting all pompous but throwing all the heavy work to us just because we have a lower rank."
We were currently ''loading the debris''. More precisely, the construction vendor who was the client used the magic construction machinery to demolish the building while we loaded the excess debris onto a vehicle designated for transportation.
It was just a repetitive task for me as I matched my pace with Amur-aniki, but the same task was proving to be a burden on Aniki given hisck of body-strengthening magic proficiency.
"Aniki, is this an everyday thing here?"
I asked. I wasn''t particrly bothered by the task, but that contemptuous smirk of theirs as they looked down on us was getting on my nerves.
As long as he gave me the signal, I was ready to give them a good thrashing and let them know who was the boss. If it had been my elder sister, she would have long since changed the structure of their faces.
"No, they don''t usually go this far. The appraisal of a society also depends on the client''s satisfaction, so they usually pull their own weight in front of the client... But Apple House is kind of swamped with a troublesome situation. They''re just relishing our slump after all the skilled people left us."
Now that was a surprise. I didn''t expect there were people brave enough to actually look down on the Apple Familia, the local gang who cared jack shit about the rules (Allen''s interpretation).
"...Aniki... My olddy at home said to never leave an irksome face in one piece if it deserves a beating. That shit grin on their faces as they sprinkle water is really asking for it¡ Should I teach those dumbasses a lesson until even their parents can''t figure out who they are...?"
What¡¯s even more annoying was that they weren''t doing anything other than sprinkling water to dampen the dust to prevent them from spreading out and asionally ncing at us with mocking smiles.
"...How the hell are your parents still nobles? Either way, it¡¯ll be our loss if we act first. Have patience and focus on raising your rank to F first. My rank up is just around the corner and the boss also told us to avoid conflicts."
Ah, so this was the missing piece behind the riddle. I guess if the boss asked him to avoid a scuffle for now, he could onlyply. And he was about to rank up, huh? So that was why they weren''t just teaching them the ways of a local tyrant. I decided to endure for now to save Aniki some face.
I had just made my resolve when thezy bums opened their mouths to trash-talk.
"Come now, don''t load those huge stones like that, you sunavitch! I swear I won¡¯t leave you in one piece if the client decides to lower their evaluation of us due to your shit!"
The punchable face A said in an exaggerated tone as he brought down his hammer on the big stone that Aniki and I were carrying.
We immediately dropped the rock and tried to avoid the impact but a fragment of it grazed Aniki¡¯s forehead and blood began to spill out. They¡¯ve done it now, I thought.
And yet, the punchable face B decided to pursue the matter.
"Poor bloke, you can''t even afford better safety equipment... You shitheads, go to the client right now and tell him ''We are grateful for the advice our seniors have taught us today, but our carelessness has caused an injury so we are very sorry to cause a nuisance''!"
"...Sorry my ass! What about the evaluation we¡ª"
Even so, mild-mannered Aniki seemed to want to stick to a verbal warning. Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t people whom you could talk to sensibly. I decided to push the matter forward and grabbed the hammer that punchable face A was holding.
I aimed at the ground beneath the guy as he was just about to warn me for my conduct, and brought that hammer down with the full power of my Body Strengthening.
A huge cloud of dust erupted. The stone at the guy¡¯s feet was pulverized into small pieces.
The sudden change must have taken them by surprise, as Punchable face A and B¡¯s mouths pped up and down like a goldfish.
No, wait. Why are you also following them, Aniki?... Ah, I see. ''Do not act recklessly before the rank up, or I will screw things up'', is that it? That must be it.
"You numbskulls¡ I dare you to make another jab at the Apple Familia!"
T/N - Have changed Bro to Aniki following MC shittalk, it is usually used by delinquents in yakuza (basically gangster) culture to address chief or senior. If you want to keep bro, do let me know in thement section.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 50 - Dealing with Dumbasses and F-rank Promotion
"You numbskulls¡ I dare you to make another jab at the Apple Familia!"
I took a step forward and approached the dumbasses with aggressive momentum now that Aniki had confirmed it was fine to not hold back. The distance between us was enough for the hammer resting on my shoulder to easily crash on them.
"B-Brat, do you know who you¡¯re talking to? We''re members of Gold Rat, the No. 2 mutual aid society in this Royal Capital eastern region. Get ready for your sorry asses in the Apple Familia to be whooped¡ª"
I shifted my gaze to Punchable Face B who pushed on with his threat and swung the hammer down. Another cloud of dust fluttered in the air.
The whatever-his-name-B fell on his butt with a pale face as the ground beneath his feet turned into a pile of fine debris. Whats-his-face-A looked at what happened with an astonished expression and unsheathed something like a knife from his waist as his teeth ttered against each other.
"Finally decided to pull it out, eh...?"
I said with a mocking tone. Violence was quite tolerated in this world to some extent. But that was limited to bare-handed squabbles.
It''s normal for everyone in the city to carry a weapon on themselves, even if they were dangerous, but taking them out at every squabble was of course putting public order into jeopardy.
The crime of doing that for no reason whatsoever would result in an arrest by the Knight Order or other officers. And if they dared to wound others with the weapon on purpose, the offense would be enough to convict them as criminal ves and send them off to the mines.
But before anything could happen, the site supervisor, someone from the client''s constructionpany, rushed toward us in a panicked state, even though he had turned a blind eye to the previous antics of these dumbasses.
"What the hell are you guys doing!? I¡¯ll report this to your societies!"
I put the hammer in my hand down to assure the antsy supervisor and said.
"Please fret not, Supervisor-san. Our esteemed seniors were eager to teach us the way to handle a hammer, so everything is measured. I know you¡¯re worried about an ident urring due to the construction equipment, so I have put it down.
Though, I¡¯ll have you excuse us from here. I need to teach these two dumbasses why they shouldn''t pull their personal weapons out on site as a fellow explorer. It would be distasteful if they think we¡¯re some rags they can wipe with at any time, after all... These two idiots seem to only understand thenguage of violence, it seems."
"But you''re just a rookie though..."
Aniki seemed to have said something but I was already closing in on the two dumbasses with a threatening aura so I didn''t hear him clearly.
"Enough, I know you were working hard despite their harassment! But it would be impossible for me to give a proper evaluation if their injuries caused work to slow down!"
Ah, I didn''t expect him to throw such a curveball¡ It would be a problem if he gave a lower evaluation. However, I had already made up my mind to not back down without teaching them a lesson the moment Aniki was injured.
My mind was as calm as it could be, but a part of me was so infuriated that even I was surprised. Maybe, I was just that worried about the clumsy but considerate Aniki.
"Trifling matter, I¡¯ll just work the share of three people afterward. And fret not, I¡¯m not going to stoop to their level and seriously injure them. But I believe they are due for some good thrashing until not even their mama would be able to recognize them!"
I took another step toward the dumbasses. Now, if only these two made a move first, my self-defense would be perfectly justified. Unfortunately, things didn''t proceed as I expected.
The two turned their backs to us and fled from the spot with their tails tucked between their legs while shouting and screaming. What a letdown, they didn''t even have the guts to face a 12-year-old unarmed kid... And it was just getting to the good part too.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Afterward, I did the work of three people as promised while handing the watering job to the injured Aniki.
In the beginning, the site foreman had a mortified expression, mumbling ''Not again, we''re going to bete again...''. But that expression immediately did a 180 by the time we were about to go back.
"I''m genuinely impressed by your stamina, Ren-kun. That was the equivalent of the workload for almost five people, seriously."
"Fer real. In these 40 years since I started operating magic machinery, I¡¯ve never met someone who could force me to work harder than ye. Color me impressed, brat!... It would¡¯ve been over if you let them dig on you, that¡¯s what we thought. We weren¡¯t going to say anything no matter how earnestly you worked if you let thosezy bums lead you around... But what a spectacle you¡¯ve shown us. Tahahaha! Truly spectacr!"
Another person from the client''s side ¡ª an old man past his prime ¡ª also praised us while draping a towel over his head. He was in charge of the demolition with the heavy machinery all this time.
I was fairly outperforming the pace of Gramps by clearing away the rubble before he could build more. The sight of me using that time to idly chat with Aniki or that foreman while performing manapression seemed to have raised the fighting spirit in Gramps and that ended up with us working at a far quicker pace...
"We¡¯ll officially inform your society that you''re the sole victim in this matter, lest theye to find fault with you. Also, the site evaluation for you two for today is A!"
Aniki''s eyes widened upon hearing that.
"Are you sure!? Doesn''t A mean an additional reward? I haven''t even done anything after halfway except sprinkling water, unlike Ren."
Hearing that, the site supervisor grinned.
"Come now, we don''t have to pay to the bunch from the Gold Rat, and we have twice the progress than we anticipated. You¡¯ve done enough even before getting injured so ept it. Of course, Ren-kun is getting additional rewards as well. With this, the request is fulfilled. Doe to help us out again, alright?"
The site supervisor said that and then handed us a signed paper with something like a barcode printed on it.
" "Thank you very much." "
¡ô¡ô¡ô
At the time of return, we were given one of the scrap materials seemingly made of iron and looked quite expensive. ording to the magnanimous supervisor, taking a piece of material seemed to be a custom here. Hmm, so the items rolling around in the ''Apple House''s¡¯ garden came from here?
Well, the material might not sell for that much but we both were excited and chose the heaviest-looking item we could carry.
"It seems like I still underestimated your endurance, Ren-kun. Ahaha!," Supervisorughed, seeing us choosing one of the heaviest materials.
The Apple House seemed to be in some sort of financial trouble, so it would be great if presenting this would return some of the favor I owed them.
At the east branch, Aniki received 200 rea, while I surprisingly received 400 rea. In the contract, it was 150 rea for one day, so that was more than double the amount. I guess supervisor-san has given us the share of those dumbasses as well.
We had just received the pay in high spirits when the receptionist dropped another piece of news on us.
"Congrattions! You¡¯ve now been promoted to F-rank with today''s request!"
Woah, F-ran¡ª wait, what!?
Aniki was already nearing the promotion, so that was understandable. But why in the world was I being promoted at my first quest?
"Excuse me, maybe you made some sort of mistake. Unlike Aniki, it was my first quest today..."
"My? I didn¡¯t know that. Perhaps, there is some sort of mistake. Just a minute, I¡¯m going to confirm it!"
The receptionist big sister immediately disappeared into the back, and returned after around two minutes, her face full of smiles.
"Congrattions! I¡¯ve confirmed with my superiors and there''s no error! You¡¯ve certainly fulfilled the requirement for promotion! I assumed your work must have truly left them impressed to receive such an evaluation right after your first quest. You know, I¡¯ve been working as a receptionist for quite a long time and I have never seen something like this before. Truly."
"Holy amazing, Ren! I also have never heard of anyone getting promoted after their first quest!"
Aniki chimed in.
...Well, so be it. ording to the rules of the Explorer Association, there were no requests that couldn¡¯t be epted even if they were F-rank.
I was also quite pleased with that and epted the supervisor¡¯s favor without any further questions.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 51 - Lynd Izurapport
After a round to the Association''s east branch, I dropped by ''Apple House'' with the scrap material that we had picked up. Whatever the case was, I considered it would be best to have the Boss be aware of what happened.
Well, Amur-aniki was against it though, quoting "Why bother when everything was settled peacefully in the end?". I somehow got him to agree by saying the more awkward a piece of information was, the quicker it should be reported and that it was the fundamental rule of being an explorer. One shouldn''t brush off rying information.
"...You came back quietly early, though I can guess why. Ren must have run out of gas in his first quest, right? It does take time to get used to new things after all. Anyway, make haste to your homes for a proper rest if you areing tomorrow as well."
Certainly, the unfamiliar work had made me quite tired. However, most of it was due to my contest with that gramps in handling magic machinery.
My mana held out well¡ª still holding out in fact, but transporting rubble was something that used a different set of muscles than my morning swinging practice and dashes. I guess the muscles from my butt and thighs to my back would surely be screaming in protest tomorrow. Not to mention the fact that I also had bow practice ¡ª which I had just started ¡ª the next day. Hah, that was a full-course meal but the only thing on the menu would be the throbbing feedback, eh?
However, this was the result of following my wishes, so whatever, I guess? No biggie.
"I appreciate your concern, and that''s my n. Though there''s something you might want to know before that."
The Boss''s face twitched at my preface.
"...You bombed the ce right off the bat...?"
I stepped in to give the full picture ¡ª Amur-aniki wasically too out of breath to take that role ¡ª and narrated it from an objective viewpoint as much as possible.
"¡ªAnd I thoroughly showed the punks who tried to underestimate the Apple Familia their ce."
The Boss didn''t interrupt as I continued to narrate the whole scenario. And when I was at the end, he brought down his clenched fist on both mine and Aniki''s head shouting ''The fuzz is Apple Familia!''.
Then he said while I was rubbing my head in indignation.
"...Hah, but they indeed left no other choice after the harassment. And the fault would have been on the other side either way as long as they were armed while you were empty-handed. At least, it doesn''t seem to have ended with injuries.
Anyway, you¡¯ve done well telling me this before I could hear it from somewhere else. Continue like this. I don''t know what sort of bizarreness I¡¯ll be caught in but since you''re under my care, I gotta pull my weight as well and look after you."
With that, the boss erupted into heartyughter. Amur-aniki, seeing that, was visibly stunned. But there was one thing that I needed to ask.
"...Then, why did the boss¡ punch us?"
"...It looked fun that way and I was so damned jealous of you brat."
......
¡ô¡ô¡ô
I was about to excuse myself since I was quite tired as well when an enraged scream came knocking on our doors from outside.
"Amur and that brat who had been in the construction site with our bunch, get your asses out this instant!¡±
Boss and I sighed in unison.
"Sigh...And that''s why information is very important since this happens very often. Anyway, I already know what this is about so take a backseat for now."
"...Boss. This is the shit I¡¯ve created, so let me take care of it."
It was one of the lines that often appeared in my favorite series in the delinquent genre and I always wanted to say it out!
"Hahaha! Cleaning your mess by yourself, huh? You are amusing,d. But you can''t since that will only furtherplicate things. Let the adult handle this matter."
After saying that, the Boss went outside.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
There were around 10 youths from Gold Rat''s side when the boss of Apple House, Lynd Izurapport, came out. Seeing him, a 27 or 28-year-old man stepped forward while surrounded by his followers.
"No one called you, Lynd! Leave!"
"...If I¡¯m right, your name is Sabath, right? I hear you got promoted to C-rank just a while back and yed the role of a mediator between the young ones. But now you think you''re a hotshot, to call me without honorifics?"
Sabath felt like he was facing a monster in the face of Boss Lynd''s intimidation.
But stepping down wasn''t an option for him with his followers around, so he bit the bullet and bluffed with his persona.
"I¡¯m here to settle a dispute between kids, you dimwit! Now pipe down and stop shoving your head where it doesn''t belong!"
Lynd sighed.
Leaving aside the obvious ''what makes his grown-up ass think he had the right to do this then?'' question, Sabath, in the end, was just not that confident in his role as a peacemaker among the youngsters. Lynd could smell his desperation to achieve a favorable result after being requested by his underlings from miles away.
He could beat the shit out of them but suchds follow the principle of ''cull two, four will pop out''. On the other hand, it didn¡¯t seem like Sabath would pursue the peaceful way as long as others¡¯ eyes were resting on him.
"Sabath, I don¡¯t who caused it but does your society head know about the ruckus you''re causing? He might be greedy but I doubt even he would go this far."
"Shut up! You deaf or what!? It''s a matter between brats. And we are big enough to not pester our boss for every little thing!"
"So you say but by bringing unrted people to the doors of our society means that it is now the matter of two societies to solve. Do you think you¡¯re big enough to handle a matter of that? Before letting your temper take over you, shouldn''t you be gathering evidence about the matter if you want to stand at the top?"
After hearing that, Sabath shed a sarcastic smile.
"Hah, that''s ironicing from you who had been abandoned by the same bunch whom you looked after since childhood. Can''t even manage your society and you have the nerve to preach to others... No one gives a shit about your geriatric way of doing things in this Royal Capital anymore!"
Sabath''s words caused Lynd''s expression to contort as if he was forced to swallow a bitter bug. And talk about bad timing, Loye, who had been out for a cleaning task, just came back with two of the kids, who have yet to fully develop their mana organs, in tow.
"What''s with this ruckus, Pops?"
A chubby guy from among the Rat''s bunch, who made up for hisck of brain with his physical strength, shouted.
"Right, you''re Loye who hangs around with that Amur, aren''t you? You go inside and bring out Amur and the brat that was him today. There''s no point arguing with this old fart!"
And then he shoved his fist on the pit of Loye¡¯s stomach.
"Now you¡¯ve done it, bastard! You have no idea what you''re starting!"
Lynd was immediately overwhelmed with anger but quickly regained his bearing when he noticed the door behind him opening.
"Loye!"
"Loye-aniki!"
Amur and Allen had jumped out from behind the door.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The discussion between the Boss and the group of dumbasses brought up a question that I was curious about for a while, so I asked Amur-aniki.
"Why is ''Apple House'' so short-staffed?"
I thought there was some kind ofplicated backstory but Aniki easily answered.
"Well, I doubt Pops would ever answer you if you asked him. There seems to be a shortage of explorers in the vicinity of the Rosemieur Empire''s border in the north with the sudden explosion in work. On the other hand, the Royal Capital was vast with lots of work, but there were also many, if not more, explorers as well. On our side, not only did we have a lot of low-earning kids, we also didn''t charge them membership fees and this sort of situation always kept our finances in the red.
So, my big bros, who had been raised in this house along with me, wanted to prove their worth as explorers in the north. They said they¡¯d definitely make a killing there and establish a springboard for the young bros who were facing a hard time here. When Pops learned of this, he said explorers were free beings, so they could do whatever they liked. They didn¡¯t need to worry about the house.
We believed that Pops had what it takes to be an A-rank explorer if only he followed the same creed, but he had poured all his dreams, possessions, and everything to support this house. We were desperate. So I could understand why my big bros wanted to reach the other end. I wanted to follow them but I was too young then, so I wasn''t taken along."
Amur-aniki narrated, his eyes pooling with tears as he bit his lip in frustration. His eloquence wascking but it was enough to convey his feelings.
However, there was one thing that I wanted him to be aware of and so I said,
"You¡¯ve given me a good picture of the Boss''s way of doing things. But your logic is wed, Aniki. I believe the Boss never had the n of sacrificing himself. When you''re following your heart, rank, honor, and wealth don''t evene second."
I believed in my intuition. The folks in this house were like the chicks fumbling around to look for where their hearts truly lie.
''Apple House'', huh? Sure enough, I was right on my money to choose this ce as my starting point to train and delve deeper into explorer work.
But, it happened then. Aniki, who had been peeping at the situation outside from the crevice of the door, bolted outside, shouting ''Loye!''.
I also quickly shifted my gaze to see a disgusting fattynding a punch on Loye-aniki''s abdomen and callously pressing a foot that was d in filthy shoes onto his head.
"Loye-aniki!"
I followed Amur-aniki and hurriedly rushed out.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"You idiots! I told you to stay inside, didn''t I!?"
"Look, the scaredy cats are finally out! Everyone, I¡¯ll keep that old fart busy! You go and make sure to settle things. Let these bitches know their ce!"
Sabath shouted and then charged to Lynd''s waist.
"You dumbass! You haven''t grown enough wings to hold down this father! Stop him, Ren¡ª that dark brown-haired guy! Idiot! Who does things alone when you have the whole group with you?! Pin him down with everyone!
And you, have your brain turned to mush! Why the hell are you fighting barehanded?! Take any of the scrap material rolling around, you numbskull! Throw that shit at them!
It isn¡¯t nighttime yet, Loye! Hurry up and hold Ren back with Amur!"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
On that day, a new rising rebel made his debut in the Royal Capital''s ouw society.
A ''Mad Hound'' whom not even Lynd, the boss of the Apple House society and the drinking and squabbling buddy of Shellbull Monstell ¡ª the charismatic rebel who had wed his way up to the position of the Explorer Association''s President relying solely on his strength ¡ª could hold down.
In the blink of an eye, rumors of a crazed individual named ''Ren'' appearing among the ranks of ''Apple House'', which had been waning in power in recent times, swiftly found itself circting in the Royal Capital''s underworld.
On a side note, the situation also made its way to the ears of the Gold Rat''s boss who personally visited the Apple House not long after with a present to apologize for the ruckus, thus peacefully drawing the curtain on the feud.
T/N - Changing the way Amur and Loye called Lynd (Boss>Pop after the exnation).
Author sure ended the chapter a bit early, would have loved to see a bit more hectic situation.
EN - Quite wholesome, this ¡®Apple House¡¯. MC finally became the bad boy he always wanted to be. But I agree with TN, could have used a bit more details on the action before closing the arc.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 52 - Runesheep
It had been two weeks since the battle with the bunch from Gold Rat.
For thest two weeks, I had been having my fill of doing the standard work of a low-rank explorer like delivery, clean-up, or the odd tasks at the construction sites during the free time I had after school and on the weekends.
In between, there was also nock of idiots who didn''t know the greatness of the , so I made sure to teach them that very carefully and gently.
Today, Boss had taken me, and eight other rtively older members of to the grassy fields quite a distance away from the Royal Capital. Our agenda for today was to secure the meat for .
With a prominent city like the Royal Capital that had a high cost of living, it was quite unrealistic to keep the stomachs of kids full when we were running low on funds. It had been especially challenging for , which was also an orphanage, particrly after the members responsible for securing food left together around two months ago.
So once a month, the Boss would make time out of his busy schedule and bring along the other kids who wereckingbat skills for a hunt. It was quite an important event for them since not only did they secure the necessary food supply, but it also served as training for the other kids.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Woah, a bow! Can you use it, brother Ren?! Cool~!"
"Teach me how to use it~!"
I had been embraced as one of the true members of the ever since the incident with the Gold Rat. The explorer society worked on the rule of whose fist was bigger, after all.
The two voices that chimed in were from Po and Rina. They were the same kids that Roye-aniki was bringing along that day when he was thrashed by that disgusting fatty. These two in particr came to adore me very much after directly watching the violence I let loose on them when we were facing that grim situation.
Speaking of that fatty, he was apparently a notorious fe in this turf. He swore on his pride that he would surely teach me a lesson and came to fight me many times. Of course, I also made sure to give him a polite reception.
However, he started to be a pain in the asster. I did think of running away but I feared that it might be taken as a sign of cowardice which in turn would be seen as a weakness of the . It was one of these days when I was thoroughly fed up with the fatty''s persistence that I noticed a salve made of Yuk grass that the fatty carried with him. An idea suddenly came to me and I decided to give him a good thrashing, apply the salve, and then thrash him again. Basically, fulfilling two days¡¯ worth of quota in one.
Well, he didn''t show up the next day. We did chance upon each other once at the east branch, though he left a tasteless ''What shit luck to see your sorry face, Ren-kun'' greeting.
In any case, perhaps it was the impact of this or maybe instilling some politeness in those fools in public was starting to bear fruit, the harassment towards the members noticeably decreased at the work site. Consequently, I, a neer, was warmly weed by the Familia members.
"Fuhaha. You have a discerning eye if you can tell how cool it is. Unfortunately, I¡¯m still in the learning phase. I only bought it just the other day so today is the first time I¡¯m going to use it practically."
"Boo~ So it was just to show off~!"
"But teach me when you get better, Ren!"
"Why did you choose a short bow though? It''s not a problem but Lygo of all things¡ You really have some strange preferences. Anyway, be careful where you shoot if you haven''t used it before. Other brats are loitering around so that may pose a problem... Though you''re also a brat."
The one to see the strangeness was of course the Boss. But he was right. It wouldn''t be aughing matter if any of myrades got caught in the crossfire. Besides, I was only carrying 20 arrows in my quiver today, in contrast to the inexhaustible supply in the Academy''s training ground, so I couldn''t just go around taking every shot as practice.
With the training that I was doing every day, I could now shoot around 1 arrow every two seconds while maintaining a certain precision rate, or 3 arrows in two seconds if I didn''t have to focus on precision that much. With my current stock, I would be out of arrows in roughly 15 seconds if I blindly shot them all.
"Roger. By the way, what are we going to hunt today?"
I asked the Boss who was carrying a sharp spear-like sword.
"Hmm. Our main target is a sheep called Runesheep. Its meat is quite delicious and it is just the season for them to change their fur. Their fur quality is incredible. The brats with us are enough to take down a regr Runesheep, but those that had turned into monsters need someone with strengthparable to a D-rank. Its deadliest move is the charge attack that can easily take a person down so I¡¯ll be dealing with it if it uses that move. Well, it should be a piece of cake for you as well."
"I see. The monster-ified unit has glossy fur and their mana organ is their horn, right? I¡¯ll make sure to call you if I see one."
"What do we have here, have you seen one before?"
"Never. Though I have memorized pretty much all the monsters that appeared in the Canardia monster encyclopedia."
"...That bulky dictionary¡ You have to have one heck of a brain to do that."
"Eh, but that''s not a huge feat. Anyone can do that as long as they have an interest in it."
"Hmm, and that is the biggest hurdle to cross. Why bother reading about the monsters that you''re not nning to hunt when you can just learn about the local one and call it a day, huh¡? Anyway, we''re now quite far from the vicinity of the capital''s perimeter. So talk less and focus on your surroundings for signs of monsters."
After saying that, the Boss gathered everyone in one ce.
"Leave the handcart here. Also, let''s change the formation a bit since we have Ren with us today. I¡¯ll be vanguard while Amur and Roye will be taking the nk positions with their spears. Ren, you¡¯ll be in charge of the rear. Amur, what do you know about the main points of the monsters in this region?"
Aniki replied unhesitatingly when he was questioned.
"The most dangerous monster here is the B-rank monster Greateus Snake. It usually doesn''t make an appearance but given the season, it may be possible for it toe out of its home in search of prey. It reacts to prey''s movement so the best way to deal with it is to either let it pass or stay quiet until Pops hunts it down.
In the attribute monster category, those with wide-range magic that can catch all of us in one fell swoop are the most dangerous. The strategy is to spread out in an interval of 20 meters and retreat from there. From there, it will be taken care of by Pops.
And in case Pop judged that we can face a regr monster, we should challenge it with the three shielders and one spearman formation.¡±
Hearing the exnation, the Boss nodded.
"Correct. Ren, you can follow your own judgment today. Just make sure that everyone is keeping up with the pace from the rearguard position. Also, be especially careful about the other members¡¯ positions before shooting an arrow. That''s all. Let''s move on to our target, it''s that rocky mountain."
After giving his instructions, he started walking steadily towards a rocky mountain located about 500 meters away through a narrow path.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Upon reaching the rocky mountain, we spotted many Runesheep grazing on the grass here and there.
The two rtively weaker ones were taken down by Amur-aniki and Roye-aniki¡¯s teams respectively. I didn''t get a chance to make a move.
When I was watching them drain the Runesheeps¡¯ blood as they hung them on a short tree nearby, the Boss called out to me.
"There''s a monster Runesheep over there, take a look at it. I want to see your skill with a bow."
I looked in the direction he pointed out. Certainly, there was one Runeheep with a fur glossier than the others and looked quite strong. Though I don''t know if it was because the Runesheep was in the shade, I felt like its fur was actually shining much more than I imagined it to be. I guess I justck enough experience, huh?
"It seems to be on guard."
That Runesheep was facing us, asionally sending nces our way while grazing on the grass.
"Anyone will when they see two of their brethren killed before their eyes. It might be a stretch to hit it, so take it easy. I only want to see your aim."
I nodded hearing his words.
The monster Runesheep was around 70m away from where we were, but considering the elevation difference, I think it was barely within my effective shooting range.
I swiftly nocked a wooden arrow, took my aim, and released it in that split second.
The monster Runesheep, however, dodged it by turning its body sideways and immediately made its escape toward the cliff top after seeing the arrow wedging itself into the rock.
I nced at the Boss and saw him making a subtle expression with his arms crossed.
"I apologize for letting it escape... I didn''t know that''s how they dodge or I would have adjusted the impact timing and followed up with a second arrow."
"...Is this really your first time? Where were you aiming?"
"Huh? Well, it''s forehead¡ I thought if I wanted to keep its mana organ intact and avoid damaging its fur, the forehead was the spot to aim for. Should I have not done that?"
"...I knew it, it really felt like you were aiming at that ''spot'' in that instant¡ And did you just say you would have made a follow-up attack? Haa, I don''t even feel likementing on yourck ofmon sense."
Err, so was he angry? Or is he praising me?
"...I will do my best in my next shot."
I couldn''t understand it so I just replied with what I thought to be a safe reply.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 53 - A game of chase between rats and a snake (1)
After about 30 minutes of bleeding the Runesheep, the three shield-wielding little guys each hoisted a wooden stick with a bound Runesheep and began to make their way back along the path we came from.
In the sky, two huge vultures were circling seemingly targeting the leftovers.
Unfortunately, this world didn''t have any magic storage bags that could hold an unlimited amount of items in the fourth dimension.
I did want to take upon the role of carrying a Runesheep since they were quite heavy for the little ones, who still were unable to use body-strengthening magic efficiently, but the Boss said the role of the weapon holders like us was to watch out for monsters. Well, it was also important to learn how to deal with tough jobs.
Thud-Thud-Thud
We should have been around 300m into the grassy field when the sound of something running from the east brought me out of my thoughts. Judging from the sound, whatever it was was heading our way.
I focused my gaze and looked in the direction of the sound to see around 20 rat-like monsters, each weighing about 20kg, running straight toward us from 500 meters away. If I wasn''t wrong, they were Meadow Mara. (T/N - I assume author is depicting Patagonian mara here)
...What in the world? I was sure I had read they were timid monsters and would run away at the faintest sign of people...
Just as I was contemting the strangeness, Boss shouted.
"Talk about bad luck! They''re being chased by a Greateus Snake, and are nning to push it onto us!"
Greateus Snakes had a nature of chasing after moving prey. When facing it, the best way to survive was to either let it pass or stay absolutely still until the Boss had finished it off. But, given the situation, we would be sandwiched between the Meadow Maras and the Greateus Snake if we followed either of these strategies.
I also spotted a 10m huge Greateus Snake heading this way while swallowing one Meadow Mara after another. It seemingly was capable of swallowing humans as well. Leaving me aside, the little guys of the would never be able to outpace the Greateus Snake with its speed.
"Tsk! I don''t know if I should curse our luck or be d that it at least isn''t an elemental type!"
Greateus Snake, while originally ck, could have scales of vibrant colors corresponding to their attributes if they possessed any. I was amazed he managed to figure that out from that distance...
The Boss seemed to have been thinking of something as he nced at me for a fleeting moment. I immediately understood what he wanted to say.
"It¡¯s now or never. I¡¯ll handle the rats, so I¡¯m leaving that huge guy behind to you, Boss!"
He was worried that the Greateus Snake might turn its attack toward me midway while I was dealing with the Meadow Maras and didn''t want to adopt this n, but that was definitely the best n that we coulde up with in such a pressing situation.
I swiftly distanced myself from the group, ced my hand on the quiver, and took my battle stance without waiting for a reply.
"...Aim first at the elemental leader! You don''t need to care about whatever is behind them! Ren, run away as soon as the Greateus Snake arrives within a 50m range! And you lot, make sure you don''t move a single muscle of yours even if those Meadow Maras crash onto you! Close your eyes if you feel scared. It¡¯s on to you if you want to forfeit either some of your bones or your lives!"
The Boss left behind these instructions and bolted in the direction of the Greateus Snake.
Thump-Thump
My heartbeat quickened at being caught up in a life-threatening battle all of a sudden. I wanted to rx myself, but I could feel the muscles in my hand slightly stiffening, much like the time when I dealt with that Horned Rabbit.
...Believe in myself, me. Just how many arrows I have shot in thesest two weeks... I counted the number of Meadow Maras while recalling the training I had done until I couldn''t even hold up the bow anymore.
Their numbers had slightly decreased with the Greateus Snake swallowing many of them during the chase, leaving about 16 of them¡ And the Boss apparently nned to deal with the two in the middle, including the elemental one, when he passed by them.
That would leave 14 then, with one of them, their leader, having red eyes.
My effective shooting range was 100m, and it probably wouldn''t take them more than 5 seconds to cross the 50m distance from there that the Boss warned me about.
The best I could shoot in these 5 seconds were 8 arrows. I took my aim at the red-eyed Meadow Mara.
"Brother Ren..."
Po called out my name in a tone akin to a prayer.
I shed a grin at Po to reassure him and gestured for him to stop making any noise.
The first sh between the Boss and the Greateus Snake happened at the same time as the Meadow Maras entered my shooting range.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
...We were nothing but irredeemable fools.
How many times did Pops say to never underestimate monsters, that we weren¡¯t absolutely safe even if he was there, and that the outskirts of the Royal Capital were dangerous ces¡ Yet, we never took these words to heart.
We got carried away after seeing that nothing had happened in thest 2 or 3 trips we made to procure meat supply, thinking there was no way we would be in any danger when even Pops was there. Until a few moments ago, we hadpletely disregarded caution.
I was in a good mood that I finally wouldn''t have to do boring, demanding work in the Royal Capital, and was nonchntly thinking of how I quickly wanted to hold a spear instead of a shield.
"Talk about bad luck! They''re being chased by a Greateus Snake, and are nning to push it onto us!"
I never expected such a loud shouting from Pops, much less the sense of urgency it wasced with.
The Greateus Snake that was visible in the distance was directly heading our way with incredible speed while yfully chasing after the Meadow Maras, asionally swallowing one of them.
Just looking at it from a distance made our knees buckle, our hands quivered as the stick to which Runesheeps were tied fell and we copsed on our butts on the spot. Our mental state wasn''t in the condition to keep our body-strengthening magic active to carry them.
Everyone else, aside from Pops, was petrified, unable to take even a single step. Even Amur and Roye-aniki were barely holding their ground, using the spears in their hands as a cane.
At that moment, Ren said in a clear voice.
"It¡¯s now or never. I¡¯ll handle the rats, so I¡¯m leaving that huge guy behind to you, Boss!"
He didn''t wait for any reply from Pops and moved to a slightly distant spot from us as he put his hand on his quiver, taking a battle stance. Pops nodded, passed his instruction to us, and then ran toward the Greateus Snake.
I gazed at his departing back while hoping for the best.
The rats, almost as big as dogs, were making a beeline to our direction. The detestable snake had further diminished their ranks by a few, but their earth-shaking footsteps continued with an overwhelming force.
In just a few more seconds, they would crash into us, but brother Ren continued to hold onto his bow without showing any signs of moving. What happened, brother Ren? He did say this was his first time using a bow in battle, so perhaps he got scared¡
"Brother Ren......" I mustered up the loudest, yet desperate, voice I could through my parched mouth and called out his name. And hearing my voice, brother Ren turned to nce at me and showed a fearless smile.
''Sssh...'' he briefly moved his hand that was on the quiver to put up on his mouth, gesturing to me to keep quiet, and swiftly shifted his gaze back to the front.
In just 10 more seconds, the Meadow Maras would be upon us. Pops was almost at the range to sh with the Greateus Snake.
However, right at that moment, brother Ren, who had been only holding on to his bow so far, took out an arrow from the quiver with unthinkable speed. All I noticed was a blur of movement before the arrow was released. His movements were fluid and streamlined.
We hurriedly traced the movement of that arrow as it splendidly pierced the red-eyed leader of the Meadow Maras who was heading straight toward us.
However, before we could cheer, we received another surprise. It was because brother Ren had fired the second and third arrows that shot down other Meadow Maras one after another.
''Beautiful,'' was all I could say to describe the breathtaking speed at which brother Ren continued to release one arrow after another. Their speed was iparable to the first arrow he had shot.
As if they were mysteriously attracted to them, the arrows reap the lines of the Meadow Maras, and within ten seconds, all of them were annihted.
Just when I thought it was over, brother Ren immediately carried his bow and broke into a dash, circling to the right of the Greateus Snake.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 54 - A game of chase between rats and a snake (2)
The Boss made his first move, sweeping from the lower left to the upper right as if rolling up the snake. It was definitely not a move to take down the enemy. He must have had his considerations, probably knowing it wasn¡¯t an opponent he could finish in a single strike.
The Grateus Snake instantly writhed to evade but was a stepte, and got thrown upward with the Boss¡¯ monstrous strength.
"Don''t think you''re getting away!"
It was quite a precarious situation, to say the least, but that decisive action showed the Boss¡¯ experience. The situation could have taken a turn for the worse if the snake had managed to slip behind him after evading the first strike, putting him in jeopardy.
I concluded the short moment of respite created by the Boss was around three seconds and revised my n on the spot. 8 seconds¡ª it was enough for me to quickly tidy up all the rats.
The rats, as they were running in a straight line with the snake hot on their tails, were no different from stationary targets. My first shot went fine, but giving priority to rapid fire afterward lowered my uracy. In the end, a few of them were still alive.
However, with the elemental rats finished and the Boss keeping the snake at bay, Amur and Roye-aniki should be able to deal with the wounded rats. I put my belief on them and immediately moved in an anti-clockwise direction, closing the distance of around 60m with the snake as a center point in an instant.
What Boss wanted more than ever was to keep the Greateus Snake from slipping into our backline. My next step was clear. I needed to avoid that risk and support the Boss as he was stuck in a deadlock against that snake to let him finish it off.
I had only 5 arrows left, which was something I wouldn''t want to waste on the rats if possible. Just in case of an improbable scenario, I gazed at the state of the wounded rats in my peripheral vision while positioning myself in a spot to avoid ovepping the Boss and the snake in my line of fire and waited for my chance to strike.
The boss naturally noticed my movement. He had a surprised expression for a moment, but immediately sensed my n¡ª I would distract the snake for a moment and, taking advantage of thatpse in its action, he would follow up with a decisive blow. To be able to understand my intention was truly a sign that he was a first-ss explorer.
I matched my pace with the Greateus Snake''s movement that I had noticed for a while now. It was the movement of stretching its neck backward before using that momentum to follow with a bite attack.
I entered the Boss'' field of view and shot my iron arrow from the blind spot of that snake.
While the arrow was repelled by the snake''s scales due to itsck of prative power, it managed to fulfill its role since I finally got the snake¡¯s attention. And taking advantage of that gap, the Boss churned his Body Strengthening into full power mode, and followed through with his strongest move.
In the face of that incredible disy of power, the Greateus Snake was cleaved into two.
Having witnessed that, I immediately turned toward Po and released an arrow about 20 meters above his head.
I had noticed a Low Vulture ¡ª a carnivorous bird-type monster with a wingspan of around 4 meters ¡ª was following us to target our Runesheeps
and was circling in the sky at an altitude of 300 meters ever since the others were busy with the blood draining earlier.
They didn''t attack the living but would look for a chance to steal away the prey. Even now, they were cunningly waiting for the battle to reach the climax before swooping down to snatch away our Runesheeps.
The Low Vulture, having its body pierced by an arrow, released its death throes and crashed into the ground, lifeless.
We had gone through quite the ups and downs on this trip. So there was no way I would let anyone else put a dent on our efforts by having them snatch away our main goal.
The other Low Vulture took a sharp turn in the sky and flew away seeing itsrade getting done in.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Aren''t you quiteposed? To pull that off..."
The Boss said in an exasperated voice as he approached.
"No way... I was just following your advice to ''Make sure to look after the party from the backline'', and keep the situation there in the corner of my mind. I don''t think I can loiter around freely in this region with only my Lygo bow with monsters like Greateus Snake present. Just imagining what would have happened in your absence really frightens me. Look, even my hands are shaking."
Perhaps due to the impending sense of danger being lifted with the battle ending, my body had started shaking out of relief.
My arrow didn''t put up a scratch on the Greateus Snake and was easily repelled by its scales, even when it was a sneak attack. Had the Boss not been here, I could have only bitten the bullet and prayed I didn''t miss my shot into its mouth from up close.
The Boss burst out inughter seeing my trembling hand.
"Hahaha. And yet, you managed to pull that off! Seriously, the only cute thing about you is your face! ...The standard practice is to let it pass but it''s not enough of a threat, to be honest. Well, leaving aside the forest, it shouldn''t have appeared in this vast grasnd. We just had bad luck today."
Hmm, that makes sense. There was no way low-rank explorers would have been able toe here for collection requests if encounters with such monsters right at the outskirts of the Royal Capital were that frequent.
But bad luck in this case meant death. A profession like explorer was really like walking on a tightrope. If today¡¯s incident was any indication, I understood that my current strength was simply not worth a cent if I really wanted to have my way in this world. Considering this, I felt fortunate to realize this while under the safety umbre of the Boss.
It made me appreciate the time when Aniki just happened to invite me to the ¡®Apple House¡¯ that day.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Our spoils for today were two Runesheeps, the Greateus Snake the Boss had taken down, two mana stones from the Meadow Maras, and a Low Vulture.
The hand car could only fit the Runesheeps and the Low Vulture, so the Boss carried the body of the Greateus Snake while Amur-aniki, Roye-aniki, and I looked out for any danger on the way back.
The rat monsters, the Meadow Maras, that Roye and Amur aniki¡¯s group surrounded and dealt with had a very low value and it would have been burdensome to carry them all the way back, so we just kept the two mana stones of the elemental variants while leaving behind the rest.
I pulled them out using my knife made by the Banri Company following the guidance of the Boss. The mana stones in the Meadow Maras were red stones about the size of a grain located in their hearts.
It''s difficult to put into words but I had felt a surge of energy of sorts when I held that in my palm.
It was a funny incident. It has already been quite a month since my awakening, however, only when I held that worthless mana stone, ording to the Boss, did the realization of ''Ah, I¡¯ve reallye to another world, haven''t I?'' deeply resonated in my heart.
Upon arriving at the royal capital, we parted with the group who made their way from there to dismantle the Runesheeps back at ''Apple Home'' while Boss and I headed to sell the materials.
On the way back, the two of us ¡ª the Boss carrying the torso of the Greateus Snake on his right shoulder like a hose while holding its head in his left hand, and I carrying the Low Vulture on my back ¡ª attracted quite the attention as passersby whispered among themselves and pointed fingers.
"Yo, Ren-kun! Woah, isn''t that a C-rank monster, a Low Vulture?! Did you take it down, Ren-kun!? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of anyone pulling that off at just F-rank!! I just came back from delivering my own spoils to the east branch, do you want me to help out?"
It was really the one way of standing out that I hadn''t wanted¡ I was walking down the downtown area while groaning at the situation when a familiar sweaty chubby guy approached us, pulling a handcart, and greeted us with a smile.
"Oh, that indeed will make things easy."
"I didn''t ask you, old fart!"
"Haah? Do you know who you''re talking to, fatty? I dare you to underestimate our ''Apple Familia''!"
"Just cut it out with that damn ''Apple Familia'', for goddamn sake!"
Bam
After such an exchange, the familiar fatty whose name I had yet to know helped us carry our spoils to the east branch with his handcar, which also saved us from getting too much attention.
I thanked the fatty for his help, who said ''Later, Yo!'' and left with a smiling face.
It seemed like there was only one ''Yo'' greeting in his dictionary.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 55 - Warehouse’s Saki
As it was already evening, just the time for others to return from their tasks, the delivery point at the Royal Capital''s Eastern Branch was heavily crowded with lines of people to sell their goods.
I had mainly done misceneous tasks rted to F-rank and below in thest two weeks, with all of them confined within the Royal Capital, so it was also my first time here.
It was quite an exciting sight to see veteran-looking men and women carrying monsters I had only seen in the Canardia Monster Encyclopedia, and I was thoroughly impressed.
As soon as the Boss entered the warehouse shouldering the body of Greateus Snake again, he immediately became the center of attention. People whispered among themselves while shooting nces our way.
Who the hell is ''Mad Hound''?... Seriously, I wasn¡¯t my elder sister.
I mean, I just politely taught them some manners since they were being so illogical, but I had never randomly picked fights or gone on a rampage. At most, I just got a little angry.
So that fatty''s name was Benza, huh?... I don''t think I would ever forget his name since it reminded me of toilet seats. Not that I would want to remember that...
The Boss didn''t mind the whispers and gantly strode forward, heading straight for the window with the ''Large-Scale'' sign which seemed to not be catering to anyone at the moment.
Cool. We arrived at the window without having to wait in line where a 40-ish-year-old middle-ageddy, who seemed to have spent a good enough time in this trade, greeted us. I guess there weren''t that many people who delivered huge monsters in the Royal Capital.
The middle-ageddy should be a bit younger than the Boss as she called out to him.
"Oh, if it isn¡¯t Lynd. It''s so rare for you toe here. Also, the boy over there. Put that Low Vulture on the tform. I¡¯ll appraise it as well while I¡¯m at it."
"Saki, it''s really been a while since I¡¯vee here, no? Well, not counting the time I had a drink with Shell three weeks ago, I guess? Well, I wasn¡¯t going to hunt today with the kids around but this guy happened toe out into the Eastern Rune ins chasing after a group of Meadow Maras. It was almost a mess."
"Oh, really? This guy must have had the bad luck to meet you, then. My, you even finished it off in one blow. That''s some craftsmanshiping from you. I guess that boy helped out in dealing with the Maras, huh? He has some prospects if he manages to pull that off without wetting himself."
Saki-san immediately grasped the situation as if she were present there.
"I couldn''t agree more. Many of the kids would have been injured if he wasn''t with us, to say the least. He not only annihted the horde of 20 Maras in 10 seconds, but he even promptly rushed over to back me up. Well, he looks like a brat, but he god darn has some skills with the bow."
"...Boss, they were 14."
"Huh? Who cares about the extra."
"No, 14 and 20 are wildly different numbers¡ It''s not easy work to achieve that."
In the past two weeks, I had keenly realized that shortening the rapid-fire rate even by 0.1 seconds like in the beginning was a monumental task to achieve and was easier said than done.
"Kyahaha."
Saki-san burst out inughter as she straightened the Greateus Snake, which had been rounded like a hose, on the tform in one breath¡ Woah, this aunty sure is strong.
"This must be it."
She immediately peeled off a scale from the body ¡ª which seemed to be about 8 meters excluding the head ¡ª that my arrow had scratched.
"What was your name again, Boy?"
Saki-san asked for my name while twirling the peeled-off scale between her fingers.
"Huh? Ah¡ Please call me Ren."
I hesitated for a moment but presented my explorer''s license and gave out my alias. Either way, I would still have to show my license if I want to use the warehouse afterward anyway.
Seeing my name on the license, Saki-san''s eyebrows shot upward with aplicated expression.
"......I see. Have you informed Shell yet?"
"...Not yet. Shell wants to see with his own eyes, it''s just a matter of when."
"Hahaha. Boy¡ No, Ren. You can juste to thisrge window next time. You have some ''circumstances'', right? I¡¯ll usually be here, and will inform the others so that you can use it even if I¡¯m not present."
......Oh. So, she, too, is a drinking buddy of the Boss along with that Shell person? I guess the Boss purposefully brought us here to introduce me to her, considering my situation.
It was a pinch. I would want to refrain from taking any special treatment, but then the fact that I¡¯m a student of the Royal Academy would spread in no time, considering I would have to show my license at another time as well.
I epted their favor for once. Seeing me nodding, Saki-san started appraising.
"I guess that''s enough idle talk, let''s start with an appraisal. Greateus Snake''s 20,000 rea. Its head and meat are 10,000 rea. The rest of the material like the fangs and internal organs are 5,000 rea. The Low Vulture seemed to be a non-elemental one, so it would be 2,500 for the feathers that can be used to make feathered arrows and its meat is 1,000 rea. Mana stones of the Meadow Mara are 100 each. Sign here if that¡¯s okay with you."
Since I had no idea about the market price, I left it to the Boss.
"...I don''t have anyints over your appraisal, but are you sure about the snake? The scales might really be worth that much, but I think the prices for the others are quite high, no?"
"Fu~. I believe you¡¯ve heard the suspicious rumors floating aroundtely. Its meat is popr, but it¡¯s also a material for stamina restoration medicine, especially the head part, so the market price has been increased by 30% right now. I would have quoted a regr price for its internal organs since it doesn''t have a poison sack. But we just happened to have a buyer through our connections. And with demand, the price naturally goes up."
When I heard that, a question suddenly came to my mind.
"...Are snake organs delicious?"
"Hahaha. If it''s delicious, the price naturally goes up. Worry not, it doesn''t stink nor is it bitter or inedible, haha."
Saki-san grinned impishly.
This expression¡ She must be a buddy of Sora for sure, and it seemed like she had heard about me as well.
I guess I can look forward to tasting it in the morning breakfastt¡ª on another note, I might not be looking forward to it that much.
But just in case, I asked the Boss.
"I don''t mind either way, but are you sure you wanna sell the meat?"
"Of course, we already have two sheep, after all. Any more would just be excessive and rot. It''s better to sell it for money in this case. Saki split the payment between us."
When I heard that, I immediately turned down his offer. I had indeed taken down the Low Vulture, but I barely did anything against the Greateus Snake besides shooting an arrow to distract it.
"You shouldn''t, Boss. I haven''t done anything against the snake. In fact, I should be thanking you for protecting me. It would be presumptuous of me to receive money for that. I know the rule is to basically split the reward in half among the explorers if there''s no prior discussion, but please put the snake''s tab on yourself or maybe ''Apple House¡¯."
However, he immediately shot down my request, showing a stern expression
"Out of question. This will be ''charity'' to Apple House and I don''t think you would want me to be indebted to you, right?"
After seeing I had no words left to say after seeing his attitude, the Boss thenughed.
"Besides, you¡¯ve done well as the rearguard of the party. Just taking down an enemy doesn''t make you great, you know? This is your reward for your contributions. You should be upright at this moment."
"Kyahaha. I¡¯ll take it as you guys are settled then. Now, scoot off from here. I have work to do."
The two concluded their conversation in perfect harmony.
I was delighted that the Boss truly recognized my contributions. So, I decided not to argue any further.
Though, 20,000 rea huh¡? That''s an unexpected windfall.
Fufu, I can splurge a bit more tonight then. What should I choose? Pumpkin tempura along with Soba sounds good. Ah, but squid tempura sounds good too... Guh, what a delicious pinch!
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After that, I went with the Boss to the quest-purpose window and submitted the delivery certificate given by Saki-san.
Normally, the purchasing and selling could be concluded at the delivery point window when they weren''t rted to quests, but monsters like Greateus Snakes that were a threat to the explorers that hunted in the ins near the Royal Capital''s vicinity, Low Vultures that target other explorer''s spoils, and elemental Meadow Maras were all included in permanent requests.
And there, I was informed of my promotion to E-rank.
There was no way this was amon thing. I made sure to object quite strongly this time, however, an olddy, who seemed to be a superior, imed that it was the rule that anyone who met the requirements must be promoted and refused to listen to anything I had to say.
Then, even the Boss pushed from behind, saying "You shouldn''t be sitting on F-rank to begin with, so give up. I understand why you would want to do that, but remember that choosing to do so means that a capable guy is taking the work of incapable people."
I could only reluctantly ept it then.
There were no jobs I couldn''t take on in F-rank, but I couldn''t say the same about the E-rank. So it was a bitter decision. Though I may have yielded this time, at least I now knew this was definitely Satowa¡¯s doing, intentionally pulling strings behind my back. I decided I would raid the headquarters next time to protest if it happened again.
However, aside from the hunt, I noticed one more thing.
The spearmanship of the C-rank adventurer Dio from the countryside, who had served as my spear training partner during my trip to the Royal Capital, apparently was on par with the Boss, who is said to hold qualifications to reach A-rank. I mean, I wouldn''t im to be knowledgeable about the spear, and Dio was also holding back in our spars.
If I had to say, the Boss would win in power while Dio was better in terms of skill, I guess?
Maybe strength alone didn''t represent everything in rank. Still, why would a person like him prefer to rot in the countryside...
T/N - Benza means toilet in japanese. The ssic joke by Sunohara in the nnad if you have watched (benza cover - toilet seat).
Vol. 1 - Ch. 56 - If it isnt love, then what? (1)
The ss the following day after Allen cleared Godorfun¡¯s assignment.
Like any other day, Jeuri Levarance hopped into the Levarance family''s magic car parked beside the main gate. It looked like a sleek sedan car, and a bit smaller than the open car-type magic car she had ridden on when she visited the arms store along with her friends.
"Sebas. Bring out today''s schedule."
"Yes, right away."
Jeu was a very busy person. No, it wasn''t some hyperbole or something, but she truly was someone swamped with a lot of things to do. The biggest reason for that was, of course, studying to keep up with the high-level sses of the Royal Academy.
Levarance family¡ª one of the nine Marquis houses in this kingdom.
As a direct descendant of such a distinguished family who managed to get into ss A of the Royal Academy after 120 years, the weight of expectation falling on her shoulders was extraordinary, to say the least¡ª By the way, thest A-ss qualifier from the Levarance family was four generations ago, going back to Jeu''s great-great-grandmother. After that, more than 20 individuals from four generations, including Jeu''s siblings, attempted the Royal Academy entrance exam, but only three, including Jue, passed.
It may not sound impressive, but this result was truly extraordinary, showcasing the exceptional passing rate of the prestigious Marquis family when the passing rate of the exam is literally over 100 times worse just based on the number of candidatesing to take it.
Academic ability, practical skills, and the mana amount¡ª thebination of three was the true gatekeeper of the exam, and fulfilling all three criteria was easier said than done.
Moreover, a family as influential as the Levarance family naturally had numerous vassal households. The Levarance family¡¯s main branch alone couldn¡¯t manage the operations of countless cities, private knight orders, noble schools, and many other facilities within their territory. Of course, in addition to this, they had over a thousand noble families as dependents, and beneath them, a vast number of educatedmoners who had received a certain level of education.
Each and everyone threw in their well wishes upon hearing that Jeu got into ss A. The significance of producing a ss A qualifier from the main Levarance family, the leader of all those influential forces, was truly one of a kind in the Yuglia Kingdom.
It went without saying that dropping down from her current ss rank during her stay in the Royal Academy was absolutely out of the question. Her academic and practical skills were rigorously honed and tested by the Levarance family''sprehensive team of private tutors.
Jeu''s current performance was enough for her to keep the status quo, but even a bit of a drop in her performance would result in the little amount of freedom she had been granted after her studies being severely regted. So, despite a plethora of things to do, she couldn''t let her grades drop at all.
"The first task at hand is to attend the meeting of the Youth Society of the Levarance family in the capital for a greeting then you can excuse yourself after that. The next task is to attend thepletion ceremony of the 7th bridge construction project hosted by Duke ster.
Aside from that, there is a request for an interview from a group of retainers who showed their desire to learn about the situation of this year''s Academy, especially the situation of ss A. We have been declining so far on the pretext of a busy schedule, but there''s a limit to this. We have to finish their management after having a meeting with them.
Today''s dinner is scheduled to be with three count families and one influential viscount family. While bted, Master has ns to join in as well, so the instructions are to talk to ''him'' after his arrival. It is up to your discretion what to say and what not to say. All the attendees are family heads whom the youngdy has met before, however, a list has beenpiled just in case."
Jeu went over the bulky documents.
ording to the documents, for the next three months about three times a week, her dinners with over 100 noble families had already been scheduled. Even Jeu herself was fed up with all that, but considering the hard work Sebas had put into formting the schedule, she swallowed herints.
This schedule, having taken into ount every information possible ¡ª from the sequence, the group¡¯s faction, the dinner location, and many more ¡ª was like a jigsaw puzzle put together beautifully, leaving no room forint. Jeu didn''t even want to consider the extent of adjustments made to create it.
If Sebas were to ever see a Japanese couple racking their brains toe up with the seating arrangement for a wedding ceremony, he would surelyugh at them in mockery.
"Great work. Nevertheless, this phase, right after the entrance exam of the Royal Academy, is truly the best time to exchange information. In addition, they all are frantically trying to gather even the smallest piece of information about Allen-san."
Recalling her mysterious ssmate whose appearance caused the predictions of many people to fail, Jeu chuckled. Even she wondered why she was so curious about thatmoner-faced young boy. She had to admit that a part of him was just asme as it could be¡ª like the other day, the casual clothes he wore on the shopping trip practically screamed ''I¡¯m a country bumpkin'',cking any sort of fashion sense.
Moreover, he also left the deputy branch manager dumbfounded with his actions as he left the group with a triumphant expression, seemingly taking pride in himself on ''how he tricked him'' with the alias of ''Pork (Pig)''.
She had met her fair share of handsome boys so far, but she never felt a romantic spark with them. At best, the only thing she considered, as a member of the distinguished Marquis Levarance Family, was if they had any utility value. And if so, then how should she interact with them?
Of course, the interest she had in him wasn''t the same as an interest with the opposite gender. Considering the title of Marquis Leverance that she carried, love was something out of the equation.
But she probably would have thought of him more as a talented ssmate if she didn''t have her position as a direct descendant of the Levarance family. Just like Fey-san had said, ''It''s as if he''s living in his own world'' with his somewhat aloof perspective which intrigued her.
"The intelligence department of the Levarance family, who should have thoroughly investigated all the potential individuals who may be thedy''s ssmates, didn''t get even a single hint about this. It''s truly embarrassing."
A sour expression appeared on Sebas¡¯ face.
Sebas was a member of the Levarance House''s branch family and was a capable individual working in the Intelligence department prior to taking the post of her butler. Although he held an essential position before in the Levarance Marquis family, he was chosen as a butler to support Jeu when her mana organ had fully grown and everyone believed she would qualify for ss A.
"Now, please don''t beat yourself over it¡ If anything, even the Dragoon family, whom the Rovenne family is under, barelybeled him as a ss E candidate. Well, there is sce in the fact that all the titled royalties and nobility have been hurriedly gathering information about him ever since the result announcement day."
Jeu said while grinning, as Sebas, too, put on a wry smile.
"He sure has be the bane of all Intelligence departments... There are two pieces of information about him that I would like to report today.
The first is about his activities as an explorer. The ''Apple House'', a puny mutual aid society he had joined as informed beforehand, seems to be gaining a reputation recently. The information suggests that a neer from the countryside who recently joined ''Apple House¡¯ ¡ª possessing significant skills that contradict his seemingly modest demeanor ¡ª has been engaging in a show of force with the juvenile delinquents, based on the rumors circling among the other mutual aid societies of the Royal Capital''s Eastern Branch, gaining the nickname of Mad Hound Ren. The reason is believed to be for building influence.
Although it hasn''t been confirmed that he is the same as ''Mad Hound Ren'', bringing together the various pieces of information such as the name ''Ren'' and the time of joining makes it almost certain."
Hearing the report, Jeu tilted her head in curiosity.
"Mad Hound¡ is it? It really feels out of cepared to Allen-san''s usual impression. I wonder if it''s another one of his whims."
"The intelligence department isn''t sure about it as well. As for the other piece of information, even I found it hard to believe. Apparently, had initially failed him on a long-term and difficult assignment he gave Allen, but he got into an argument over this, and not only did hepletely talk Godorfun down, but he also elicited an apology from the who revised his result to a pass. Such dubious rumors have been floating around recently. Does the youngdy have any guesses about the assignment?"
Jeu put up a bitter smile when she listened to the report.
"......No, your guess is as good as mine. However, don''t you think the truth is truly hard to believe? The erratic details aside, it''s also puzzling how such information didn''t leak out during a time when everything is highly scrutinized and only suddenly surfaced now."
Recently, a lot of embellished information about Allen had been going around, and there had been plenty that were just in lies. This was also one of the factors that had left the Intelligence departments of the noble families exhausted.
"At first, I didn¡¯t believe it¡ However, tracing the information caused the names of several Academy teachers to pop up. Considering this, my judgment says the credibility of this rumor is high. My guess is that Sir Godorfun had put a gag order until the assignment was over, but now that the result was out, he deliberately leaked the information. The person in question is after all, it''s hard to believe this information outbreak was a product of his carelessness. Do you really have no idea?"
Jeu was dumbfounded. She could see in Sebas'' eyes that he considered the information to be true.
Speaking of the truth, Godorfun actually hadn''t passed a gag order. While Allen thought ¡®It doesn''t feel right to put pressure on my ssmates just because of my assignment~'' and kept quiet about it.
The teachers of the distinguished Royal Academy were aware enough to not divulge the details about their students¡¯ assignments to anyone outside of the Academy. If you had to put it another way, while they kept the details to themselves, they couldn''t keep quiet about the shocking result.
Jeu swiftly consolidated all the information in her mind.
"...I can only say it might be rted to the Hill Road Club¡ However, each student joined the club of their own ord so I don''t have any idea why this is linked to the result of the assignment¡
All I believed it to be was a club with an odd name which Allen-san created on a whim. However, the way it perfectly resembled a talent-fostering organization was truly an eye-opener. I presume there is a significant reason behind the diverse training n from the three vice presidents of the club and all sorts of erratic trials that we, the managers, found amusing."
Jeu gleefully recounted the details. She just felt an outburst of joy within herself at how Allen effortlessly surpassed her imagination as usual.
"If it is indeed true, then there''s no way to imagine how much his value will skyrocket. Everyone''s opinion of him, based on the intel so far, was that of a genius in body-strengthening magic whom they had overlooked. But with his organizational skills, the talent-fostering skill instilled in him by Master Schord, and the courage and intelligence to argue against Sir Godorfun added into the equation, even the higher nobilities who had been watching the situation unfold from the sideline would have to finally move. If I may so, the idea of royalties getting into this matter doesn''t seem so far-fetched to me."
As Sebas stated his opinion, Jeu felt a myriad of emotions swirling within herself.
While she was truly delighted to see Allen ¡ª the person she had noticed at a nce, thinking ''this person might be it...'' ¡ª gaining the recognition of others at an unthinkable pace, she also felt a dread that he might venture into ces beyond her reach. The urge to hide him away in a secluded mountain castle that only she knew of¡ª Jeu suddenly put on a bitter smile when she thought of that. This unexpected possessiveness of mine¡ It''s as if I''m in love with him, isn''t it?
Sebas grinned subtly as he looked at the rapidly changing expression of his master which was so unlike her, and continued.
"Ahem. After the dinner, you are scheduled to train in holy magic at the Cathedral. Archbishop Dolittle, as usual, will be your instructor today."
All the emotions within Jeu were reced with a sinking feeling when she heard of it.
T/N - A stalker and a yandere in making¡MC better run away lol.
EN - Honestly, I prefer Jeu over Fey. Go Jeu! You can do it~
Vol. 1 - Ch. 57 - If it isnt love, then what? (2)
New Steite Teaching Cathedral in the Yuglia Kingdom, the cathedral that boasted the most followers in the continent¡ª Jeu woulde here periodically to train her holy magic.
ording to statistics, the talent for holy magic was incredibly rare among the already limited number of attribute conversion talent holders. For reasons unknown, the Levarance family bloodline had a high chance of giving birth to a holy magic attribute holder while the manifestation rate of such a person among the general popce was said to be 1 among 5000.
As for its value, it was said that even the foremost believers from the New Steite Teaching would reverently wee you and dly give you lectures and training for your holy magic in the church free of charge. For Jeu, her talent became apparent as early as when she was 9 years old and her mana organ manifested.
She started with receiving a basic rundown of emission magic techniques in her territory, and when she turned 10, she was relocated to the Marquis'' secondary mansion in the Royal Capital to receive lessons for holy magic from her current mentor, Dolittle. Though, for Jeu, that person''sscivious nature was too unlike that of a clergyman which put her in a hard spot.
Especiallytely when her growth spurt had just started to hit her, she could feel his almost devouring gaze over her body that creeped her out to no end.
Dolittle was a man from the Steite Orthodox state, acquiring the title of archbishop at the young age of 40, he was a prodigy dispatched to administrate the cathedral in the Yuglia Kingdom''s capital. It has been even said that he had the prospect of reaching the position of the Steite Orthodox state''s Holy See. Jeu almost felt like receiving a death sentence when she heard his nameing out as her prospective fiance.
Well, this was in the past, the matter was squashed before it could ever create a spark because as it turned out Jeu''s mana capacity was far more formidable than anyone could have predicted. At this moment, her basic mana capacity was almost nearing 10,000 units.
It was on the same level as Sari Levarance¡ª A member of the Levarance family from 120 years ago who had qualified for the Royal Academy''s ss A and the holder of holy magic just like Jeu whose proficiency in healing magic was said to have reached the realm of god''s miracle.
There was hardly any suspense about the heights Jeu was capable of reaching. 1 in 5000 talent coupled with the enormous mana capacity said to be possessed by 1 among 100,000 along with the A rank evaluation by the Royal Academy.
''Saint'' Sari Levarance, who, while being unaffiliated to the church, left behind many benevolent achievements, and as a result, was given a special title by the church and brought unprecedented prosperity to the Levarance family. Frankly speaking, a match between Jeu, said to be Sari¡¯s reincarnation, and an archbishop, being no more than one of the many candidates for the Holy See status, was mismatched in many ways.
Dolittle also had a thing for the shiny title of the Levarance family and had considered striking a deal while the iron was hot, feeling himself to be a decent fit with his background as someone aiming for the Holy See.
While he didn''t seem to be a cruel-hearted person, he also didn''t have any n to drop his womanizing act even after marriage. "Yeah, it''s just a marriage of benefits for both of us. Nothing more," chanting this mantra, Dolittle officially got in touch with Jeu.
However, Jeu showed tremendous growth in many aspects, not just in mana capacity. The admission to the Academy became the stepping stone for her to gain mental resilience, shedding away the typical naivety of a sheltered nobldy, and even showing unbelievable progress in holy magic.
Dolittle simply couldn''t fathom the talent of the individual named ''Jeu'' anymore. If she really possessed the same caliber of a as the rumors suggest and continued to umte achievements reminiscent of a saint...
He, who was supposed to be her husband, might really be able to have a shot for the seat of the Holy See. If anything, with her physical features getting more and more pronounced as if in response to her mana capacity, the supposed fiance candidate who was just a pretty-faced brat wastely blooming in a way just to his liking.
Dolittle''s obsession for Jeutely, after seeing what could be the perfect catch for his desires and ambitions slipping out of his grasp, was clear to the naked eye. Of course, he had enough discretion left to not make any moves, except for his repulsive gaze, in the public eye. However, his seeming desperation to find a chance to be alone with her had already provoked a revolted feeling inside of Jeu.
In fact, she had once mustered up her courage and requested for a change of instructors to her parents. After listening to her exnation as to why, Marquis Levarance, her father, denied it with some consideration.
"We can''t do that. First of all, there are only a handful of individuals who can serve as your mentor, and while that guy takes the cake among them all, his proficiency in holy magic is no farce.
Second, our family''s motto is ''Firm and Resolute''. Running away from things that don''t conform to your preferences contradicts our teachings.
And the third is that the man is clearly the type to get excited at the sight of a fleeing target. We will lose our only way to predict his movement if we sever the only link he has connected to you, a strong enemy in the light is far better than having a coward in the dark."
Standing beside him, the Levarance Marchioness had almost granted him a death sentence with her gaze, however, by the time he was finished exining his reasons, she found herself biting her lips in vexation.
Once he was done exining, Marquis Levarance shed a grin.
"How about this? Why not create some rumors about following a promising boy after enrolling in the Academy? Anyone would work, as long as it''s someone qualified for the Royal Academy. Right, what do you think about the son of Zatsinger? He also has a good face. Even our great-grandmother, Sari, used to say a hundred talents are a waste if a woman can''t ensnare a man, and there''s no path to strength.
Our Kingdom''s nobles might turn a blind to any rumors between a man and a woman, however, a clergyman of the Steite Orthodox State would have no tolerance for such a scandal about their prospective wife. Well, they don''t even overlook any past rumors about rtionships between men and women."
"Oh? I was really intrigued by the rumors floating around about you, so that''s the magnanimity of a Yuglia Kingdom''s noble, huh, Dear? In that case, I might as well take you up on your words and put up an image of you as a phnderer along with Jeu."
"Y-Y-Y-Youre'' mistaken, Dolly! I only met Parfait for a discussion."
"Parfait?! I was talking about the rumor of the so-called pleasant dinner you had with Geena-san."
"Crap?!"
......
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Sebas, what do you think about Allen-san as my partner to paint my rumors?"
Jeu put forward her suggestion as her mind traced the outline of an unsophisticated boy who clearly seemed to be ate-bloomer when it came to this sort of stuff, unlike thatscivious to the core man.
Sebas had a bitter smile on his face at the question that he had already forgotten how many times his master had asked of him. Visible from the rearview mirror, he could see her worried expression which would otherwise be masked with resoluteness and determination. A rare sight even for him.
"...When mydy informed me via magic bird to be the driver for your shopping earlier, I had taken this chance to have a close look at him. Frankly speaking, he seemed like a country bumpkin with amoner outlook ignorant of how the world works, and a rude young boy.
His talent in body-strengthening magic is undeniable, but that alone is hardly a match for the prodigy Jeuri Levarance whom the Levarance family is proud of. It would be impossible to not give rise to some ''doubts''... At least, these were my initial thoughts. I had been avoiding giving out any definite answer on the pretext that ''I cannot make a judgment yet.''... However, I can only say I never had my eyes so clouded until I heard about the incident. A person of my caliber just doesn''t have what it takes to measure the potential of the boy mydy had seen through at once. I have renewed my perception."
A visible look of delight spread across Jeu''s face as she heard Sebas'' evaluation.
"Fufu. I am looking forward to how he''s going to surprise me¡ Witnessing Allen-san being scouted by ''Apple House'' coincidentally is surely an advantage the Levarance family has gotten over others. Please gather any information about the inefficient part-timer and belittled explorer Ren. The things that he does like his seemingly charity work for an orphanage or acting out as a mediator between mischievous youngsters might make no sense and appear to be his usual whimsical nature, but for all that we know, he might be aiming for something that ordinary people like us would not think of.
I understand it might be difficult to immediately start with the task, but I am going to register myself as an explorer. I cannot afford to stand idly by without any qualifications in this tapestry of situations."
Having seen Jeu getting back her usual boldness, Sebas felt relieved, but at the same time, he swallowed a sigh. His master''s schedule was already jam-packed after she participated in the Hill Road Club¡¯s morning activities and relocated to the general dormitory. Now, adding explorer activities would just tip her already tight schedule over the edge to go haywire. Of course, the same could be said for Sebas who was managing it.
However, he had just made his statement that ''He trusts the discerning eyes of his master''. Sebas steeled himself and said.
"Understood. I will support mydy''s first love with every inch of my soul."
"F-First love?! My feelings for Allen-san aren''t that frivolous! I mean, yeah, it''s hard to put into words and I do feel something different from friendship¡ but, but¡ I¡¯m purely putting the interest of the Levarance family above all, that''s all!"
The youngdy, as she desperately denied the im, had her face aze with a mixture of embarrassment and anger that hinted at more than just anger, which was clearly a sign of a budding first love for a 12-year-old girl.
EN - Well now, I am definitely rooting for Jeu over Fey now. Also, that archbishop¡ I see what you¡¯re doing Mr. Author. What a cliche setup ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 58 - Emission Magic Research Club (1)
One month had passed since Allen cleared Godorfun''s assignment. One day, after school¡ª
"Yo, Allen! It''s so rare to see you around."
Club president Al called out while approaching me with a smile.
The Emission Magic Research Club was something I had created on a whim, but I didn''te here too often. If anything, I think my visits here could be counted with just one hand.
The emission magic that only heaven¡¯s chosen like Al were capable of using felt like poison slowly chipping away at my spirit, so I usually kept my distance from this ce. Still, it has been a while, and looking at it now, the number of chosen has increased to a frightening degree...
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The first day when Allen established the Emission Magic Research Club¡ª concretely speaking, it should have been around the time when Allen just joined ''Apple House'' and started taking explorer work.
I founded the club along with Al, Leo, Jeu, and Dol in the beginning.
Our ce of activity was the magic training grounds of the Royal Academy. It was as big as a ser stadium without a ceiling, however, the walls surrounding it looked exceptionally sturdy.
Al, Jeu, and Dol were the only ones among us five who had opted for the ss 1-A mage course.
It was said that only 1 among 10 was capable of attribute conversion¡ª in other words, the ability to output magic as an attribute like fire or water through a catalyst. Since they were the holders of rare talent, mages alone were tested separately for practical skills during the assessment and also received points for emission magic in addition to basic martial arts.
The gist was their marks were added to their overall score, so it was easy for special talent holders like them to pass. But at the same time, the Royal Academy''s cutoffs for mana capacity and academic ability were just as severe in the entrance exam.
Naturally, no matter how lenient they were on practical skills, the count of mages usually hovered around 25 among the 100 students in a grade. On the other hand, almost half of the 25 first-year mages were assigned to the D-ss, and the remaining ones would usually settle among the sses close to D.
Furthermore, whether they took practical sses alongside their knight course elected ssmates or not, they were also taken into ount for the practical skills score. And considering that they have their own mage training, their numbers grew thinner as you moved up in ss ranking.
In fact, it was rather amon scene to see none in ss A depending on the year. This was why this year''s ss was touted as one of the finest bunch to have as many as four mages in our ss.
It reminds me of my first training ss. Everyone''s eyes nearly popped out in surprise when I told them that I didn''t have the talent for attribute conversion.
"Just what are you thinking, Allen? You are already blessed with incredible body-strengthening magic, so shouldn''t you rather be focusing more on it than considering the possibility of using attribute conversion? I think I now understand why you were so detailed about magic theory despite taking regr sses, but¡ it should be no more than a waste of time for you. Hah, I really want to see what goes on in your head."
I mean, we were talking about magic research in a world with magic, you know? Not doing it would be like eating a crepe without cream! Though those were my thoughts, to others it seemed to be just a waste of time for me.
"Leo, a human''s life is not something that can be dictated by some words. There''s something called unrequired futility and required futility. I may not have the talent, but researching the treasure trove of countless possibilities that is emission magic with my ssmates is just as important to me. Sometimes, you just have to go out of your way toe up with various possibilities other than just sticking to the standard solutions like cram schools or tutors which may get you your desired result. There are heaps of things that you can never reach with just conventional means."
This was a phrase quoted by a schr, one of the Nobel prize winners, in my previous world. Not that I understood it down to everyst word, but as long as it worked in alluding my way, so be it, eh? I forcefully concluded the conversation with it.
"...Fine, whatever. It''s not like there''s any disadvantage for us except for Allen, and the more ces to train myself in the better it is for me. However, things are a bit chaotic back at home after our enrollment and it needs my attention. I also have to look after the Hill Road Club in the morning as its vice president so you may not see me around every day. I¡¯ll participate whenever I can until I¡¯ve sorted out my schedule if that''s alright with you."
As Leo opened up about his situation, Jeu also raised her hand nervously.
"I also have a few things to attend to for the same reason. If it¡¯s not much¡ I would also like to participate on a voluntary basis like Leo-san..."
Well, they are the top among the nobles, a world far apart from poor nobles like us whose one foot is cemented in poverty. They must have their own obligations to attend to.
"Of course. I¡¯m not asking you to change your schedule. Besides, the focus is mainly on the research front rather than the training. It''s really meaningless to appear every day when we don¡¯t have anymon research theme specified. The Club President will be the one to handle when to set the date for meetings and so on. And so, Al, Dol. Who between you two wants to be the president?"
Al and Dol looked surprised when I steered the conversation toward them.
"Hold on. Aren''t you the club president? Why are you bringing us up?"
"Surely you jest. You know howughable it would be if the talentless me spearheaded the club, no? But since I¡¯m the one pushing to establish the club, I¡¯ll just be taking a supervisory role¡ Specific, what to do and so on will be up to the president.
And since Jeu and Leo are both busy, this only leaves you two. Anyway, decide who among you is going to be the president, and who will be vice president."
I spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. When it came to flinging away responsibility, it was best to push the matter onto the other party without letting themprehend the situation.
Mujikka-sensei would be the advisor of the club. I got the vibe that she was some sort of big wig, possibly even the vice chairman, despite her young age. I decided to give it a shot when I approached her to consult about the club. Surprisingly, she readily agreed. It seemed that she was a mage as well and was looking forward to the club activities.
"...I will be the vice president. Being the middle child of three siblings, I''ve been adept at gauging people''s moods and maintaining a bnce since childhood. For the president position, a charismatic person like Al is most suitable."
While Al was lost over the situation, Dol took no time to read the situation and made a swift decision while astutely pushing the presidency role to Al.
Clever and decisive¡ª this was a move so like him.
"You! That''s not fair, Dol! Even I have three sisters older than me¡ª"
Al tried to follow up with a counter, but I intervened. I figured the conversation would just escte into a pointless argument if I let him continue. I was already itching to see everyone''s magic.
"Oh, that''s a great idea, and it makes sense! Both of you are equally capable and I believe you¡¯ll be able to manage the club in your unique way... But Dol''s words have weight. A charismatic, straightforward to a fault, and humble person like Al who intentionally downys himself really fits as the club president."
"Huh, I don¡¯t intentionally downy¡ª¡ª"
"But you see, Dol, when the top of the chain is not sufficiently strict, then the burden to keep everyone on the same page would fall on the shoulder of the No. 2 in the hierarchy. If history has taught anything, beauty is just skin deep.
Don''t you want to capitalize on this chance and experiment your way to create a formidable organization through the activities of the Emission Magic Research Club, Dol? The crux here is not about fostering talent, but fostering an organization through rigid rules. Establish some strict rules! Right, from today onwards, you shall be ''The Tyrant Director - Rudolf Austin''!"
I think I got carried away a bit too much. This idea was taken after a certain organization that earned its fame in Kyoto as a peacemaker during the end of the Edo era in my previous world. (T/N - The Edo era ended in 1867, and the organization is Shinsengumi¡ª established in 1863. Sparing the exnation, the organization was known for its strict discipline andbat prowess)
"Wait, what? How did it change to director from vice president? I¡¯m sure I just said I¡¯m better at maintaining equilibrium as the middle link by assessing other''s intentions¡ª"
"Don¡¯t sweat over it! I believe you can break through your own shackles and achieve new heights! This is my first andst order as the supervisor! Anyway, what type of magic can you guys use?"
I forcefully steered the direction of the topic to prevent Al and Dol''s objections. Their looks told me they had a mountain of things they wanted to speak out against.
I only knew about Leo having a fire attribute since that was what he used in our mock battlest time. I hardly heard any words from the others about their talent.
"In my case, it''s fire attribute magic."
"Huh? So your attribute is the mostmon one, Leo? It''s surprisingly ordinary if I have to say, not that I should be the one saying it as someone who doesn''t have even the mostmon attribute."
The fire attribute magic talent was quitemon to the point that if I approached 15 people out on the street, one of them would surely have it. And we were talking about a cheat-existence like Leo. I wouldn''t bat an eye if he came out as a Hepta Mage, the master of seven elements. So imagine my surprise when he said he had the mostmon fire attribute.
Hearing my words, Al exined while giving me an ''Ah this guy really knows nothing'' gaze.
"...While the number and type of element does increase a person''s value, what makes everyone call Leo a heavenly prodigy is his explosive mana capacity and the skill and talent to sufficiently move that huge mana reserve at will. It was a wall no normal person could transcend¡ Or at least, that had been the case so far. We just happen to have a monster who easily toppled over that record of Leo in the entrance examination like eating candy."
Who are you calling a monster? Sheesh, each and every one of you is so rude.
"Better yet, let me show you. I also have the same fire attribute. What do you think, Leo?"
Following Dol''s words after Al''s exnation, Leo answered with a grin.
"Presi¡ª I mean, As youmand, Director!"
Jeu burst out inughter hearing that, Dol looked like he was enduring a headache, and I was satisfied with the situation.
Leo and Dol stood abreast and jutted out their palms forward. In the blink of an eye, a rapidly expanding fireball appeared on their palms. Dol''s fireball stopped at about 30 cm in diameter, but Leo''s continued to expand in size and when it was near 1m in diameter, he immediatelyunched it forward.
"BOOOM!*
The fireball crashed into a target on the sturdy-looking wall.
"Holy Sweet! That''s so freaking cool!"
E/N - I¡¯m pretty sure Mujikka and Godorfun talked about this club while discussing the MC¡¯s assignment with the Hill Road Club. He wasn¡¯t in Apple House yet at that time. Did I remember it wrong? (It was mentioned in the passing, not exactly than)
Vol. 1 - Ch. 59 - Emission Magic Research Club (2)
"Holy sweet! That''s so cool!"
The excitement inside me was at an all-time high. I mean, would you look at that smoldering beauty? That was precisely the magic that I was dying to use! Why in the name of freaking fantasy did I not have a talent for it!?
If only I had that talent, I would have practiced it all day long until my body could no longer endure!
"That''s amazing, you two! How much mana did you use just now? How does taking a stance affect the time it takes toplete the spell? What¡¯s the speed when youunched it? Can the size and temperature of the fireball be adjusted? Can you change its trajectory midway? Can you only shoot from the palm? More like, is it possible to make the fire manifest in a ce away from the body? Is there a limit to rapid shots? How can you pull off such a mysterious phenomenon?"
I asked all the questions that I could think of. I had memorized the slightly difficult forms of magic theory, but at the end of the day, it was just hard toe up with a concrete image. As they say, what better way could there be than experiencing it first-hand?
There were also a few half-hearted theories that I just couldn''t wrap my head around¡ I would have verified them by myself if only it was possible.
My barrage of questions was met with perplexed expressions from my ssmates. Well yeah, this must be something obvious for them.
"...I don''t think there''s much to exin when you yourself have a solid grasp on the magic theory part. Right now, I consumed 200 mana while Leo should have used about 800. It''s easier to increase the strength of a spell the more mana amount you have. It feels like¡ utilizing body-strengthening magic, I guess.
The spell construction time and contracting it to increase its concentrationrgely depends on how well you can operate external mana. Also, it''s generally difficult to control the trajectory of magic or change its attribute when you cut off the link connecting the magic to the body. For the other questions, it''s possible to use another way to shoot magic in theory but this too is within the domain of external mana operation expertise and the result is usually not worth the time you sink into practicing it. So generally, no."
I see¡ I hadn''t touched on this topic simply because I couldn''t practice it, but the training of external magic was mainly reliant on external mana operation, which was also used for scouting.
And I guess, since the maximum strength of a spell was dependent on inherent mana capacity, the only other way to do so was to start with manapression.
I had noticed the importance of scouting magic when I apanied Riyad-senpai on his collection trip, maybe it was about time for me to start on it.
External mana operation worked on the same principle as internal mana cirction, so I believe I had the talent for it. But I also had loads of things to do after archery practice and my explorer work, so to be honest, I wasn''t just too keen on starting it¡ Frankly speaking, I believe I could train myself in mana operation more sincerely and thoroughly than anyone else¡ª no, scratch that, I could definitely take that path to its extreme that no one else has reached. Not that it mattered¡ since I didn''t have that future.
Even if I did train my mana operation skills, what next? It wasn¡¯t like I would be able to use emission magic. I just didn''t have any confidence that I would be able to persevere on this path and when I reached that conclusion, I put a seal on these thoughts. Well, yeah, it would certainly not be aplete waste considering I could use this skill for scouting, but honestly, this motive wasn''t good enough to clear away the gloom.
In my final analysis, this wasn''t the type of magic that I wished for. But, keeping it out of my mind¡ wasn''t going to cut it, huh?
Now that I had cleared his assignment, I would be able to get in touch with a master through the mediation of Godorfun. But, if what I want still turned out to be on the other side of the horizon¡ I would just quietly learn scouting magic. I mentally resolved myself.
"What happened? You are making such an anxious face..."
"...It¡¯s nothing. Anyway, what type of magic can all of you use? I really want to see it!"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After Leo''s and Dol''s performance, I get to see the others'' magic as well. And it was so exciting! I also asked them any questions that came to my mind.
It turned out that Jeu was a holy magic user said to be possessed by 1 among 5000 people.
There wasn''t anyone wounded around so I couldn''t check out the healing effect, but she did perform buff magic. The cascading veil of golden mana, just like her hair color, as she prayed was truly a mystical sight to behold.
Holy magic was still shrouded in ayer of mystery for the major part, like on what principle it activated, so there wasn''t much exnation out there. Buff magic made it possible to circte mana more smoothly and reduce the amount of mana usage. Ultimately, it provided an elevation in power, speed, or stamina. Apparently, it was an amazing feat for Jeu to be able to use it at her age.
Al was an ice mage. Ice magic was also a rare talent found only among 1 in 1000, and those who had it were called double attribute users. To be precise, the talent for ice attribute definitely came hand in hand with water attribute.
He also has a huge mana capacity, around 5000pared to the other ss A students, and more than double mine.
I was so excited to see another new element, but apparently, neither water nor ice magic had any offensive magic. Ice magic was mainly about freezing over touch, and Al showed this by freezing a wooden stick that was in the training facility in one second.
Weeeell~... It sounded handy to have someone who could put up a shower in the campground and he could also encase hunted prey in ice to make it an easy task to bring them back. Honestly speaking though, it was pretty in.
It wasn''t the ice magic that I was expecting. I asked ''What about Ice Lance?'' which was met with a ''What the heck is that?'' and a confused expression from him.
When I exined one of the basic techniques of ice magic in fantasy, hurling ice spears, he spoke about how difficult it was to bring out that level of precision to create an ice spear, and most of all, that it would simply shatter in the end. So it didn''t even need to be of ice, and he denied its possibility.
To make my point relevant, I utilized all the knowledge I had amassed during ice-cream development in my previous life and emphasized points like how when ice was cooled down at minus 70C temperature, it became harder than steel.
I also brought out my knowledge from games and novels and talked about other ways of utilizing ice magic. For instance, he could freeze the floor instantly and take away the opponent''s mobility.
"Each and every one of those applications is so difficult, just thinking about them makes my head hurt," Al said, exining how absurd the ice magic I was talking about was. In response, I gave Al my second first andst order as the supervisor of the club, "If you have time toe up with excuses, then use that time to think of how you can make it possible! This is an order!", and gave him the assignment to ponder about the possibilities.
So far, it was all eye candy to me. However, it was Dol in the end who left me speechless.
I never expected him, who perfectly fit the temte of ''I am a mob character'' with his burdock-looking face, to be an actual master as the holder of quad attributes¡ª Fire, Water, Earth, and Light. All of them were valuable elements, with Fire which was said to be found in 1 among 15, Water in 1 among 50, Earth in 1 among 100, and topping them all, Light element in 1 among 4000.
While a single human capable of having all those elements was a matter of gics to some extent, it was simple multiplication. So, Dol was practically the holder of unparalleled talent that only one in three hundred million people had.
That being said¡ª
¡°Well, I hardly trained in other elements as fire magic has exceptional adaptability in battle. The best I have done with the other elements was to conjure water to wash my hands, create a small tform with soil to sit down on when outside, or make a light to read books at night. But the main thing is that my mana capacity is hardly any better than you, around 3000. Honestly, I don''t see any point in iling my hands in all directions since I¡¯ll just end up as a jack of all trades but master of none.¡±
His reasoning was enough to make me cry rivers of blood. Damn you, Burdock-face!
He was rolling in dough but crying about where to bake it¡ I almost couldn''t support myself as I tried to wrap my head around that. I mean, if I had even a modest element in my arsenal, you could bet I''d be gunning for the title of the world''s greatest mage!
¡°Dol¡ Do you know the saying that Spire Janneyro, the founder of clinical magic, left behind? "Those who aspire to be a mage must keep chasing after the prism of endless possibilities that lie beyond for them to recover." I couldn''t agree more. For crying out loud, you''re the demonicmander Rudolf Austin, how can you let yourself be confined with such a meager goal!? Note it down, alright!?
The first irond rule of the Emission Magic Research Club: Immediate expulsion of club members if they ever strayed from the path of a Mage!
At the very least, everyone should be striving to discover the slumbering possibilities within themselves as long as they''re participating in club activities! This is your supervisor''s first andst third order.¡±
I immediately pushed to set the first irond rule of the club using my first andst order #3 as the supervisor.
¡°...Again and again, how many more are there of these so-called first and final orders...?¡±
¡ô¡ô¡ô
¡°¡®Sup, Allen. I heard you are working as an explorer to earn a living. How is it now?¡±
Dol, the demon director, said as he approached.
Noticing my arrival, as someone who rarely showed up in the club, the other members sent their stares my way while whispering among themselves.
¡°I truly apologize for my absence, director! I have settled my financial problem for the time being, so I will now be frequently showing my presence in the club! I¡¯m looking forward to learning the ropes here from you!¡±
My behavior toward Dol immediately stirred the members.
"Good grief, can you just talk normally like in the ssroom..."
"No, nay. You''re the boss here, so it would be ludicrous of me to not pay my respect. If anything, the others don''t seem to be as respectful toward you as they should be."
With that said, I swept my condensing gaze,ced with a roughness that I''d acquired through my wild adventures of exploration work, over the members present, prompting a gasp from them.
"Look at you, acting like a delinquent... That said, it''s impossible for me to be strict on people."
Ah~! I quickly pulled Dol to an uncrowded spot.
"Didn''t I say you don''t have to be strict on members? What you''re doing is forging an organization. It''s not any mind-bending game. Yes, just act like usual and simply ask the club to act the same."
"Like usual...?"
The efficiency with which this guy handled tasks wasn''t something an average joe was capable of pulling it. Scratch that, hispetence in various tasks far eclipsed just doing things skillfully, and that was very much evident in the data from the Hill Road Club¡¯s morning activities.
This guy was another unparalleled talent among this year''s ss 1-A, which was said to have the best of the talents in all these years. Leaving aside his oh-so ''I am a mob'' face.
"Have faith in yourself, pal! Not everything you see in data is indicative of your overall talent. Trust me, Leo is no match when ites to what you¡¯re capable of."
I got carried away a bit too much when I established this club, but I have seen what this guy was truly capable of from up close in this one month of acquaintanceship. He just needed to be more confident about himself and my words, and he would surely blindside the world with his talent. There was no way I could let such a talent be buried underneath his own sense of worthlessness.
The day he broke out of his shell, using this club as a catalyst, I was sure I would be able to see the magic that my heart sought after.
"Haa¡ Why are you so sure when even I¡¯m not confident about myself? Well, whatever. I¡¯ll try to throw a stone in the pond and see whates out."
As Dol said that, I could see a sh of determination shine briefly in his eyes.
When we went back to where everyone was, Al approached.
"...Are you alright, Dol? It would do your health no good if you keep following everything that Allen says. By the way, Allen, what about the knight order?"
Al was quitex in his approach, but this was just as important. A strict person by no means could draw in moths to this organization, after all.
As a matter of fact, I have been able to get a certain knightmander to be my master through the mediation of Godorfun and had been visiting the knight order a few times in the week. Well, concretely speaking, I was now a provisional member of the knight order as a trainee which was supposed to happen in the summer of our third year.
He truly lives up to his reputation as Godorfun ''the right hand of the King''. I mean, this sort of preferential treatment would surely have otherwise incited discontent among others for sure¡ At least that was usually how the temte went.
"About that, I¡¯m going to visit in moderation in parallel to keep up with my studies. I had been skipping the meeting so far, but I don''t want to miss out on these precious once-in-a-week club activities anymore."
Al seemed delighted hearing that.
"That''s great. The other members would also be d to see you here more frequently. You know, there are quite a lot of people who want to work alongside you. Look over there, that girl with the braided hair is apparently a huge fan of yours."
Seeing our gaze at her, a cute and neat-looking girl with braided hair turned her gaze downward seemingly in embarrassment, her cheeks dying in a shade of crimson.
W-What a cutie! Ah, but he said a fan, huh? I might break the impression of me that she held so it would be really tough trying to talk to her.
"...Anyway, what kind of research do you want to do?"
Al asked in a concerned tone. Knowing that I couldn''t use emission magic, he probably was worried about my feelings.
Kukuku. But you see...
"I have caught a glimpse of my path as a mage. It''s not going to be worth that muchpared to all of you, but I¡¯m going to pile all the knowledge from the research here and aim to be a Mage."
Al, Dol, and the other members around fell silent after hearing my positive deration.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 60 - Royal Capital’s Central Military Post
Right now, I was visiting the Royal Capital''s central military post with just my wooden sword in hand. It was the ce Godorfun told me to visit after I sessfully cleared his assignment.
It was apparently the headquarters of the Kingdom''s Knight Order''s 3rd Legion which was in charge of keeping the public order in the Royal Capital in check, or so Godorfun told me. Apparently, just one legion ¡ª a unit with 120 members ¡ª was not enough to cover the vast Royal Capital. So, as themander of the 3rd Legion, who also managed sub-organizations like the police force and the vignt corps, Dew Owiel was an incredibly busy person. The situation would be simr to high-ranking individuals from the self-defense force takingmand of the police as well when the nation is on the verge of being at war with another country in my previous world. Putting it in that way, I could rte.
The Kingdom''s Knight Order had seven legions including the royal guards, and it was a chivalric order of as many as 900 members. And there were only 200 mages in it, including engineers.
It might appear to be a very small force in case of a war against another nation, but when push came to shove, the Kingdom utilized the private armies of the top-ranking nobles and the knight course graduates of the lower-ranking nobles to form its army. For that reason, they would also undergo regr drills so that they could be deployed during wartime from a peaceful moment.
They were usually enough to deal with the subjugation of the usual formidable monsters or monster stampedes, but during an invasion from another nation, volunteer soldiers frommoners and explorers were recruited.
In this world where almost anyone above the age of 12 could use magic, even themon folk proved to be enough to hold down the fort. Commanding this assortedpany was the Kingdom''s Knight Order. It needed no further exnation as to what kind of influential person a legionmander had to be.
It was just 5 minutes before the appointed time that I arrived in front of the military post of the 3rd Legion feeling a bit nervous but also expectant. I braced myself and passed through the gate.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Pardon me! I''m Allen Rovenne from the Royal Academy! I have an appointment with the 3rd Legionmander Dew Owiel!"
I shouted in a loud voice at the entrance of what seemed to be the guard post beside the gate. There was no door to knock on so I could only raise my voice.
"''Sup, I was just expecting you to drop by. The name''s Dante. Nice to meet you!"
In response to my voice, a 2m tall giant with ripped muscles and around 120 kg in weight came out from the inside. He gave off quite a brisk vibe with his glossy, short-cut silver hair and amicable gaze. I must say he had everything he needed to be popr back in Japan, or should have as his look was ruined by his double chin.
Dante-san was donning an embroidered, ck-toned mantle of the 3rd Legion that I had caught sight of in this Royal Capital¡ª each mantle had its own unique embroidery, apparently.
I grasped the hand that he extended for a handshake, and received a surprise. His grip was fairly normal, but that rock-like feedback from his palm made me feel the extent of his skill in body-strengthening magic.
...He was strong. Honestly, there was no hope in a hypothetical scenario that a teamposed of Leo and I could defeat him in a fair-and-square match. I felt the gap between us.
"I have been briefed on the situation¡ I¡¯ll take you to Dew-san, so follow me. But, before that..."
Dante-san paused, cleared his throat, and read aloud from a piece of paper.
"Hark!
Allen Rovenne of the Royal Academy''s ss 1-A is hereby appointed as a provisional member of the Kingdom¡¯s Knight Order!
Henceforth, he shall fall under themand of the 3rd Legion Commander, Dew Owiel, and will strive to take on missions within the scope that does not hinder his studies!
Olina Zatsinger, Commander of the Yulgria Kingdom Knights.
Read by Dante Segran."
Dante-san announced the decree of my appointment as a member ¡ª well, provisional member ¡ª of the Knight Order in a clear and loud voice.
I had already received news about it from Godorfun. Commander Dew was already a busy person with a crammed schedule so the only optimal way to learn from him was to join in on the knight training here and participate in their expeditions. That said, the procedure to be able to enter this heavily guarded military post or for a student to join their expeditions was cumbersome, and it was even more of a pain in the ass to apply for every visit.
To save everyone¡¯s time from this tedious procedure, he went ahead and utilized the knight training program ¡ª the one that the students of the Royal Academy enrolled in during the summer of their 3rd year ¡ª to get me the status of a temporary member of the Knight Order ahead of the schedule.
So was Godorfun''s exnation. Well, I also thought my experience here might serve as a good reference to prevent discrepanciester.
The Knight Order just looked like a shady ce for me so I wanted to stay away from them, but if this experience truly cleared away my suspicions, I didn''t mind considering this as an option in the future. Anything was fair in this game of enjoying life in another world, right?
"And, this is your proof of membership. A provisional member only gets an embroiderless mantle but you will be treated as one of us while you wear it. Of course, with thises obligations so watch your actions as well, alright? You¡¯ll also receive a sry for the duration of your stay, it¡¯s just some paltry amount though."
Dante-san handed me the jet-ck mantle while exining the perks of being a member.
I must say, it looked awesome. It was also quite light in contrast to the quality of the fabric. I didn''t think it would be for sale, but it would surely cost a lot to tailor the same product.
Befitting the kingdom''s top force, the pay was 1000 rea per hour, by no means a paltry amount. Or maybe my financial value as a country bumpkin had yet to adjust? Whatever the case, I was d to have it. As a matter of fact, the Geography Research Club that I had established alongside Coco was in dire need of funds, without which its activities were stagnant.
That said, could you imagine getting paid just to join in training? I felt like a freeloader mooching off free money, but Dante-san''s exnation ''You¡¯re still one of the Knight Order, even if temporary, so training is also work'' had weight.
I swiftly donned the mantle and entered the military post following Dante-san.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The military post was truly quite vast after passing through the rtively small gate, just as I imagined it to be. The first thing that I saw was a 50-step fan-shaped stairway right after the guard post. I presumed this ce was a hilly area originally, andter it was reimed to build this garrison.
Ascending the stairs, there was a cobblestone square, and a red carpet stretched straight toward the front building. This ce should be used for a ceremony to honorably wee influential people visiting here for inspection.
We entered the building, avoiding the red carpet, and walked straight through to a vast courtyard. There, the knights were spread out while performing their training like sham battles or swinging practice.
Noticing our entrance, they all stopped and directed curious nces my way¡ Well, I more or less skipped the usual system through the forceful intervention of Godorfun despite being a first-year, so I expected this attention.
In the meanwhile, a familiar-looking person, with his mouth curved into a grin, approached us. He wore a jet-ck mantle on his back.
"You''re finally here huh, Allen Rovenne-kun? I''m Justin Locke. You haven''t forgotten me, right?"
"Of course. You were attending the reception area during the practical exam at the Royal Academy, right? I didn''t expect you to be here, much less a member of the Knight Order."
Justin onii-san cackled hearing my response.
"Ahahaha. I saw thating. But, not everyone is qualified to be present there during the entrance exam. Who did you think I was?"
"...As embarrassing as it might be, I thought you were a support from the 3rd year."
"Hahaha! No, sorry Iugh. It''s just that, everyone except the notified staff was not allowed to enter the premises of the school during the exam, even the already enrolled students, to prevent any mishap. I¡¯m surprised you hopped on the exam train blind and even got into ss A."
...Praise my dad for it, I guess?
I wonder if this person''smon sense has left for a vacation. He even rattled off seemingly confidential information like ''Practical exam scores are heavily influenced by the examiner''s discretion'' proudly.
While I wasughing dryly, Justin-san continued.
"Then, I guess you don''t know that he is also a knight as well?"
I followed the gaze of the grinning Justin-san and looked at the middle-aged security guard standing there, clearly hungover and in an annoyed mood.
E/N - It¡¯s going to be an interesting next chapter with that cliffhanger. ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 61 - Archer of Knight Order
The examiner with the unkept beard, his wooden sword resting on his shoulder, was ring at me. Never a day would pass by that he wasn''t in a bad mood it seemed, huh?
I thought that the uncle was just a guard or something when I heard him being in charge of security. So he was also a member of the Knight Order? Hmm, he was the only one without a mantle but judging from Justin-san''s speech, my guess shouldn''t be wrong.
Ah, right. Didn''t Godorfun say that the Knight Order had been in charge of the exam¡¯s security ever since the Red Carpet inciden¡ª delete, just delete this thought from my memory, oh brain.
Anyway, I didn''t have any business with this drunkard today, unlike on the exam day (I didn''t have any business with him that day as well though?).
If anything, it would be great if he stayed a mile away from me¡ I had just made up my mind to steer clear from crossing paths with him when Justin-san, with a madman-like grin that almost reached his ears, said "He''s drunk and in a bad mood today, so be careful, got it?" in a whispering tone.
Not even a secondter, that unkept beard zed toward Justin-san to give him a taste of his full-power attack. High heavens, what monstrous hearing he has to hear all that from 10m away!?
His sh was fast and precise, iparable to the strike he made to counterattack me during the exam.
Justin-san easily dodged the attack by twisting his body, but the wooden sword was now bearing down on me instead. This damned unkept beard, so his target was me all along!?
While such a possibility popped up in a corner of my mind, I barely managed to hold my ground against that iparably sharp attack by blocking it with the midsection of my wooden sword. I used that force to leap backward andnded on the ground with my left hand before flipping back up.
I nced at Justin-san who snickered and started moving anticlockwise with shuffling movements. I also immediately reacted, shifting my distance away from him, and began shuffling at the same speed.
However, before anyone else could make a move, Dante-san stepped in to intervene.
"Alright, that''s enough fooling around. You two alone can''t defeat Dew-san. And you don''t want to get injured, right?"
"Damn you, Justin. Who are you calling a drunkard? Weren''t you with mest night when we raided and captured what seemed to be a group of spies from another country right after the shift!? When the hell did I get the leisure to drink, for god''s sake!? Hah, tell me when?"
...Haha, my ears seemed to be ying tricks on me. Did Dante-san just call that crooked manager Dew-san¡ Justin-san closed the distance as he rested his long wooden sword on his shoulder.
"Tsk. Just when it was getting interesting... Anyway, don''t you think he needs to introduce himself now, Dew-san?"
You too, Justice-san... Don''t tell me he''s really that Dew-san? One could be wrong, but not two. So, he really was him!
Just as my train of thought was going through a futile debate to escape from reality, Dante-san introduced him in a very clear voice.
"I believe you may have seen him before. Yes, he is the very Dew Owiel-san,mander of the 3rd legion and the one in charge of your practical exam!"
For real...!? But with Dante-san saying it so clearly, there was no room for misunderstanding.
¡Yes, it''s not like this would be the first time I tter a fool for expediency. As long he showed his worth, so be it, even if his nasty personality was worth no more than a single rea.
¡°I would like to express my gratitude for the practical exam! Once again, I''m Allen Rovenne from the Royal Academy! It''s really a dreame true for me to meet my idol, Commander Dew-san, today!¡±
As I greeted him in a refreshing tone, a vein popped up on his temple.
¡°Oh~? Idol, huh? Then what have you been holding onto with your left hand?¡±
Crap, he knows?! What the hell, does this oldie also have eyes behind his back¡
¡°...It''s just a pretty stone I picked earlier. Look, its shape is so beautiful, no?¡±
It was taking my all to maintain my customer service-like smile as I quietly put the in stone I had picked up earlier when Inded on my left hand to blindside him as soon as I had a chance on the ground.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
¡°Hmph. I''m Dew Owiel. And here I expected that the old man had beaten some sense into you, but you''re still as mannerless as before, smelly brat¡ Your rustic and rigid sword has softened its stance somewhat. More importantly, I¡¯m sure those¡ callouses weren¡¯t on your fingersst time, were they?¡±
He managed to figure all that out from just a single exchange¡?
I did manage to learn one or two things from observing Leo¡¯s swordsmanship ¡ª I believe it should be a mainstream swordsmanship style in the Royal Capital ¡ª during our morning training following his obstinacy to have a spare with me each morning.
I usually managed to win 2 out of 10 times against him. But it was so vexing to keep eating so many losses. In fact, l had approached my other ssmates to be my sparring partner but they all distanced themselves, quoting some iprehensible ¡®We can''t be Leo¡¯s opponent¡¯ reason and so I was stuck with him.
As a matter of fact, the mob-faced Dan actually managed to pull even wins against me, while my win rate against Ste was roughly 7-3. So there was just a bit of difference between our abilities but none of them stood up to spar with him.
Maybe, after having his monster of a mother or sister as a training partner since childhood, Leo probably didn''t pull his punches much when facing stronger opponents.
¡°...Yes. I slightly dabble in archery due to my explorer work that I''m doing as a part-time job.¡±
¡°Hmm, dabble slightly, eh? You can shoot with your small hands?¡±
Justin-san, still grinning, said while seriously taking a look at my rough hands.
¡°You''re right. I wouldn''t have such callous marks if I could properly pull the string. But as you can see, I''m still no better than an amateur.¡±
I wasn''t being humble, that was what I seriously thought about my current archery skill.
Just as I said that a 40-something-old middle-ageddy appeared amidst the knights who had been watching our exchange.
¡°Boy. Show me your hand.¡±
I was perplexed by the sudden request from that stern-faceddy, fortunately, Dante-san gave an exnation.
¡°This person is Kiana. She''s famously known as the ¡®God Archer Kiana¡¯ even in other nations and she is one of the very few Archers of this caliber this Kingdom has. She''s also a former A-rank adventurer, so that makes her your senior in a sense as well.¡±
Woah~, I didn''t expect such a highly capable person to be here in this military post¡ I quietly stretched out my hand.
After giving my hand a hard look, Kiana-san turned to the nasty manag¡ª I mean, Dew-san.
¡°Commander, I would like to see his skills. Can I?¡±
¡°As it suits you. But it''s really rare for you to show any interest.¡±
After receiving his approval, she turned towards me while maintaining her stern face.
¡°Boy, what have you used so far?¡±
¡°Huh, ah¡ Lygo No.5. It was all my meager budget could afford.¡±
Hearing my reply, Kiana-san finally cracked her stern mask as she grinned.
¡°Not bad. I believe there should be some lygo lying around in the warehouse for training. Wait a while.¡±
Rouge-san''s rmendation surely did wonders, huh? Well, I guess that was why she managed to climb up to be a store manager at such a young age.
As soon as I had my pocket filled, I would surely visit the store for shopping as gratitude.
¡ô
I waited for just 2~3 minutes when Kiana-san came back with a Lygo No.5, a quiver filled with wooden arrows, and a strange birdie magic tool.
After she transferred some of her mana into that birdie, it pped its wings and flew around like a swallow.
¡°Take aim, boy.¡±
The magic tool was pping its unsteady wings without any intervention.
¡°Wait, isn''t it dangerous?¡±
¡°What do you think this ce is? There wouldn''t be any fool here to get hit by a Lygo when it¡¯s in in sight. Just think about how to take down that pseudo-bird tool.¡±
I casually aimed at the birdie and released an arrow. It dodged it by lowering the altitude and my arrow, missing its target, bumped against the window of a building by the courtyard¡ª and was repelled. Tempered ss, I guess?
¡°Again.¡±
Following Kiana-san¡¯s urging, I closely followed that bird-shaped magic tool¡¯s movement.
Time to show the results of my training. Ever since I missed that shot with the Runesheep, I had been practicing the impact timing of my arrows while learning about my current strengths and weaknesses. I looked for the best opportunity I could find and rapidly shot three arrows.
¡°Oh!!¡±
My second arrow struck that birdie dead on. However, my third arrow ¡ª that I had shot in anticipation if it once again lowered its altitude ¡ª flew near the face of the Commander who had been digging into his nose.
¡°You brat! You surely didn''t need that 3rd shot! Just say it if you have a grudge against me!¡±
¡°Heavens no, Commander. It''s all a misunderstanding. It''s my first time training with such a magic tool, so the 3rd arrow was just in case it flew down, really. May my enemies burn, I really do not have an ounce of resentment against you! Nevertheless, you have once again put me in awe, Commander Dew! You had already noticed that the arrow wasn''t aimed at you so you didn''t attempt to dodge.¡±
The only one I resent is the section chief from my previous world¡ Well¡ he must have seen iting, right?
I mean, Kiana-san had just said no one here was a fool to get hit in in sight, so I didn''t put up my guard. However, my aim was a bit off. Don''t tell me the matter would have blown up if it really hit him?
Except for Justin-san who seemed to be getting theugh of his life, everyone''s strained expression filled me with uneasiness.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 62 - Mages Embryo (1)
"Cough I assume you''re self-taught from your style. But you''re sincere in your practice. Since when did you start practicing archery?"
"Err...A bit over a month."
"...Impressive. You should be able to broaden your horizons by polishing the finer details and honing your senses. Specifically, by figuring out ''grip'', ''drawing distance'', and ''tension'', you¡¯ll see improvements in your uracy and rapid shots."
Kiana-sanmented and proceeded to exin some of the finer details of archery.
This was quite an unexpected boon. Royal Academy, astonishingly, didn''t have a single bow expert among its teachers despite having all that sparkling facilities and tools. Well, the Academy was renowned for churning out exceptional knights in this magical world and would have likely ced secondary, if not tertiary, emphasis on ranged weapons such as bows.
And she was right. I had just been going in blindly in my archery practice, and I did feel I was approaching my limit. I politely expressed my gratitude for her tips and asked if I could disturb her again the next time I had a chance.
She epted with a smile. Maybe she was quite a friendly person once you took your time to get to know her, eh?
It took barely five minutes of effort to listen with my ears and grasp the essence with my head, but it all boiled down to ''form'' requiring nothing but repetitive training.
"By the way, didn''t youe here to be Dew-san''s apprentice? What''s your goal?"
Huh? They didn''t hear from Godorfun?
It had been one thing after another today and some were really helpful that itpletely slipped out of my mind, but my goal was the longing I had been silently carrying in my heart ever since my awakening¡ª Emission Magic. I wasn''t really expecting him to outright light the path for me, considering Godorfun never specified it, but even a tiny bit of hint would be enough to make me persist in my dream.
I brushed away the ttering smile from my face and earnestly faced Dew-san. I did my most sincere bow and pleaded to make me his disciple.
"Commander Dew-san! I am aplete dud when ites to attribute conversion. But I want to learn emission magic no matter what it takes. There''s just one and only one reason¡ª it''s awesome. Yes, this is all there is to it. However, I won''t hesitate to sacrifice anything if it means I can get my hands on emission magic. Godorfun-sensei hinted that the key to my goal is in your hands. So please take me in as your disciple!"
Dew-san''s brows knitted together at my words, and after a momentary silence, he replied, "Hmm~...Impossible."
......Alright, I already saw thating when Godorfun said he would just put up a rmendation. As for whether he would ept me as a disciple, he would interfere no more. But I haven''te here to give up just because he denied me once.
I mentally counted the cards up my sleeve and hopped into the negotiation expressway.
"I¡¯m fully aware of your hectic schedule, Commander Dew! This is why I¡¯m willing to receive my training on time when you''re free and it doesn''t impose upon your schedule. Also, I would like to insert here that there are some plus points for you too. I can help you out in your clerical work within my capabilities! My private tutor has thoroughly instilled in me his ''Bainfause style clerical work art'', which I¡¯m sure would be of help to you! So I beseech you to reconsider my proposal!"
I brought out the name of Schord ¡ª at this point, he¡¯s already my go-to reason to breeze past such situations ¡ª and bowed my head once again.
I yed out my first card¡ª my experience in handling tedious work that had often been pushed to me by my colleagues in my previous life. I mean, I wasn''t nicknamed ''AI-kun'' for nothing, which they used to call me in mockery and contempt. No doubt repetitive work like this could be done by anyone, but that didn''t mean they could outpace me in the same work they found it a pain in the ass all the while.
Dew-san''s mouth curved into a grin. Oh, have I scored a homerun right off the bat?
"That would really be a lifesaver~! No shit, I was confused as to ''What the heck was that old man nning?''... but I see it now. Sir really lived up to his reputation! Alright, you¡¯ll be my little assistant from today onwards! Even better, how about you also start living here?"
He said with an ecstatic expression¡ª simr to the signature expression of that loathsome chief whenever it was time to push tedious work to his subordinates.
Oh! Perhaps, I just scored a world record instead of a simple home run? Dew-san continued,
"However, there''s a bit of a problem. You see, even I don''t have any talent in attribute conversion. And I have neither researched ¡ª in an attempt to find a way that may allow it ¡ª nor have knowledge of it. I¡¯m just as clueless as you, and I have no interest in finding out as well. So that''s it! Well, I believe we can do something about it, huh!"
...I had already anticipated this¡ umm, to some degree. Nothing would happen even if I started insulting Godorfun now, despite my mind internally screaming "That old fart has now done it now! I¡¯ll definitely give him a sound beating one day!"
I pulled out my second card that I had thought of for a situation like this.
"I have a stomachache. So, can I go back?"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Wait, the emission magic that you want ¡ª which relies on the so-called attribute conversion talent ¡ª shall I take it as some kind of magic to defeat the opponent?"
I eagerly nodded at the words of Dante-san.
"Hmm... We''re talking about Sir Godorfun here after all. Someone whose actions areyered with underlying meanings. And I think I have a guess or two about it. If Sir has gone out of his way to send you here, there can only be that..."
Dante-san spoke in a monologue of sorts, crossing his arms.
What, what? Don''t tell me this uncle with an unkept beard was really hiding a secret? As I eagerly awaited Dante-san¡¯s next words with a teeny bit of hope, Justin-san continued from there.
"You mean scouting magic utilizing outer mana operation? But even if you somehow gained the skill, you can''t do it without training your mana operation. Furthermore, purposefully exposing him to the Knight Order earlier and involving him in its work should also be another reason, no?" (T/N - Outer mana operation is basically about how capable someone was to handle mana outside their body)
His words pushed me into despondency. So it was that... I mean, I had noticed the importance of mana operation, and I was thinking of putting it into my training regime if today''s visit ended in futility. But I wasn''t keen on the idea of using my valuable time to help out with some tedious desk work just to learn about mana operation from this distasteful manager (Dew-san).
Think about it, what was my goal? I had decided to live a whimsical life and never turned back to look at desk-typebor. Didn''t this go against my ideals?
I had already learned some aspects of this world from my sses in the Royal Academy, and I had confidence in my self-learning ability, just like with the bow, so...
"Is Dew-san''s scouting magic that impressive?"
Knowing the futility of it all, I decided to ask just in case.
"Yes. In fact, I may even go as far as to say no one can beat him when ites to it in this kingdom. He can easily grasp what is everyone talking about or what they were doing in this huge military post if he got serious."
"Peeping is a crime, you know?"
A retort reflexively escaped my lips after listening to Dante-san. And on hearing that, a blue vein popped out on the man¡¯s forehead again.
"Who¡¯re you calling a peeping demon, you smelly brat!? Do you think there hasn''t been a magic tool to prevent this!? It''s useless indoors unless you''re talking about some oblivious countryside! It''s strictly for the outdoors! You are really asking for a beating!"
Bursting out inughter after hearing myment, Justin-san followed.
"Well, we can''t just drive him away empty-handed when you have been officially ordered to train him, now that he''s a member here, albeit temporarily, right? And if you ask me, Sir must have seen his talent in scouting magic that shouldn''t lose to yours, and that''s why he did all the preparation to send him here. A talent of this caliber will surely be another lifeline to this kingdom during emergencies.
The strategic value of having one more person capable of using scouting magic ¡ª when it''s solely based on your unique ability ¡ª is truly unfathomable. Furthermore, this will also halve your burden, since you are the only one this kingdom can rely on so far."
So this lousy, sloven person was actually the one-and-only monster among the already extolled Knight Order?
Vol. 1 - Ch. 63 - Mages Embryo (2)
So this lousy, sloven person was actually the one-and-only monster among the already extolled Knight Order?
Well, that sure gave him some brownie points. Hmm, maybe he could actually teach me? However, the awkwardness in the air was gradually kind of making it hard to turn him down.
The dilemma that I was caught in between was whether I should force my escape or stay and see how it went. Just as I was wrestling with my ideas, Dante-san added.
¡°Nothing beats first-hand experience, no? Besides, I bet you can''t imagine why Dew-san is hailed as the one and only talent in scouting magic.¡±
Dew-san, with his arms crossed, sighed upon hearing that and said,
¡°Haa. Hey, brat. I''m going to show you the basics of scouting magic. However, you don''t need to pander to it if you find it uninteresting. Squash whatever Justin said just now from your mind. You should have things you want to do, right? A whimsical guy like you is best left alone to your own devices, that is the best teaching method for you. I¡¯ll do something about the decree from my end.¡±
His words put me into self-reflection. I didn''t expect this person to be this serious about my future. Godorfun had shown the same thing as well. I really should stop projecting the image of my boss from my previous life onto everyone.
In response, I deeply bowed my head.
¡°Thank you very much for your consideration. I¡¯ll surely let you know.¡±.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
¡°Why haven''t you tried your hand at scouting magic all this while? It''s really bizarre that you haven''t, given your talent¡¡±
¡°I couldn''t find any interest in it whatsoever that could give a push. Yeah, no particr reason.¡±
I mean, I couldn''t just say ¡®I¡¯m looking for something cooler¡¯ right in front of the person said to be a master of scouting magic, right?
However, Dew-san, who seemingly reading my mind, said,
¡°It is how it is. We all had a longing for magic that goes boom or bam in our childhood. Well, it was a pipe dream I discarded when I enrolled in the Academy though.¡±
As he spoke, he dispelled the lethargic expression from his eyes, widening them, and naturally unfolded his previously crossed arms.
He didn''t show it, but the air around him conveyed he was focusing right now.
¡°... I¡¯m currently enhancing my sense of hearing. There''s no better alternative than this to grasp the situation from a distance. umte mana into your ear, project your mana to the outside, and imagine spreading it like a thin sheet while connecting it with your eardrums¡ The two guards have juste back from patrolling. It seems like Parch wants to have some words with you, it''s going to be a pain in the ass.¡±
Dante-san chimed in from the sidelines.
¡°Sounds easie-peasie, right? But I assure you it''s not¡ª not when this courtyard is surrounded by buildings with reconnaissance prevention tools in them. Much less to hear what''s happening outside. It''s quite a subtle procedure to circumvent the obstacles from the top of the buildings while maintaining a connection with your mana.¡±
Hmm~, that was quite an impressive feat¡ But it looked so down to earth that I couldn''t get interested in it. Maybe a deeper understanding of it would motivate me. I asked some questions in an attempt to increase my interest in scouting magic.
¡°Did you use the same technique to find out about the stone I had grabbed from your blind angle?¡±
¡°Hmm? Ah, yes. I heard the sound of stone scraping when you picked it up. However, it was not my hearing but another sense that let me know. More specifically, you actively circte your mana in the surroundings and perceive it with your eyes. This will let you know other people''s movements and shapes. It''s something like looking at the reflection of light with your own eyes. Well, it''s impossible to grasp the color and I couldn''t actively spread out my mana for long."
I see. Using terms from my previous life, ears were like passive sonar while eyes were active sonar. Just as Dew-san was speaking, Justin-san, standing behind Dante-san, suddenly swung down his wooden sword stealthily.
Dew-san easily parried that swing with his wooden sword while chaining in a back kick at the same time that sent Justin-san flying.
"Well, I normally keep my hearing slightly enhanced and then increase the detection range and uracy when an idiot like him tries to pull funny moves. It doesn''t consume that much mana as well."
Narrowly avoiding getting all floored, Justin-san stood up while rubbing his kicked stomach and said,
"It hurts. Seriously, the more I see it, the more unbelievable it looks. Also, Allen-kun, only a pervert enhances their eyesight just to peep. Normally, it works like night vision of sorts. Of course, replicating that feat isn''t possible for everyone either."
"Who¡¯re you calling a pervert!"
Now that was some insight. I was honestly unaware it was also something reserved for chosen ones. Behold my mind''s eyes, that which could grasp what your eyes couldn¡¯t¡ª sounds like stuff out of a shounen manga. Hmm, can''t say it didn''t tickle my delusions. It sounded interesting at least.
"That''s impressive! Is there something else you can do with the mana operation?"
"Huh, what got you out of your salted fish mood? There''s one more thing but it''s ineffective against human opponents¡ª"
Dew-san¡¯s words trailed off as he mmed me with a lump of mana instilled with his bloodlust like a gust of wind. The intensity and might of his mana were enough to send my mantle fluttering.
"Well, like this, it can be used against wild animals or monsters to intimidate them. Ites in handy when driving prey into a corner."
I got on my knees in that instant. I was taking the pose only the criminals take in this world supposedly¡ª Dogeza (orz posture), and with a loud and clear voice, appealed to Dew-san.
"I had eyes but I failed to see the venerable! Please, ept me as your disciple!"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
A tremor shook my whole body to its core when I faced Dew-san''s intimidation wave. It had been a while since I came to know about magic, and there had always been a nagging feeling tugging on my heart. Now that I thought about it, everything was clear. Oddly, this world didn''t have the ''wind'' attribute.
The missing ''wind'' attribute, which was usually one of the major elements in light novels, was actually a no-attribute external magic in this world? Like, holy cow, what kind of plot convenience was this?
However, it was a fact that the mana''s movement possessed physical property. My fluttering mantle earlier was proof of it. But if it was possible to cause wind by outer mana cirction, which had no rtion to attribute conversion, that meant even I should be able to do this¡ª absolutely so.
The answer was right in front of my eyes all along, but I failed to notice it. But, it was also due to the doubt I had. Why did no one in this world use it?
Just as my mind was dominated by a maelstrom of thoughts while I was kneeling, two knights entered the courtyard.
"Ah, shoot! I guess I missed the interesting part. Why is he taking that pose?"
A tall andnky knight said¡ª I remember him. He was that kind-faced, popr examiner during the practical exam.
"Nah, you just came at the right time, Parch-san. Still, what brought this burst of energy, eh? From your couch potato mode." Justin-san said, grinning.
I ceased my thoughts for the moment. For now, all that mattered was that I hade to know mana could cause wind. I couldn''t wait to start my investigation over it.
I slowly got up from the ground, took a look around, and dered in a loud voice.
"I, under the tutge of Master Dew, shall master the art of mana operation, and be a mage that vanquishes all foes ¡ª and obstacles ¡ª to oblivion with wind magic! That which embodies the essence of wind, and be someone in tune with it¡ª I aspire to be the Great Sorcerer of the Wind!¡±
T/N - Damn, truly a lightning fast change in attitude huh. It reminds me ¡®Junior had eyes but he couldn¡¯t see Mt. Tai¡¯ from Chinese novels, If you have read them.
E/N - I can¡¯t believe that the ¡®wind¡¯ attribute hasn¡¯t been discovered yet. I mean, it¡¯s all around us after all. You¡¯d think that would be one of the 1st things mages of old would try to manipte. Well, whatever. ???¡á? (I guess they''re hung up on attribute conversion talent, and wind magic doesn''t seem powerful ording to what Dew did---for now)
Vol. 1 - Ch. 64 - Mage’s Embryo (3)
"I, under the tutge of Master Dew, shall master the art of mana operation, and be a mage that vanquishes all foes ¡ª and obstacles ¡ª to oblivion with wind magic! That which embodies the essence of wind, and be someone in tune with it¡ª I aspire to be the Great Sorcerer of the Wind!¡±
A silence ensued following my deration. Not in awe, but a puzzling ¡®Huh, what''s that guy talking about¡® sort of silence.
¡°Ahahaha! Sounds good actually, Wind Sorcerer! Isn''t wind like that blow whoosh? Seriously great. Go for it!¡±
Except Parch-san, who truly seemed to be having his fill as he burst intoughter.
Master Dew scratched his head and asked, ¡°Well, your life, your choice. But I''m really wondering, how are you going to defeat the enemy with your¡ wind?¡±
I replied with the basics of wind magic I know about to him.
¡°Of course, it has to be a wind de. You hurl a de of wind which cuts through the opponent.¡±
¡°What the heck is a wind de? Why would wind have cutting properties?¡±
¡Right. I think the exnation in novels was¡ª
¡°The key to it lies in the vacuum¡ª oh, it¡¯s a state without air, between. You can cut through the opponent by sending a vacuum de.¡±
¡°Wind in the absence of air? Whatever, what matters is you can''t so easily create that vacuum with mana operation. Let''s suppose you managed to, how does the absence of wind give rise to cutting property?¡±
¡Right, again.
Indeed, I''ve heard that if a person was suddenly exposed to the vacuum of outer space without pressurization, their body would expand and rupture in an instant. The human body, especially its fluids, was constantly beingpressed by about one atmosphere of pressure from the air, bncing the force that tried to expand it outward.
Imagine taking a snack bag to the summit of Mount Fuji¡ª it would inte for the same reason.
"Everything in this world is constantly being pressurized by air. You might not feel it since your body has always been ustomed to this force, but that force is tremendously powerful. If the air suddenly disappears, the force trying to push outward goes haywire, leading to explosion or expansion through the evaporation of internal fluids, ultimately resulting in disconnection or functional destruction¡ theoretically."
By the time I finished with my exnation, everyone gave me a ¡®What a pitiful child, suffering from illness at such a young age¡¯ look. Unfortunately, it wasn''t a ce to discuss scientific stuff like the robust structure needed to create a pressurized space like the one in outer space.
Alright, time for level 3 wind magic stuff to increase its value. I hurriedly supplemented it.
"Oh, and there''s also a straightforward magic called Hurricane! It replicates the powerful winds of a storm! With increased power, it could overturn not only humans but also magic vehicles or even destroy buildings!"
Dante-san made a sharpment when I exined.
"So¡ winds strong enough to destroy buildings? It''s a bit hard to imagine honestly¡ but it does sound powerful, in words. However if one is capable of causing a phenomenon to this extent with their mana operation, they might as well use body-strengthening magic which is more efficient if you ask me.¡±
¡Dante-san was also right.
Seeing is believing. However, since this Kingdom hadn¡¯t experienced any storms, they probably were unable to imagine what winds were capable of.
You know what, scratch that. I wasn¡¯t here to debate over efficiency or whatever! I''m here to just talk about creating a phenomenon through mana that I always longed for!
¡°Ahaha! Isn''t it fine though? Every kid has their own version of fantasies. I¡¯ll wait for the day you can freely fly in the sky with the power of the wind. Do teach me when that momentes, alright? Pfft, hahaha!¡±
¡°Fuhahaha! You know what, count me in as well. I¡¯ll call you my master then! And don''t you think wind can also cause skirts to flip up? What a pervert! Hahaha!¡±
¡° ¡°Pfft¡± ¡±
Damn them¡ Just count your days, you lot, I¡¯d definitely st you with a ¡®Serves you right¡¯ ending!
In desperation, I mustered up my mana and started stirring the air around me. I was imagining the level 4 magic, Tornado.
¡°Haaaa!¡±
When the wind surged up, everyone immediately stoppedughing.
¡°...Goodness. You managed to do that with just one look at Dew-san?¡±
¡°Half-assed¡ He''s just pushing it out instead of maintaining it. Hey, brat! Drop the pace or you''re gonna run out of mana!¡±
So that''s how it is, I need to maintain the mana cirction. I could feel my mana rapidly depleting.
I raised my left hand and tried to pull the usual manapression in an attempt to create a loop where my right hand was releasing mana while my left hand was bringing in the mana.
But that was a failure. Emission-type magic was different from body-strengthening. While thetter kept the mana in a closed loop, the former was basically about releasing your mana outside. The moment it was out, most of it would disperse.
But not yet, I wouldn''t be able to sleep peacefully if I didn''t show them the terror of the wind.
I squeezed out thest ounce of my strength and released all that mana at once¡ª while also losing my conscience at the same time.
¡ô
The surging waves of wind flutter the mantle of Knight Order members, disturbing even the bangs of Dew before scattering away.
Allen copsed where he was. Dante heaved a sigh as he watched everything unfolding.
¡°Just by watching you, he managed to stir up the wind and ended up exhausting all of his mana, huh? This is¡ His mana maniption skill is truly leagues above others.¡±
On the other hand, Dew''s face was twisted with a ferocious grin.
¡°Don''t be fooled by his naive thoughts. He did try to manage the cirction upon hearing my words. But talk about absurdity, who in the right mind tries to absorb and release mana at the same time? Frankly, his talent is iparable to mine. Once he learns scouting magic, even I can''t imagine the heights he will reach.¡±
Dew''s words dumbfounded everyone present there. They were well aware of the iparable talent Commander Dew Owiel had in scouting magic and mana maniption, after all.
¡°...... I''m really d I didn''t miss out on this. ¡®Blow away obstacles with the power of the wind¡¯ he says, huh? I really can''t stopughing¡¡ Though this might be the only time we can do so.¡±
Parch''s face expressed unbridled joy.
¡ô
Let''s return to the External Magic Research Club.
¡°I¡¯ve found my path as a mage. It''s ate startpared to you all, but I¡¯ll be regrly training here from now on and aim to be a Mage.¡±
My conviction-filled words stunned not just Al and Dol, but all the members present. I presume they all must have known about myck of talent for emission magic.
Kukuku, but the days of mymentation were over. I had once again pleaded to Dew-san to ept me as his disciple as soon as I was out of my stupor, which he epted.
So, I have been helping him out in his work while learning about external mana maniption. It was finally my dreame true, though the training was honestly bone-crushing.
Justst weekend, after I repeatedly ignored Master Dew¡¯s order to train my hearing while focusing solely on mana cirction training, he snapped out and threw me down a dark cave heavily infested with bloodsucking bat monsters with nothing but a wooden sword in the name of investigation. Boy, was it the toughest twelve hours of my life to find the exit.
Seriously, didn''t he ever stop to think what if I had died?
Well, I realized the importance of scouting magic ¡ª enhanced hearing ¡ª after being thrown into that perilous training.
It wasn''t just about its usefulness. I probably wouldn''t have cared much¡ª but I realized that the core aspects of this magic, maintaining a connection with the mana outside your body, had a direct connection with my wind magic that I aspire to master. Sure enough, the predecessors¡¯ teachings couldn''t be ignored, huh?
¡°For real? I expect nothing less from you! What kind of magic is it?¡±
¡°My magic utilizes external mana operation¡ª Wind Magic! In tune with the wind, this is my Mage¡¯s path!¡±
¡°...And here you begin with your cryptic nonsense again. Long story short, you can cause wind by manipting your mana, right? What''s the purpose of that?¡±
¡°Fufu, just wait and watch. This is the result of my month-long grueling training.¡±
After saying that, I loosened my body. Everyone watched with bated breath.
"Haaaah!"
Mana swirled following my shout.
I was now capable of creating a surge of wind in a radius of 5m with a wind speed of 8m/s while keeping most of my mana in this one month.
¡° ¡°Kyaaaa!¡± ¡±
A scream echoed from the group of girls who were looking at my performance with bated breath. The wind I caused had flipped their skirts.
The braided girl that Dol had pointed out to earlier, my fan ¡ª I mean, I didn¡¯t particrly mean anything with it ¡ª was wearing a striking, purple¡ª¡ª
I suddenly noticed a gaze on me and looked up to see that girl ring at me with her tearful eyes. Ack!
¡°I, I''m sorry! It wasn''t on purpos¡ª¡±
¡°Scum!¡±
Leaving behind a word that I couldn''t possibly wash off, the girl ran away from the ce.
¡ô
This was the start of Allen¡¯s journey as Mage.
Nevertheless, what could have been a monumental topic¡ª his newfounded research topic over (no) attribute magic which expanded on the conventional scouting magic and created brand new possibilities for anyone to use ''wind magic'', gained no traction.
When the words about the minor incident were out among students, some pervert-minded male students immediately came in droves to join the Emission Magic Club. However, as they realized the level of expertise needed to do what Allen did, ''Flipping skirts with the wind'', they secretly began to extol Allen as the ''Flip Master''.
If that wasn''t enough, some of the needlessly talented but perverted male students even sorted out all the necessary mana conversion principles required to reach the level of flipping skirts, and dubbed it as ''Allen''s Theory''.
In a heartbeat, Allen''s research wasbeled as the pursuit of his lust.
The only people who had different opinions were Fey and Jeu who burst out inughter when these rumors made their way to their ears. They started wearing even more short skirts deliberately and loitered around wherever he would be. On the other hand, his reputation among the girls ¡ª when he had just started gaining poprity and there was also talk about establishing his fan club ¡ª plummeted to rock bottom.
Perhaps that was a milder way to put it. Ever since then, like the old saying simr to scare tactics, a precedent was set where whenever someone''s skirt would be flipped by wind¡ª the infamy would fall on Allen''s head.
T/N - Alright, didn¡¯t see iting. I¡¯m surprised they didn¡¯tbelled scouting magic as a whole as a pervert¡¯s work xD.
E/N - Well, I¡¯m not a fan of the MC being mocked when he should be praised for his discoveries/innovations but this is that type of novel after all. Though, Fey and Jeu wearing more skirts around Allen to mess with him was a nice touch.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 65 - Uncle
"Are you here, Lynd?"
It should have been just a few minutes since I arrived at my affiliated mutual aid society ''Apple House'' and I had just handed over the two Low Vultures I hunted ¡ª for the usual fundraising and also to supply some meat ¡ª when a visitor dropped by for the Boss.
I had been hunting in the eastern part of the Rune Prairietely, especially the vultures, whenever I was free from knight work. Whenever our schedules matched, I would party up with Amur and Roye-aniki or Al and Coco to ept D to F rank quests. However, I made sure to keep myself away from the leadership role so that I didn¡¯t suddenly fulfill the criteria for a D-rank promotion.
I was still E-rank and I didn''t want to tick the box to be eligible for promotion. The usual D-rank promotion condition was to show a feat worthy of D-rank, whether alone or in a party. So I was just taking things backward by staying away from the core position and being a sidekick of the strong members.
I did have apprehensions about Greateus Snake ss monsters appearing, but I believed I could escape when I didn¡¯t have to look after others. As an insurance, I was also carrying two extremely expensive arrows with Mt mountain-produced MacAquate mineral Arrowheads attached to the iron shafts.
One of them alone cost 2000 rea, making them a high-grade product, but Rouge-san of the arms store said that even I should be able to damage a Greateus Snake with just a Lygo bow using these arrows. So I got them as a lifeline to be used in case of precarious situations. Though they were so expensive that I didn''t even feel like testing them out¡
The enhanced hearing-based scouting magic that I abhorred before turned out to be a huge asset in hunting. And since my wind magic was interlinked with scouting magic, I was also making an effort to train it.
Well, I had mostly made these ins my training ground along with my hunting since the city and the dorm were too noisy for me to handle, and I would also often pick up some conversations that I shouldn''t have.
My hunting grounds started a bit away from the main road in the ins. I would look out for wild animals or monsters with my scouting magic and take them down with my bow.
Vultures were quickly attracted whenever there was dead prey around. They would descend whenever I was hunting for another monster, though I made sure to keep my gaze on my target.
My enhanced hearing wasn''t trained enough to pick up the sound when they descended, but it was good enough to notice when they were trying to p their wings after clutching their prey in their ws. This was usually my window to take them down.
My hunting rate was two vultures in less than 30 minutes, by repeating the same tactic. I would have tried for more, but I couldn''t carry a mountain of corpses alongside me into the city so two was the usual limit.
¡°Good work out there, Ren-kun! Vultures again? My handcart has space so dump it on here if you like.¡±
Recently, I had been often approached by novice explorers from other mutual aid societies.
I sometimes found folks of other mutual aid societies at the receiving end of the vultures¡¯ tricks during my hunts and I would usually help them out since it was a bit hard to ignore when everything was happening in front of me. Though, this seemed to have increased my favorability among them.
Honestly, I also often found myself in a pickle since a lot of such people were quite older than me, and asionally offered to carry the monsters I was holding, just like now.
¡°Thanks a bunch. It''s not much, but you can carry those Meadow Mara and Jumplgr rolling on the ground.¡±
¡°Are you sure!? Thank you really, Ren-kun! Ya lot, load them in quick!¡±
Well, I couldn''t carry everything by myself, so I was going to leave them behind either way and let them return to dust. They didn''t have much value eitherpared to the hassle I would have to go through to carry them.
Besides, if we didn''t carry them, they would just be lunch for the vultures or other monsters in no time.
¡°Ah, right! Us folks are from Round Piece! I''m Jess, E-rank. These two are F-rank.¡±
¡°Look at me, not introducing myself properly. I''m Ren from Apple House. I''m still an upstart explorer, so let''s look out for each other.¡±
When I returned the greeting politely, the two standing behind Jess-san whispered in his ears.
¡°...Jess-san, from which angle does he look like ¡®Mad Hound¡¯ Ren? He really doesn''t seem much stronger than me¡¡±
¡°Idiot! Haven''t you heard of how Shu-san or Benza got thrashed earlier!? What makes you think you can handle him when they can''t? Forgive their insolence, Ren-san. I¡¯ll give them an earfulter.¡±
Shu?
Ah, I think he was one of the four idiots who tried to snatch my hunted monsters, calling them his loot. He did introduce himself as such.
I tried to pacify the conflict by offering one to them, but they had the audacity to try and snatch the other as well, so I thoroughly and politely taught them the way of the fist.
¡°Ahaha. I¡¯ve been told that often. Don''t worry, I''m not that petty. By the way, is that red-haired mister alright? I made a mistake in handling him and broke one of his bones, so I was honestly quite worried about him.¡±
Healing bones with medicinal herbs wasn''t rmended since this might lead toplications like healing slightly twisted or off the mark.
¡°Yes! Shu-san has already recovered! Our leaders were impressed that despite being the victim, you disyed magnanimity in conceding when it wasn''t necessary¡ª and that you were more level-headed for a kid!¡±
I had beaten down three of them ¡ª who were older than me ¡ª ck and blue, while thest one was just too weak. And from the look, it would have been a blessing if he could carry his society members back before it turned dark.
It wasn''t like our enmity ran deep, so in the end, I carried them back to their Round Piece gathering ce in a handcart. Upon arriving, I was immediately surrounded by their seasoned society members but they eventually apologized when I gave them a quick rundown of the situation.
They all showed impressive understanding so I didn''t have any bad impression of them as well.
Well, this and that had now led me to have more acquaintances than I could remember.
We parted ways once we arrived at the Apple House, and from there, I left the vultures for the other kids to dismantle.
I kept the feathers while distributing the meat among the kids as payment.
The Boss was obviously not happy with me doing this since the meat was too much of a reward for such simple work. But I somehow persuaded him by saying that they might raise my rank once again ¡ª which I obviously didn''t want ¡ª if I took these vultures to the association, so this was just as important to me.
The only time I visited the trade window was when I hunted down a high-value monster that wasn''t listed among the permanent quests. On the other hand, the kids were also diligent and careful in dismantling since the better they handled it, the better the price the meat might fetch for them.
I was watching them do their work from the garden in a good mood when a tough-looking baldy with a scar running down his cheek came to visit the Boss.
¡°Lynd, are you here?¡±
Unfortunately, Boss wasn''t at the base today.
¡°Boss is out visiting the church, apparently for an adoption of an orphan¡ Who might you be?¡±
¡°Huh, what¡¯s a scrawny kid like you doing in this rundown house?¡ I''m Shell. Lynd and I were raised in this orphanage, so you can say we are kind of like brothers.¡±
Oh, it''s that drinking buddy of the Boss who was apparently gossiping about me. He was the screaming image of an ¡®ouw¡¯ with his disordered style. But the brother of the Boss, huh? That would make him our uncle then.
¡°Hello, I¡¯ve heard a bit about you from the Boss. I''m Ren, who has been in the care of Apple House since this spring. I also heard about you from the warehouse¡¯s Saki-san. If you have any message, I can pass it to him, Uncle.¡±
¡°Uncle?... Whatever. Nah, I don''t have any big reason for the visit. It¡¯s just that, there''s a monster that''s a bit of a pain in the butt to handle alone. Well, it''s not a pressing matter, but it wouldn''t hurt to wipe it out earlier. So I was going to ask for his help and have some booze along the way¡ By the way, you hunted down those vultures?¡±
¡°Just how much booze you want, old baldy!? You see that, brother Ren took it out! Something like a Low Vulture is piss easy for him!¡±
¡°Watch your tongue, kid! It''s rude to talk like this to a guest! You should be more polite when facing them!¡±
I dropped a knuckle on the head of Po, who somehow started boasting about me for no reason.
¡°Ack¡ Understood, Brother Ren¡¡±
Po sulked a bit and returned to dismantling. He was about to start when Uncle Shell took a step toward Po, oozing with a threatening aura.
The intimidation intensity was off the charts to be directed at a powerless kid. Naturally, Po had fallen on his butt.
I wedged myself between them.
¡°I acknowledge his rudeness, but bear in mind he''s still a kid. You should hold back, Uncle.¡±
¡°What? I''m not going to kill him, but a brat like him wouldn''t learn unless they see hell. Move aside, Kid.¡±
I sighed and took a step to the side. I picked up a rusty iron pipe, with a nail embedded in it, that was there on the ground, turned around, and made a full powered swing at the baldy¡¯s stomach.
Baldy used his arms to take the hit. Thwamp A sound, as if it was two metal bars that had bumped into each other, echoed.
Damn, tough! What the hell was this baldy, a cyborg!? I immediately let go of my hand holding the pipe, but right when my body was still recovering from making the earlier attack, his fist rained down.
I loosened my body ¡ª to meet hardness with softness ¡ª since I couldn''t escape or put up my guard on time. Just as I covered my face with body-strengthening magic, hended a precise blow that sent me flying.
I covered mynding ground with body-strengthening magic and crashed into a mountain of rubbish in the garden.
¡°Brother Ren!¡±
Po and the other members screamed.
I quickly stood up and shed a smile to reassure them.
¡°I am going to have a chat with this baldy Shell, so you guys go inside for now.¡±
I put the crowbar I picked up from the debris on my shoulder, and hid some nails in my hand.
However, instead of taking any action, the baldy restrained his intimidation aura and startedughing.
¡°Kuhahaha. Just a nosebleed from my punch? Hey, you¡¯re called Ren, right? I like your brawling style. You¡¯re good, and it looks like Saki taking care of you wasn¡¯t a lie, it seems. You free after this?¡±
¡¡This damned baldy, so he was testing me!
¡°...I''m busy as hell.¡±
Vol. 1 - Ch. 66 - Honey Ant
¡°Come now, quite ring at me! Who sulks like that after a greeting?¡±
¡°Hah, you call that a greeting? I would be lying on a hospital bed with broken bones if I hadn''t used body-strengthening magic in time, Uncle.¡±
¡°Ahahaha! I knew you caught on, with yourx attitude. I couldn''t appear weaker, right? Anyway, if it ends well then all''s well!¡±
¡°Sigh¡ fine. But I better not see this happening again¡ª alright!?¡±
Thump
I followed with a surprise attack on his stomach while I was talking, however, his abdominal muscles were like a piece of iron¡ª hard. And when I held up my balled-up fist with tears almost squeezing out from my eyes from the pain, Uncle Shell burst intoughter.
¡°Fuhaha. You''re quite a cheeky bastard. That said, you¡¯ll have to learn to handle that much if you want to be an explorer, your being a brat doesn''t mean jack shit.
And Lynd too, the heck was he doing? How could he have not told me about you? I would have liked to meet an interesting fe like you earlier.
Hey, Ren. We''re going to the forest north of the capital. Honey ants have made their colony there.¡±
¡°What? No. Didn''t I tell you I''m busy¡ª¡±
¡°But you were just sitting around in a trance earlier. Enough, grow a pair, ande with me. What do you prefer¡ª do you want to be knocked out cold and wake up in the forest, or you will go there on your own?¡±
¡°The hell¡¯s with that absurdity!? Elimination of Honey Ants should be a B-rank quest, ain''t it? Just so you know, I''m mere E-rank. I''m not qualified to join your temporary party.¡±
¡°Oh? I''m surprised you know about it, I''m sure such cases are rare even in the Royal Capital¡¯s vicinity. Studying hard, eh? But if you know, that''s just fine! Besides, don''t sweat over it. It''s not a quest. They¡¯ll target all the magical nts if we leave them alone, so this is more of a voluntary act. We can''t afford to let those monsters run rampant with the already scarce magical nt materials.¡±
¡°What do you mean ¡®that¡¯s just fine¡¯? I''m not budging from here, the end!¡±
¡°That ce is 60km away from here so we''re running there. What? Don''t want to follow? Then I¡¯ll knock you out and carry you by myself.¡±
He''s really deaf when ites to listening to others¡
¡°Are you kidding, it''s already dark! You can''t go there unprepared. Not that I''m going!¡±
¡°Why would I need preparation just to handle the neighborhood? It''s piss easy like taking a stroll in the park. Let''s settle this quickly and hit some booze. Man, you should be rejoicing more, Ren. You''re going to see the performance of Shell Monstel from up close.¡±
Uncle said and snapped his fingers.
What, Shell Monstel?!
¡°... Who the heck are you!?¡±
¡ô
We took a ride on a Magic Car to the 3rd Avenue intersection and then sprinted out of the Royal Capital.
The world was already dyed in darkness.
That was his reaction when I said I didn''t know him. I exined I was just a country bumpkin who had just arrived from the Dragoon territory this summer.
I might be interested in monsters but getting to know about the bigwigs wasn''t on my list of interests. But I was still surprised when I heard that he was one of the few S-rank adventurers in this Kingdom. He had looked at me with skepticism that I didn''t even know that.
60km wasn''t a big distance but Uncle''s pace was fast. I was already having a tough time running on the dark, unmaintained path with just strengthening my eyes, however, he didn''t even stop somewhere to rest while keeping a pace that I could barely follow.
I was panting like a dog when we reached our destination.
¡°W-what speed¡ You have my respect, Uncle. Huff But I need to take a short rest, or I would be out ofmission to do anything.¡±
¡°Ahahaha! I was pushing you to exhaustion and then I would have carried you, but I never expected you would be able to catch up. You¡¯ve got some stamina, kid!¡±
He appeared to be in a good mood, apparently finding the whole ordeal amusing. Then, he entered the forest, treating my request like air.
¡°Let''s wrap this up quickly, my throat is in some dire need of a good beer.¡±
¡°Let''s block every other entrance of the nest except two and then chase them from one end. They might dig a sub-tunnel and escape from there if we don''t leave them an escape route.¡±
¡°Hmm, impressive~. Well, that much was to be expected from a ss A talent.¡±
¡°...You noticed?¡±
¡°It was obvious even if I didn¡¯t want to notice. The Royal Capital might be vast being the heart of the kingdom but not every 12-year-old, E-rank brat is capable of trodding on the night-veiled path with that pace, looking all dandy.¡±
¡°Hey, I''m not dandy at all! I really want some timeout¡¡±
¡°Leave the chatting forter. Time to clean up these pests. We''re going to have honey ant barbeque and beer, baby!¡±
Don''t try to be a selective deaf, damn baldy!
Well, at least it didn''t seem like he was going to give me special treatment. If anything, I guess I was now curious about my open-minded yet bold Uncle who, despite having a status, looked no different than any other explorer.
I was right: explorer meant a whimsical life.
¡ô
¡°We''re here, this is the anthill. It''s apparently 30m in height and 150m in diameter. And they have yet to finish constructing it.¡±
Uncle Shell said as he destroyed the unsteady entrance sticking out outside while bare-handed, crushing the Soldier Ants, who jumped out of the holes feeling threatened, in a 50m area.
Insect-type monsters usually had tough carapaces¡ I feared his strength was even higher than Dante-san, a member of the knight order known for his strength. This uncle of mine was a monster in human skin as well, huh¡
¡°And groundwork is done. I¡¯ll start pursuing the monsters from the opposite side, while you, Ren, stand guard by this entrance. Don''t mind the others, just make sure to target the queen¡ª it¡¯s the one with the wings. She¡¯ll most likely try to get out first.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
It should have been around two minutes when I started hearing the sounds of Uncle Shell fighting from the opposite side of the Anthill.
It was easy to catch the sound or magic in caves like this even from a distance. However, this also made pinpointing the location of the sound a headache.
I picked up the sound of a group heading towards this direction in a straight line while what seemed to be a flock of Soldier Ants were swooping down at Uncle to earn time. The first group must be the Queen¡¯s, no doubt.
I waited and when I picked up the sound of the Queen Ant convoy turning around at thest corner, I shot an iron arrow.
My arrow crushed the eye of the leading Soldier Ant that let out a death throe-like ¡®screeee¡¯ sound and turned into a lifeless husk. In a heartbeat, three other Soldier Ants rushed towards me.
The Queen Ant however turned back inside the cave. I immediately followed with another arrow, aiming at the ant¡¯s eye, only for it to be repelled by her tough carcass.
The ants retaliated by shooting their acid.
I hurriedly dodged the acid, closed the distance, and kicked one to overturn it. With its stomach left vulnerable, I swiftly stabbed it with my Banry firm knife to end its life.
I opened the distance between us and re-used scouting magic to read the cave¡¯s internal situation while keeping an eye on the Queen Ant.
¡¡This is bad. Uncle was busy kicking down the other ants while they had opened another entrance in the cave. The Queen''s convoy was now directly aiming for that exit.
Uncle had yet to notice this path in his advance and that he was about to miss the Queen Ant.
I activated my body-strengthening magic to its full extent, leaped out of that hole, and circled the cave to rush toward the newly formed entrance.
I was there in nick of time.
I hesitated for a moment before pulling out the arrow with the MacAquate mineral arrowhead.
The Queen Ant had already leaped out of the hole. My enhanced vision wasn''t on par with night vision, but the sound of its wings pping in the dark night was enough. I turned my aim in that direction and released my arrow, which easily pierced the Queen Ant and it dropped to the ground.
Truly, money solved problems. My 2000 rea arrow showed its worth tonight.
I headed to the Queen Ant''s direction and by the time I reached her, she had already drawn herst breath.
¡°Hey, sounds like you have my ass covered¡ But boy, you already have one heck of a scouting range at your age. I did hear from Godorfun about your visits to the 3rd Legion. So what, are you now Dew''s subordinate or something?¡±
Uncle Shell said as he approached from behind.
¡°Right. I have taken Dew-san as my mentor and have been under his tutge.¡±
¡°Aha! I heard you talk him down, but I guess that old man is still an old fox¡ Just how long have you been dancing on his palm, eh?¡±
I shrugged my shoulders in response.
¡°He really knows how to make others dance to his whims. My guess about his goals is no better than the others. No matter how much you roast that old man, it''s hard to tell what he actually is cooking.¡±
¡°Hahaha! No shit. Anyway, let''s collect the honey from the Queen Ant''s belly. Someone else wille at ater date to retrieve the materials here. It''s beer time!¡±
Alcohol, huh?¡
Intoxication wasn''t a problem with the magic in this world, so the general drinking age was 12 when the kid''s magic organ had finished developing.
Well, I was still a bit appalled about drinking in my current appearance. However, I have no n to be adamant about it when my goal is the ouw life.
¡°What''s with that mystified expression? Alcohol is a part of being an explorer if you want to tread on this path, just so you know. Whether it''s merry-making withrades or resistance to poison.¡±
¡°Wait, you can increase your resistance to poison with alcohol?¡±
¡°Hn? You don''t even know that? You have quite the mismatched knowledge. The elimination of foreign substances through mana relies on your experience in drinking. This is why the pompous aristocrats also make themselves familiar with alcohol. The same goes for first-ss explorers. Too much drinking is also no better than poison but leaving aside likes or dislikes, try to have alcohol once in a while as training. Alright, time to go.¡±
I really wasn''t aware of that! But if that was true, then I guess I really couldn''t ignore it! Yes, definitely. It was all part of training.
¡°Ah, can I retrieve my knife first? I left my knife lodged into a Soldier Ant at the first entrance when I rushed here.¡±
I said, and so I returned to where the Soldier Ant was. However, the ant I stabbed with my knife was nowhere to be seen.
Haa, and here I had finally gotten used to it after using it every day. Bummer¡
Vol. 1 - Ch. 67 - Explorer’s Tavern
Tucked away in the side street from the main avenue, was a brick-and-mortar shop that catered to explorers in the Royal Capital that I entered alongside Uncle Shell.
With the clock ticking 10 PM, one could hear the ruckus created by the drunken customers all the way to the main avenue.
The shop was modeled after a dining bar, with 10 round wooden tables ced here and there and 8 counter tables in front of the bar counter. And two huge fangs decorated the wall behind that counter ¡ª which I presumed to be the origin of this shop''s name ¡ª each one meter long.
When we were in, Uncle raised his hand towards the middle-aged person handling the counter, perhaps the master of the ce, who gestured towards the back of the shop with his chin. His hands whipping out the food did not stop for a moment.
I followed to the spot pointed out and saw Boss Lynd and the warehouse¡¯s Saki already having their drink at the furthest table. The other tables were upied with veteran-looking, decently equipped explorers when I took this chance to nce around at the clientele.
I guess Uncle Shell must have been some sort of bigshot as everyone stopped their actions the instant he entered the shop. And I, who looked no different than a kid still wet behind the ears equipped with beginner equipment, received just as many gazes seeing I was with him. Their gazes were inquisitive yet somewhat mocking.
I enhanced my super-hearing to listen in to their conversations:
¡°Hey, who''s that with the bow following behind Shell? Never seen him before.¡±
¡°There''s also Lynd at the back, I bet it should be that ¡®Mad Hound'' the kids of the other societies are making a fuss about. I remember he''s a short bow user as well.¡±
"Pff, you gotta be pullin'' my leg. See how he''s gazin'' ''round like he just rolled in from some hick town? I reckon even our alley pups got more sense than him. I''m fixin'' to give that youngster a lesson in tavern etiquette, bein'' the seasoned explorer ''round here.¡±
¡°¡ªough. Cut it out, will ya? It w¡¯uld be a pain in the ass to deal with tha Shell or Lynd.¡±
"Cut it out. It''s normal to catch a few bumps in a tavern brawl, they won''t step in. They''d be a joke if they did.¡±
¡®Woah, now this is the devil-may-care attitude of adventurers itching to roughen up newbies with their fists for real!¡¯ should have been my feelings¡¡ Normally¡¡ But I was dead tired after having to run around without even a break.
As if I wasn''t already exhausted, my oh-so-great Uncle decided to further speed up on the way back just because he couldn''t wait to swim in beer. Look, he wasn¡¯t even paying any heed to the conversations going around. I bet his mind was now only filled with beer.
¡°You knew you would find them here?¡±
¡°You bet. They know the next stop I would be taking after learning about our outing to handle the Honey Ants¡¯ den would be to indulge in Ant Honey Grilled Rock Lizard and beer.¡±
He said with a grin. Then we headed for the table of the Boss and all while I was wracking my brain on how I could escape this situation with minimal effort.
At the end of the day, I would just see how it went. I abandoned thinking any further and followed after him. Just when I was about to go past that scout-looking boy who was looking for a fight, he had one of his legs out to trip me. Haa, so cliche.
I didn''t turn to nce at them but I don''t even need to guess the shit-eating grin on their faces.
¡®Seriously?,¡¯ I sighed in my mind at such an uninspired way of bullying. If this was a galge game, it would have looked like this¡ª
Option A: Kick that leg, make a ruckus, and rify everything.
Option B: Dodge the leg and give them a breezy greeting.
¡..Though either of them would just unlock headache-inducing events. So I just let myself get caught up in this childish act.
As a result, I, of course, tripped and rolled forward, ending up with a nosebleed.
¡°Ah, my bad.¡±
I apologized to my senior who was just ready tounch a counterattack with a mocking smile and made my way towards where the Boss was while pressing on my nose.
¡°Pfft, and they called him ¡®Mad Hound''. My foot.¡±
¡°What''s funny about bullying the weak? Ya seriously suck man.¡±
I ignored whatever they were talking about.
¡°What the heck was that?¡±
My act must have been obvious to the Boss as he asked with a skeptical look.
¡°... I''m just dead tired after Uncle Shell made me run like a horse.¡±
¡°...So you let yourself get tripped and get a nosebleed? C¡¯mon, you were still fine after taking a strengthened punch¡ Even just giving them a taste of your fist would have been faster.¡±
¡°Ahaha! I see you''re still an entric brat.¡±
Uncle was exasperated while Saki-sanughed out loud.
¡ô
¡°Aren''t you just asking for trouble here, Shell? You know kids, especially those who can''t take care of their diapers, are strictly out! Doesn''t matter if it''s with your introduction. Boy,e back when you''re D-rank.¡±
Unlike the pretty waitress fluttering around and taking the orders at the other tables, our order was taken by a robust granny, apparently the owner of the ce. She red at me from the get-go.
So, like what, was this store only for D-rank and above explorers?
¡°Long time, Pan. This guy has some things going on. And it''s not like no one but D-rank explorers are allowed here, no? So just let it be.¡±
¡°Yeah, it''s not. But a little boying in here thiste in the evening is just asking for trouble, what happened just now was a good example. Take the boy''s feelings into ount as well.¡±
¡°Geez, what a pain! That''s why you should have just stuffed them with punches, Ren! Trouble is on you, so go and give them a taste of your fist! I expected more from the man of the rumor!¡±
¡°Shut up with your absurdness¡ Anyway, yours is ¡®Ant Honey Grilled Rock Lizard and beer¡¯, right?¡±
While I was smiling wryly at his words, Uncle''s mood became upbeat again.
¡°I almost forgot. Here, Pan! It''s the honey of the honey ants as a souvenir from yours truly. Grill as many rock lizards as you can and bring them here! Also, add up a middle-sized barrel each for me and this boy. Put it in priority!¡±
¡°Haa~, fine. I don''t care what happenster.¡±
Pan-san reluctantly agreed and retreated to the back of the shop.
Just when I thought I was finally going to get some peace, that scout from earlier and his threerades all started chattering in a loud voice to let everyone in the shop hear them.
¡°Tsk, Ant Honey Grilled Rock Lizard for that brat, really?¡±
¡°I heard ¡®Apple House¡¯ was already a decadent husk, but I never expected them to mooch off of Shell for luxury.¡±
¡°Truly a lowly act from the bottom rung bunch.¡±
A vein popped up on the forehead of both the Boss and Uncle and they turned to re at me. They jerked their chins, telling me to ¡®Go and take care of them.¡¯
Come on, let a tired man take his respite for goddamn sake!
¡®Fine,¡¯ I reluctantly stood up from my seat.
E/N - I understand that the MC was too tired to deal with this cliche but I don¡¯t get letting himself trip over that jerk¡¯s leg. Just circle around, avoid it, or walk out. He had so many other options.
T/N - Well, avoiding would have escted the situation as MC mentioned.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 68 - Explorers Tavern (2)
Following my rise from my seat, as I turned toward them, the scout and the man next to him, seemingly a frontliner, stood up almost at the same time.
"What''s with that face, stinky brat..."
"Wannain huh, you leech?!"
I briskly advanced toward their table and decked that scout ¡ª who was about to say something like ''A brat like you better stay behind his mothe¡ª'' but couldn''t finish ¡ª with a punch. The scout vaulted onto the table and rolled to the other side.
Haa, all bark but no bite. He was apparently down in a single punch.
"What gave you the guts to look down on ''Apple Familia'' huh, punk?"
I stared at the frontliner-like man and cross-examined him with an ouw-ish look that I had cultivated in my recent joint work with the other explorers.
Y''know, I was dead tired and thirsty as hell, and then these punks had toe and waste my time.
The face of the frontliner turned red from rage.
"You¡¯ve done it now, brat! You runt! Come on ya lot, surround him!"
A tank-like frontliner on my left, a mage on my right, and from the equipment, a swordsman across the table¡ Three people stood up at the frontliner¡¯s call. I decided to give him a piece of my mind first of all. I nailed a punch on his stomach and then delivered a knee strike to his chin just as his body had bent in a < shape from my punch.
My recent brawls with other folks had kind of given me a keen insight into how heavy-handed I could be before it broke their bones so I could injure them just enough.
''Hmm, did I make a mistake? Was he actually a mage?'' The tank apparently wasn¡¯t so tanky and crumbled on the spot without even putting up a fight. Seems like he hasn''t trained himself to take punches without strengthening himself.
Right then, the swordsman-like guy across the table stepped on it and jumped at me but he was too slow. Even taking drunkenness into ount, his proficiency in body-strengthening wasn''t worth a sneeze, and not much better than an ordinary person.
It didn''t take much effort as I grabbed the pants from where the snail guy was kicking and hoisted him up. Being held in the air, the swordsman was unable to make a propernding as he dropped headfirst. He was clearly not cut out for work that utilized the motor nerves unless he strengthened himself...
My hand was still grabbing the ankle of the swordsman. I used him as a sort of hammer and took a huge swing, bumping him with the mage before throwing him at the adjacent table.
It was a pain in the ass that I honestly wasn''t in the mood to deal with, but it sounded like some people just didn¡¯t like their quiet life. Then I might as well sort out all those that dared to look down on ¡®Apple House¡¯, and beat them ck and blue. At least, there would be no flies buzzing around when I sat down to eat.
Crash!
"What the hell are you doing, brat?!"
The group of six men who were sitting at the table where the swordsman just crashed stood up in one breath.
"... Don''t think you''re gonna save your ass by keeping quiet. You thought I didn''t hear, huh? Just because we kept quiet doesn''t mean you can take things for granted. What was it, ''If the mad hound is no more than a wet puppy, let''s pick on the brats of Apple House again from tomorrow onwards'', huh? You really know how to get on people¡¯s nerves, and here I tried to ignore you. You know what happens to those who dare to look down on ?!"
I didn''t hold back in body-strengthening this time as I immediately closed the distance with that man who ridiculed ¡®Apple House¡¯ earlier and mmed him onto the table.
"Make sure you learn your lesson!"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Hah, anyone else who feels like taking a shot at ''Apple House''?"
After thoroughly teaching the ways of the world to these ridiculing punks, I shouted, roaming my gaze all over the floor.
No reply. Ascertaining that, I returned to my table, and¡ saw that others had already started. The Boss didn''t even turn his gaze and happily gulped down his beer.
In fact, Uncle had already emptied a keg-sized beer barrel that could probably hold two liters for his first round, finishing even my share, and was about to get a refill.
"Hey, hey. Now that''s a shitty move, Uncle! You know my throat is as dry as a desert! You can at least save me a cup or two, can''t you!?"
"Hmph. Who told you to be a slowpoke? That''s why I said look around before pulling your punches."
"You¡¯ve really surprised me, Boy. But you''re also a customer of this store. Feel free to swing by here," said Pan-san, who just bought two other keg-sized beer barrels.
Just when I thought she was going to give me a lecture over the brawl, she just epted me as a customer... What''s with this store? It''ll be fine, right?
"Hmph. And which mouth just said I shouldn''t bring a brat still in his diapers in this tavern bustling with explorers."
"It''s what it is, I¡¯m just following the policy of that person (Master). Well if I have to say now. He''s a customer of course. Anyway, who''s to foot the bill for those shattered dishes?"
Hearing that, Uncle Shell put up a grin, looking all sunny, and raised his thumb.
"Do you even need to ask? But of course, Ren, who destroyed them."
......
"Don''t fuck with me, baldy! Who was the one who couldn''t keep his mouth shut, and now shirking away? This should be where you should have acted like a hunk and said something like, ''Let the adult take care of it...''!"
"Shuddap! I said to bash these bastards in! Not the tes! Your fault, you pay! One should clean up their mess by themselves, it''s the rule of this tavern!"
"I''m broke as hell! Aren''t you an S-rank or something? It wouldn''t hurt you to cough up some of your money!!"
"I have a policy: to not keep today''s money for tomorrow."
Baldy said with a touch of pride.
So, a penniless S-ranker? I thought he was sort of a rich guy, but he turned out to be a good-for-nothing old fart...
I take a nce at the Boss. Our eyes met but he was sporting a Buddha-like peaceful face, as if he was immersed in his own world¡ª cosmos. Yup, he had no intention to pay even a single rea either I see.
"Seriously... Not only did I lose my knife after being taken into that ants¡¯ nest hole, but I even had to use my expensive arrow."
My head hung in dejection. Then, Uncle tapped his palm with his fist as if he just recalled something.
"Oh yeah, we just came back from hunting! Hey, Saki. We dealt with some pests today inside an ants¡¯ nest, with a height of 30 meters and a diameter of 150 meters. We might have missed a couple of soldiers since it was night, but most should have been taken out. Have them picked up tomorrow, how much can I expect?"
Saki-san replied without a second thought.
"I guess it should be a mid-size nest, judging from the queen''s honey sack earlier. Rest will depend on the soldier ants¡¯ carapace, acid sacks, and how many unhatched cocoons there are. But I believe it should be around 100,000 rea at the minimum, after removing the cost of workers for retrieving the materials."
100,000 rea for just a couple of hours¡¯ work!? Holy hell, that was almost ten million yen in Japan?! This amount was on par with what I had saved in thest two months from knight and explorer work after a lot of struggle, to fund the geography club.
Normally, it was a task for a fully-equipped B-rank explorer party... I really wished I could somehow get some advance for expenses and te costs...
While I was dumbfounded hearing the estimation, Uncle Shell gave me a thumbs up with his usual dandy grin.
"My principle is to not save money, so foot the bill for today. In exchange, you can treat yourself with that amount."
"What?! We''re talking about 100,000 rea! Are you sure?!"
"Yup, either way, I would just lose them in gambling so this is fine. Besides, didn''t I hand over your hunter queen''s honey sack? Take it aspensation for that."
Wee-hooo!
"Thank you very much, Esteemed Uncle! I will follow you for a lifetime!"
Just as I regained my spirit, Uncle nodded and shouted out aloud.
"You heard it!? Ren''s going to be treating you guys today! Drink yourselves under the table!"
...Haa, so the treat was for the whole store!?
However, the air in the store was a bit heavy from my outburst a while ago. I didn''t think there would be any cheeky fe who would ride on his offer¡ª
"Whistle! Truly worthy of the name Mad Hound! Yo, Sis, 5 keg-sized beer barrels for me!"
Or so I naively thought, but cheerfully, everyone already started ordering one after another. Even the one I had knocked down earlier didn''t shy away from participating.
What a bunch of simpletons...
Vol. 1 - Ch. 69 - Explorers Tavern (3)
Just as I was cradling my throbbing head from thinking how much rea the beer these folks were gonna guzzle down was going to cost, the Boss stepped in to give me a rundown.
"Worry not, this store doesn''t sell any expensive liquor, at best it would cost around 50,000 rea even if they drank all of the tavern''s stored liquor under the table. You know, just think of it as an investment and forget about it. Your skills have long outgrown the current equipment that you''re wearing, not vice-versa. I mean, yeah, it''s better to focus on one thing than being the master of none but at least buy something that¡¯llst longer. Right, don''t forget to keep checking your equipment, you''re someone with wind on your legs when ites to growth."
Haa, there goes half of my windfall... But, the Boss''s words were indeed correct. I would, and by extension , have fewer punks daring to underestimate me. The less trouble there was, the easier it was to work.
Honestly, I had taken a liking to that knife, but at the end of the day its purpose was to help in gathering and it sucked at dismantling. It would be great if I could use it like a sword, so I guess my next choice would be something with a longer reach.
"Alright. I¡¯ll put it in priority and have a talk with the people from the arms store where I¡¯m a regr."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you, why haven''t you raised your rank yet? Your problem of money can be easily solved by epting higher rank requests."
"Hmm? I¡¯m surprised you know about my explorer rank situation...... Well, I have two reasons. I wanted to experience the work of an explorer from the ground up, and the second is, well, quite a lot of embellished rumors about me are spreading. I don''t want to give any more food to the rumor mill and have them spout things like breaking through the ranks with unprecedented speed or something like that."
"Well, of course, I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on you. I¡¯ve heard things from Satowa. Man, and here I had given the order to rank you up as soon as possible even with simple grass medicinal herb requests just so that I could check your abilities with my own eyes in the nomination request, and here you are, like a bear in hibernation, as if you have swore to not rank up. I thought it was just the knightly work dying you when I heard you join one, but look at you sneakily letting the kids dismantle the low vultures you hunt in the garden. So that was all just a pretense."
Wait a minute. He sounded like he was one of the association employees and someone in one of those bigwig positions to boot. Oh yeah, he just said Satowa, didn''t he?... Damn, so much for the tight-lipped. This made it the second time now.
"Are you an employee at the association, Uncle? You know, Satowa has such a cheap mouth to spread embellished rumors about me. Can you believe it, he said he¡¯ll only tell the president."
"Huh, you still don''t know? He¡¯s none other than the President of the Explorer Association."
The Boss, who was listening in on our discussion, suddenly dropped a bomb with a breezy expression.
"E-Ehhh!? You surely jest, Boss. How in the world does this person look like anyone important!? I really wonder how the association is doing with a person as financially inept as him at the head."
"Dahaha! It would flop, of course. I have my excellent Vice-Presidents to deal with pain in the butt work. Me? Call me Mr. Fighting Specialist! Anyway, I received a report from Satowa, and I was the one who issued the rank-up at any achievement order for you!
And you see, I hardly get such amusing stories so the next thing I knew, I talked about it at the tavern. Then some upper-ss nobility came to Satowa for intel which he couldn''t turn down so he snitched in the end! Hahaha¡ª o!"
My hand involuntarily decked Uncle''s head.
"Aren''t you the root of all evil then!? Really, just give me a break!"
I was just getting into an argument with Uncle when Pan-san came pushing an absurdly huge cart loaded with meat. Just a sniff of the rising aroma from the meat was enough to make my mouth water. The meat was as huge as a rice bag, which I believe should be 60kg. Hey, hey, could we really finish it off with just us four?!
"It''s grilled! The oval part is the rib roast, the circle is the tail, and on the bone is the belly meat. Regrettably, there¡¯s only that much cheek meat. Who is going to eat it?"
"Well, it''s a treat for Ren today, and besides, he was the one who took down the queen as well. We¡¯ve already eaten it many times, so let him have it."
Damn, why was he considerate only at this time? Kuh, I can''t even bring myself toin.
"Sure, sure. It''s your first time, right? Here, try out every part."
"Thank you very much."
While Pan-san cut up the meat, Uncle, still ring at me, said,
"Alright. I¡¯ve already seen your actual skill since that was all there was for the raising rank order so I¡¯ll put a stop to it now. Just ask Lynd and you can contact me anytime. But your skills are already on par with a B-rank explorer, and including that scouting skill of yours, I bet even A-rank parties would want to get you on their team. Listen well, just being strong isn''t enough, rank is just as important. There¡¯ll always be pests around to cause problems ¡ª the earlier brawl was an example ¡ª and if you don''t want to stop at every step, C-rank is the minimum. The higher you go in rank, the more respected you are in the Association, so having you ying truant like this is just a waste of time."
In short, ¡®Get your rank the hell up!¡¯ was what he was implying. In my case, though, I had taken andpleted quite a good amount of low-rank quests ranging from F to D rank in thest month alone. And then, there were also Amur and Loye-aniki as well as Coco and Al whom I made temporary parties with as my cover.
I would have toplete a D-rank quest solo or be a leader of a party who couldplete an equivalent level quest if I wanted to be promoted from my current rank E to D. This was something I had learned from that olddy at the eastern branch. I mean, all her excuses came down to ''because it''s the rule'' so I might as well note down all the rules. There was no way Satowa could do anything if I didn''t fulfill all the criteria.
But yeah, I had more or less enjoyed what I wanted to do, if anything, theck of money wasing back to bite me. There were so many things I wanted to buy but I had no money to buy them.
"Hmm, I think I don''t mind raising my rank to C, but I do wish that no strange rumors start flying around again¡ Don''t you have any idea how to avoid that?"
"There is. It''s a bit of an obscure rule, but you can register yourself as an explorer using an alias if you have a valid reason. Besides, it''s me who approves these things in the end, so I guess you can avoid the ruckus by registering as ''Ren''. Just in case, I¡¯ll put the gag order to hide the fact that ''Ren'' and ''Allen Rovenne'' are connected. What do you say, isn''t it wless?"
There was such hidden waaaay!? Oh god, that was really a lifesaver. I had been taking precautions to not show my license to anyone besides Saki-san, but it was always like walking on eggshells.
"Fine. I¡¯ll rank up to C-rank. So, what do I have to do?"
A grin crept on Uncle''s face as he heard my words.
"I¡¯ll pass my words down so you just need to visit the headquarters with your license. Let''s say your effort in dealing with the honey ant''s nest was a request, so you¡¯ve basically alreadypleted the requirement. Anyway, that''s enough brainy chatter! Come on, drink and dine! Oi, you lot! Who wants a bite of the rock lizard steak grilled with honey ants queen¡¯s honey? Ren took her down with his bow. Firste first serve!"
Following Uncle''s shout, the other explorers, who had been eagerly eyeing the meat, immediately burst into cheers.
"Hurry up, eat while it''s still hot!"
The four types of steak Pan-san served glistened with a glossy ze reminiscent of teriyaki. I worked my knife first on a rib roast and tried it out.
Delish! Woah, that was really delicious. I think this was pretty much the first time I¡¯ve been so moved by this world''s cooking. If anything, it wasn''t sugary at all, contrary to the image the ant queen¡¯s honey gave off.
The steak, although grilled with honey, had its sweetness mellowed out by the reddish-brown sauce made of but not limited to pepper ¡ª they were spicier than the ones from Earth ¡ª and herbs which Pan-san dubbed the ''store-secret sauce.''
Rock lizards usually had beefy muscles which made their meat quite hard, but the one on my te was extremely soft and chewy. Apparently, the honey ant''s honey could dramatically soften the meat when rubbed on it.
I couldn''t stop myself from smacking my lips at the st of vor from the rib''s thin meat, the refined taste, and the punch from the secret sauce that exploded in my mouth with each bite. I was a bit jealous that the Boss and the others ate this on a regr basis.
The tail was more meaty, with only a slight hint of fat. However, it was still so supple and juicy that you could easily poke into it with your finger. It seemed like the tail was Saki-san''s favorite part.
The belly meat that apanied the ribs was slightly stiff but rich with fat. It was definitely the one that packed the densest taste of them all. Uncle had served himself a 10kg portion of it.
Overall, the ant honey worked as a binder to keep all the vor locked in while spicy sauce worked to overpower its sweetness, leaving behind soft, juicy meat packed with vor. The alcohol was strong, but in my opinion, a refreshing beer with a more crisp vor went down easily, no matter how much you had.
I left the grilled cheek meat forst. Saki-san told me how a te of the same cost a ridiculously 3000 rea at a first-ss restaurant in the Royal Capital. I mean, yeah, food tasted better when hot but were you really a normal person if you didn''t leave the tastiest part for the end?
Just as I was drowning myself in the spectacrbo of the meat and beer, one of the explorers whom I had shot down earlier approached my seat.
"Hey, I¡¯m the C-rank explorer Bert. Still, you sure pack quite a punch for a kid, huh? I was surprised. By the way...... Aren''t you going to stop that?"
The ''that'' he pointed at was the brawl between the Boss and Uncle. Apparently, Uncle was mad that the Boss didn''t inform him about me joining ''Apple House'' and grabbed his cor. They had been going at it since then.
"And I¡¯m saying I kept quiet to avoid forming any prejudice because you saaaaid you wanted to see him with your own eyes!"
"And I¡¯m saying then you should have just told me already for damn sake! How many months have gone down the gutter because of that, haaaa!?"
"No joke, I ain''t free! No one¡¯s stopping you froming to visit!"
"So you want to do it, you bastard?"
"Damn, bring it on!"
I just looked at them and shook my head. My body was already screaming for rest, no way was I gonna stick my neck in there and shoot myself in the foot.
"I have no reason to stop them from fighting. See, even Saki-san is focusing on his beer, so just leave them alone. Aaa~~h, delish! I can eat this for days without getting bored, really!"
"...Pat You sure are going to be something big, kid."
Bert-san said while patting my shoulder. He then returned to his seat.
I was about to continue when the Boss, having been tossed by Uncle, crashed on where I was, and took down the apple of my eye, the cheek meat steak, with him. The dish and whatever meat was on it was now eating dust, literally.
"A-AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
A despair-filled scream escaped from my mouth. Uncle turned to nce at what it was all about and spouted, "Hnn, what''s the big deal? It just fell, it¡¯s not the end of the world. Just give it one or two ''fu-fu'' and eat it!"
?!
D-Did he just tell me to ''fu-fu'' the food from the floor, the same floor that who knew how many mud-covered shoes have walked on? To me who had been raised in a gourmet superpower and a clean-freak nation that was Japan!? Damn you old fart, now you¡¯ve done it!!
"Y-Y-Y-You dare to say that even after everything that happened?! Fuck you baldie! Boss, let''s take him down!!"
Afterward was a tragedy.
He was shit strong when it came to a fistfight. The Boss and I tag-teamed him and managed to put up a good fight at the start, but eventually, we were both overpowered. And when I thought there wasn''t enough force on our side, a few people joined in the fray for fun and it eventually turned into a store-wide brawl.
In the end, the owner finally snapped and had it settled with a drinking contest. But we lost even in that, and all the cost of tables and dishes destroyed in the brawl was put on my bill to pay. Yeah, all the 100,000 rea that I hadn''t even seen once went down the drain in one night. Down to thest dime.
The following day, I was promoted to B-rank.
It seemed like Uncle only left a half-assed exnation, so when I visited the headquarters with my license the next day, I was directly promoted to B-rank. I protested to the receptionist sister but I was once again told the ''because it''s the rule'' line. What else could I have done there?
The day after that, I directly protested to Uncle, but he had apparently forgotten it all in the hangover and said to let bygones be bygones. I just couldn¡¯t get through to him at all.
This damn baldie, he surely hid his con-man-like shrewdness behind his muscle-brain appearance. And I walked into his trap. Haa......
E/N - Lots toment this chapter. I lol¡¯ed at Shell¡¯s proposal for the MC to use his Ren alias as if it wasn¡¯t already known that Ren=Allen based on Jeu¡¯s chapter. Then the meat description made me so hungry I had to buy food while I was editing this ??. Lastly F to the cheek meat
T/N - Only known to very few people, as Jeu mentioned that ¡®they have a headstart over others.¡¯ From the next chapter starts the blood bat¡ªI mean Mc¡¯s sister arc. It will touch on that incident as well.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 70 - A Terrifying Letter
"Wait a minute, boy. There''s a letter for you."
On the morning of a certain weekend.
I was just about to return to my room after having the usual crappy breakfast when Sora, the dorm mother, passed me a cursed letter¡ª the usual three sheets of paper folded into a cute floral patterned envelope.
Indeed, it was from my elder sister. I didn''t even need to guess what she had written.
The first page started on a merry note, mentioning my exploits ¡ª I didn''t even know why she was gathering all of that ¡ª like my connections in the school, my club activities, my assignment from Godorfun, my provisional knightship, and even my explorer work. It ended with a ''Just as expected from Allen-kun.''
The second page was basically a bit about her and the things she wanted to do with me, beginning with her noting the new research she was pouring her effort on¡ª a magical device to have a conversation with me when we were apart, the so-called phone from Earth. Then she kicked off by boasting about me to her research academy friends, how she wanted me to meet them, and the ce she wanted to go with me like a restaurant or a tailor shop in the Royal Capital, and so on.
By this point, I had already picked up her bad mood from in-between her words. And finally¡ª the cursed third page.
¡®I know it''s a busy time for you, but it has been a really long time since west saw each other and if you don''te out to see me today, I will have to breach through the security of the Academy and sneak into the dormitory. That cursed security of the Royal Academy! They easily found my monitoring magical tool that recorded the morning club activities of the Hill Road Club and didn''t even give it a second thought before destroying it. I almost wanted to raze the school to the ground.¡¯
The whole third page was like a curse chant with some of the words being dragged out and written in a heavy-handed manner. I didn''t want to imagine how many times she must have broken the lead tip in frustration.
If there was anything I knew about my elder sister, it was that the more I stalled it forter, the more it would fan her temper, and when she exploded for real, there would be nothing left for me to take cover in. Still, against my better judgment, I decided to turn a blind eye to it. Soon, it had been four months since my enrollment.
The letters continued to arrive to this date, and I had made sure to seal all of them in the dark region of my desk without opening them. Today was no different, or it should have been but I was foiled by Al, who had been eating on the same table.
"There sure is no end to these cute letters of yours, huh, Allen? Hey, is it possibly from your hometown lover?"
These words instantly caused a sparkle to sh in one of the girl''s eyes. Giving off a ss-president vibe by appearance but was actually just a young woman with a lot of superficial knowledge about sex¡ª Kate.
"A long-distance rtionship between the 3rd son of a destitute viscount and a childhood friend from the sticks!? On one side, there''s this naive town girl, harboring even now an ember of feeling for the childhood friend who, after enrolling into the Royal Academy, is almost like a denizen of a different world! On the other hand, the scum who used to be a rustic boy but had been dyed in the color of the Royal Capital, mercilessly trampled on these feelings, ensnaring girls left and right! But in the end, tired from all the womanizing, the scum actually chose the childhood friend who had always been by his side, like heaven even for a sinner like him...... No way, the unseen dark horse! You sure managed to hide this dark horse well!"
And not betraying my notion of her, Kate prattled off with a flushed face. Sheesh, she was just like those gossipy auntiesmonce in my previous world.
"And what I am hearing now, Allen? Pray tell me, what''s the origin of this dear dark horse of yours? Here I thought you were just ate-bloomer when ites to girls, but I never expected you to be so secretive..."
"So Allen-san likes simple-minded girls..."
Lo and behold, the chatter had already attracted the two flies.
"Seriously¡ Who''re you calling scum¡ This is just a well wishes letter from a family member¡ª my elder sister. I haven''t visited her ever since school started because of my busy schedule."
"Huh, so this adorable-looking letter is actually from that ''Tempest Rose''? Still, isn''t it a bit weird for siblings to send letters this frequently... Ah, right. Just when are you going to introduce me to your sister? You really are slippery like an eel whenever ites to this topic. What happened to our promise from back then on the magic train before the entrance exam?¡±
Oh right. She did ask me, huh? Itpletely slipped my mind. Nope, never. It would be a disaster for sure. She was one of those insensitive types who wouldn''t even bat an eye on hurling jokes ¡ª funny no one except her ¡ª like ''We''re more than lovers, less than a couple.'' I don''t even know what kind of Pandora¡¯s box she might open.
I bet I would be reading ¡ª yes, not just hearing from the rumors ¡ª that ¡®my biological sister started a bloodshed against someone of the Marquis Dragoon family, beating even her little brother ck and blue, who couldn''t stop her despite being a member of the knight order as an apprentice'' headlining in tomorrow''s newspaper. Maybe, the kingdom might even have one less viscount family in their survey the next day.
I was about to give one of my usual dodgy answers when Al butted in excitedly.
"Woah! So it''s from your big sister, that renowned Artificer!? I really want to meet her. Hey, Allen, aren''t you free from knight training today? Let''s set off now! I also want to hear what you were like when you were a child!"
This guy couldn''t be for real... Did he really forget about the red-carpet incident that involved Marquis Endumion? And today?
"......Then I will as well. It''s one of my duties to deepen ties with someone as young and talented as your sister. I¡¯m also a bit curious about the Roveene house¡¯s secret as well."
"Count me in as well! You have been such a big help, Allen-san, so greetings are a must!"
Hey, hey, this isn''t the time to ride the flow!? And what''s with these people, acting as if we''re definitely going?
"Hold on, time out for goddamn sake. I¡¯m not going back, or introducing anyone. Look, I am so busy every day, and I bet Jeu and Fey must have their family matters to handle as well, right? Besides, I¡¯m dead sure my sister is busy as hell! Ack, excuse me guys, my chronic pokiuria is ring up again."
I hurriedly pushed through the talk and jumped out of my seat to return to my room when my hand was grabbed by a certain person with a gori-like grip.
"Why are you running away? If you ask me, your big sister must be waiting for you to show your face at least once. Isn''t that why you have so many letters? My family would have made me write back, even going as far as to dispatch the army if I hadn''t shown my face after blowing all the records away and bing the hot topic of the capital. Alright, now open the letter here."
Fey said while grinning.
"Why must I open my letter here!? And parents are one thing, I don''t need to report everything to my sister. Just for your information, we''re just a run-of-the-mill destitute viscounty with one foot away from bing amoner, not some hot stuff like you Marquises! Now let go of my hand!"
I tried to shake off her hand, but she instead gripped it even more tightly.
"Gah!"
The letter slipped out of my hand which was picked up by her very calmly.
¡°I have secured the evidence. Judge, if you may, how do you think we should interpret Allen''s statement?¡±
Kate pushed up her sses and said,
¡°The defendant¡¯s behavior is suspicious. He could have suggested, like, another date if it''s impossible today due to his hectic schedule. From his panic, I conclude that the sender is most likely to be the bakery shop¡¯s girl from his hometown. I suggest proceeding with opening the evidence.¡±
¡°What kind of tomfoolery is this in the name of a judge!? Anyway, there''s no postmark, so of course it''s directly delivered to the guard. And there''s just my elder sister in this capital! Now enough with your delusions!¡±
¡°......This is an abnormal situation. This intense opposition to monopolize one''s sister¡ª I fear this is hinting at the defendant''s severe sis-con sickness, the forbidden love.
Ahem, there''s no need to reveal the whole letter, but would it not be sufficient to clear up the situation by opening the letter and summarizing it in a few words? But to obstinately refusing to open it and even opposing something as trivial as a greeting, surely there would be somepelling reason, right?¡±
¡°See, we''re not asking you to read the letter right here. If you also don''t have anything to be guilty of, it shouldn''t be a problem to just skim through the letter, right? Well, this is just my suggestion. It''s also for your sake, you wouldn''t want something like ¡®sis-con¡¯ in the urban legends of yours, right?¡±
¡°Please look in the mirror and see with which face you''re lecturing me about rumors. I bet you must be the number one preparator for most of that nonsense!
¡I understand! I¡¯ll open it so don¡¯t spread it around just because it sounds amusing.¡±
Sigh, really. I did it¡ I mean it was for their own sake that I didn¡¯t introduce them to her¡
Alright, I¡¯ll open this one, and if it sounds alright, then the second page, and somehow show them she was just as busy, which will hopefully get them to give up.
Thinking so naively, I cut open the seal of the letter.
Except, I had yet to know that the anger value of my sister had reached an unimaginable height.
E/N - Dang, MC¡¯s sister is even scarier than I remember. That¡¯s borderline yandere. Also, had to google what pokiuria meant. Learned a new word today ??
T/N - Ah, that was a medical word or so ording to google-sensei. It is the same excuse he gave to Fey in starting back on the magic train (I had put it as chronic urination). And on another note, yup, I expected her to be Yandere.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 71 - Reunion (1)
"Man, just thinking about how we''re going meet my friend''s sister is kind of putting me on edge~"
...Al''s optimistic personality was of no use as usual.
There was something strange about the letter today as I opened the seal. Usually, the pages would be densely packed with characters that maybe you might even need a magnifying ss to read, however, today''s letter was written in big, bold, and red characters. I feared it was even possible to smell iron from it. And written on it was¡ª
1st Page¡ª I¡¯ll be waiting for you at home, alright?
2nd Page¡ª If you ignore this letter......
3rd page¡ª
There was no 3rd page, except a bright white expansion of a paper. The entire red letter was as good as a nk letter, barring the sticky sensation that a certain liquid starting with ''b'' and ending with ''d'' gave.
T-This should be the actual call-up notice¡ Eeek, mommy! I can''t!!
I was no longer in the right mind to care about the well-being of my ssmates after looking at the letter. If anything, I didn''t have the courage in me to meet her face-to-face alone. But my future would be a darker red than this letter if I ignored it.
You know what, maybe these guys might actually serve as good offerings to abate some of the crimson crisis. Honestly, I didn''t have any confidence that I could watch tomorrow''s sunrise safely. Alright, a few broken friends were better than me resting in the darkness forever. You wanted this, right, guys? You''re in!
"Ah-ha-ha, it seems like my e-e-elder sister is free today, a rare asion! I¡¯m going to visit our viscount estate in the capital today. In fact, I¡¯m leaving now so whoever wants toe just follow me!"
Everyone immediately cast a suspicious expression at me as I announced it with shivering hands, though five of them ¡ª Fey, Jeu, Kate, Al, and Leo ¡ª decided toe along in the end.
Fey was wearing a high-ss frilly beige outfit, seemingly the work of a designer. Meanwhile, Jeu was wearing a chick, navy one-piece dress that exuded craftsmanship, making it clear at a nce that it was no ordinary dress.
It was as if they weren''t going to meet my sister but my parents. Ignorance is bliss, huh? They didn''t even know the danger thaty ahead...
"You really are asid-back as ever, huh, Al? By the way, you three. I¡¯m surprised you managed to free up some time for today. Don''t nobles like you usually already have a few months long schedule already nned?"
Contrary to the sacrifice that she was going to be, Jeu answered in a bouncy tone.
"Yes, it''s not as busy now as it was earlier. Ah, but of course, I would have never missed this important event either way, even if I had a dinner meeting scheduled with His Majesty."
What is this, an excursion trip? The world really looked bright when you hadn''t seen its darkness... But it was a relief to see that I wasn¡¯t going to lose my general before the battle for any reason.
Right, I guess I should at least give them a warning to increase their chances of survival at least.
"I''m saying this now, refrain from angering my sister, she is quite scary when she gets angry. The Red Carpet incident is actually a fine example. Honestly, I don''t think we can control her once she starts rampaging, even if we all join hands. Just act as usual, and don''t suddenly try anything to provoke her, alright?"
When I said that, the idiot Fey chimed in.
"I see. Of course, I have no intention to be rude, but I do wish to have a contest with your sister if we have a chance."
...No good, I don''t even know where to startmenting on her foolishness to willingly step into the fire.
''She''s a goner,'' I shook my head in dismay.
"Can you revive the dead, Jeu?"
"...I have never heard of such magic in the history of the kingdom or anywhere else. I¡¯m sorry, I do know that the first ''Irond Rule'' of the Emission Magic Research Club is to always seek the impossible¡ª chase after the limitless opportunities, but¡ I still am not up to the standard of the club."
Hmm, so no resurrection magic, huh? But she really has an ideal outlook for someone fitting for the club. There''s no need to pour water on her enthusiasm.
I nodded.
"Well, resurrection magic is the zenith of holy magic after all. It''s fine, just make sure to always chase the impossible. Anyway, so this is the case, Leo. Please prepare a written agreement that responsibility will be held by no one no matter what, and also a suicide letter if you want to challenge her. She has no qualms and has never heard of ''pulling one¡¯s punches'' so you might be dead even before you know it."
I seriously tried to warn Leo, but he just raised his palm toward me, as if to say ''What a worrywart you are.''
Damn you, don''t say I didn''t try to warn you! Don''t say you didn''t hear me, alright?!
"I think I want to go home..."
Hearing Al''s anxious murmuring, I immediately snaked my arm around his shoulder. I definitely needed him and his optimism to be present there. The rest of the bunch were honestly giving mendmine-like vibes.
No matter what, I couldn''t let my sole sce run away.
Jeu proposed to arrange for a car, but I declined saying it was just nearby, and started walking toward our viscount estate¡ª though ¡°estate¡± was hardly an apt word for a single building that''s just slightly bigger than a normal residence with a so-so courtyard. It was located in themoner¡¯s district.
Arriving there, I fearfully pressed on the inte. I didn''t even have to wait when my elder sister jumped out, wearing a refreshing, olive green one-piece dress adorned with small white flowers.
I had just said ''I¡¯m home'' with a spasm on my face when she burst into tears, irrespective of public eyes, seemingly stressing herself out too much.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
I somehow convinced her to stop crying and suggested we first enter our home.
"¡ª Sniff Ah! I-I didn''t think you would suddenly drop by with your friends... Inside is a bit messy, so maybe you can wait for a while outside while I sort things out."
Oh, right. Ipletely forgot about it, but she has been living alone for thest four months. I bet it would be no better than a dump house.
Then, Fey, for once, sensibly interjected.
"I''m Feyrune Von Dragoon, a student of Royal Academy''s ss 1-A and an Artificer aspirant. I had always wanted to meet you at least once after hearing about your exploits back at Aristocratic School. It''s usual for an Artificer''s ce to be cluttered with one thing and another, and there should be things you can''t move, right? If you don''t mind, how about we have a barbecue in the courtyard? I expected it would be a bit hectic when so many of us are dropping by without any prior information, so I have asked my subordinates to prepare the equipment and materials just in case."
It was surprisingly a normal self-introduction. But then again, she was someone who would be leading the House of Dragoon, an upper-ss nobility. She usually acts like she has a few loose screws on her head so I had almost forgotten it. I guess even the craziest of the bunch have some sense when told not to blow their cover.
That said, there was one thing she was wrong about. The inside wasn''t untidy with my elder sister''s research materials. She was simply a no-good person with an equally no-good lifestyle, so the mess was simply the garbage or other things lying around without a care for the world.
"Oh, that''s surely a lifesaver! I''m also sorry, sister. Everyone suddenly mored that they wanted to meet you, and I also thought it was a fine time to introduce my elder sister whom I am so proud of, so I brought them along! Let''s take upon Fey''s offer, Sis!"
"Ehh, proud of!? But it''s just our first meeting so I¡¯m not sure about that offer¡ But, the Young Lady of Dragoon, huh?..."
Slightly flustered and hesitant, my elder sister¡¯s gaze alternated between me and Fey.
"Yes, there''s no need to mind it. As I said, it''s us who are imposing ourselves without informing beforehand. If anything, I really can''t bear causing trouble to you."
Following Fey''s words, my elder sister let out a second shriek of ''ah!'' for today.
"Err¡ Actually. While we''re at it, I also have a request¡ One of my school friends said she wanted to meet Allen-kun as well. I was going to contact them as soon as he''s back¡ But he never came back to visit all this while, no matter how many letters I sent. So, can I call my friend over here?"
Elder sister requested Fey with damp eyes¡ª an expression that would invoke anyone''s desire to instinctively protect her. Fey readily nodded.
"There''s no need to mind of course! If anything, you should consider it as my request as well. It¡¯s not every day you get the chance to have a private discussion with the esteemed seniors of the Advanced Magic Tool Research Academy after all! You all are fine with it as well, right?"
Fey turned around to look for the other''s opinions and they all nodded.
"Thank you! Then I¡¯ll immediately contact her with a magic bird."
A magic bird was just a different form of pigeon carrier, albeit a monster edition one, which was raised by a specialized organization and lent for situations like this. Even ordinary citizens could use it, but its maintenance cost wasn''t something they or anyone with a low ie could afford¡ And we definitely count in this category.
My doubt was resolved by my elder sister, who shyly exined ''It has been lent to me by the school.''"
"Alright, then I¡¯ll arrange for the barbeque."
Fey said and she suddenly pped her hands while facing the door. What kind of sorcery was she pulling?!
E/N - Elder sister isn¡¯t too scary so far. I¡¯m waiting for when sh*t hits the fan and the blood starts sshing ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 72 - Reunion (2)
While the barbeque preparation started at someone''s p, Al continued with his self-introduction.
"I''m Aldore Engraver, from Marquis Endumion¡¯s territory. Please call me Al. Also, I truly apologize for the misdemeanor that the folks from Endumion had caused you during the entrance exam, Rose-san."
Yup, expected so. Elder sister nkly stared at Al,pletely clueless even after hearing about the ''entrance exam.'' I stepped in to exin.
"Sis, it''s about the entrance examination of the Royal Academy that you withdrew from after sending more than 60 students to the hospital. You at least remember that, right?"
She let out the third ''Ah'' of today after listening to my words and then shifted her gaze.
"W-W-What are you talking about~? Your big sis doesn''t remember anything like that~"
"Haa... But there''s no one chasing after you so it''s not like there''s any problem. By the way, does mom know about it?"
My words immediately caused her shoulders to drop. She really wore her heart on her sleeve, huh?
"I think so. She gave me such a long stare when I said I was rejected at the preliminary round, asking "Don''t you have anything else to say to me, Rose?". I uttered one or two lies out of fear and after pausing for a while, she didn''t say anything. I was really scared back then. So I''m sa~fe."
Elder sister broke out with a girlish smile simr to mom¡¯s.
...Well, mom must have already sensed something was up for sure. After gathering details, she probably judged that there was no point in rebuking her.
But if you ask me, it was quite out of line. Then again, it was just me and my own unique set of values.
"Pfft. Such a big incident happened but your mother didn''t consider it important to listen to everything...... Sure enough, not even your mother is a normal person. I''m Leo Zatsinger. Just call me Leo, Roselia-senpai."
Leo introduced himself with a gleeful expression. I wonder what kind of nerves he had to actually be delighted in hearing that a friend''s mother was someone detached frommon sense.
"I''m a ssmate of Allen-san, Jeuri Leverance. I''ve been meaning to ask you, did Allen-san truly never visit here even once? Even if he''s from a viscount family, something like reporting to his family is quite basic......"
When Jeu asked about my home visit, Elder sister puffed her cheeks and red at me.
"It''s true! Allen-kun is such a blockhead! I had done all that preparation to celebrate, believing Allen-kun would definitely be epted in the Academy, and waited for him toe back. And what did I see? His scribblings on a paper saying ''I''ve been epted and I''m going to stay in the dormitory'', and an empty house. And he never replied no matter how many times I sent him letters. I was really worried when he didn''te back to even get his allowance."
She said while bubbling with rage. Just when I thought she was about to explode, instead tears pooled in her eyes as she started crying.
"I-I really thought that maybe Allen-kun has no attachment to his family... Sniff."
It hurts¡ Everyone was ring at me with ''What a mangy cur'' gazes... And Kate, she was staring at me with apletely serious face as if saying ''Truly a scumbag,'' nodding to herself.
Well, anyone who has never felt the beast thaty behind her fragile persona with their own skin would surely see me in a bad light after hearing all that¡ I do want to insert my piece but I wasn''t idiotic enough to say at the current moment.
There had been many times when trivial squabbles turned into a sibling''s quarrel. Everyone''s expression had started easing up on seeing elder sister reigning her calm. But I had long past getting tricked by that cover.
Judging from the emotional ups-and-downs she has been showing since earlier, plus the four months¡¯ worth of murky feelings swirling around her¡ª even with my eyes closed I could tell that an idental spark might light up the catastrophic fire that would swallow everything in its me.
You know what, I don''t care what they think of me for now. I just want to somehow squeeze my way out of bing one of the ingredients for the barbeque.
I nced at the metal skewers that the cooks of the Dragoon Family were sticking meat with and immediately decided to admit my fault.
"I''m really very sorry, Sis. I thought I might ck on my studies when my esteemed elder sister was in front of me¡ It was truly a bitter decision that I hadn''t wanted to take, but I needed to and that was why I never visited here until today.
I was making it a practice to earn my allowance by myself and that''s why I didn''te to pick it up. Of course, I¡¯m more or less used to my school life now, and I believe I would be able to show myself here more often. I really feel unworthy to cause you so much trouble.¡±
The always optimistic Al nodded and said ''I see, so Allen has his own share of trouble'' at my humble attitude. However, all my elder sister did was huff.
"Hmph. But you also never responded to my invitations to hang out in the Aristocratic School. I''m not going to believe you anymore, never, nay."
She said while pulling on her lower eyelid and sticking out her tongue¡ª the so-called children''s taunt, causing everyone tough at her childish act.
Apparently, no one could sense the palpable sensation on their skin except me¡
Thest one, Kate, stepped in to introduce herself next.
¡°I''m Kate Senkalp. I''m in ss A just like everyone else. By the way, I have to say you sure adore your little brother. I also have a little brother but he doesn''t even talk to me. So I''m truly jealous of your rtionship. Ahahaha.¡±
Like one of these chatty aunties, Kate threw in her hook to probe. Elder sister beamed and answered after hearing that.
¡°I know, right? Allen-kun was truly a cutie pie since childhood. He used to be so adorable back then, but I really wonder how he had grown up to be such a heartless person~? Maybe I spoiled him too much?¡±
Elder sister seemed to be taken by her emotions as her body swayed as she turned her beaming face at me.
I instinctively took three steps back. But she, too, took three steps forward perfectly to close the distance. However, before the spark could turn into a tsunami of fire, like a goddess of salvation, someone jumped onto the scene.
¡°Good morning~ Ohh, there are so many lively faces here. Err, so which one is the lil'' bro of Rose?¡±
¡°Oh, hey, Fu-chan! You''re quite fast. I was just about to tease Allen-kun, since you know it''s been a long while~¡±
I looked no further and rushed towards my goddess of salvation, the great Buddha, the one and only Fu-sama, and greeted her as spiritedly as I could.
¡°Good morning! I''m the unworthy little brother of Sis Rose! I''m thankful for your care of her!¡±
¡°Ahaha! You''re one humble person for being someone with so many rich rumors about yourself. I''m Furie, and I¡¯ll be imposing myself here today.¡±
With her slightly xen brown hair arranged in a ponytail hairstyle, and two strands spilling in both sides of her face, she was an unmistakable beauty.
She was quite tall and slim¡ª a slender body that would make her popr among not just boys but also girls. She was dressed in a baggy sweatshirt and trousers.
She should be an elite, considering she was a school friend of my sister, but she hardly gave off such aura.
¡°...Oh my, to think that the famous, anti-social Furie Elvart-senpai would grace us with her presence¡ I would have expected anyone but definitely not her. It seems like today''s not going to pass like any other day.
Hey, Allen. Can you now stop rubbing yourself to this beautifuldy and introduce me?¡±
¡°... ¡®Solitary Schr¡¯ Furie Elvart-senpai, the first person to graduate from the Royal Academy at the top of the ss despite being from amoner background in the past 20 years.
A genius Artificer, daughter to Asim Elvart who graced us with breakthroughs in magic-powered machinery and a popr model for the cover of a female-oriented magazine¡ It''s another strong rival.¡±
¡°Oh dear, aren''t you quite popr for your in face, lil¡¯ Allen? Hmm, indeed only Rose¡¯s brother is capable of this. Well, not even a hundred of me can bepared to Rose.¡±
¡°What!¡¡ What''s the meaning of this, Allen-kun!? You''re not deceiving these two girls, right? You should at least introduce yourself properly if you''re going out with anyone¡ But considering you didn''t say anything, so¡¡ I take it they''re just friends, right? You haven''te to visit me because of her, haven''t you? Huh? Where''s your answer?¡±
¡°H-H-H-How should I interpret this? Sure enough, Roselia-senpai has special feelings for her brother Allen?¡ What a silly thought, ohohoho.¡±
¡°Things sure are heated up huh, Allen. Allen?¡ Hey, what happened? Woah, he''s not even breathing.¡±
T/N - We will soon be touching the Red Carpet incident. And on another note, damn, MC truly sounded like one of those lowlife for a second there. I presume this arc will show why MC was so afraid of his sister.
E/N - I kept waiting for the sister to explode only to be blue balled by the end chapter. Makes me think the MC is overreacting again.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 73 - Furie’s Story
While I pretended to be dead at the omen of the storm, everyone else greeted the newly arrived Furie-senpai.
Senpai also replied gleefully with a "Hey! Nice to meet you all!". There was not a single shred of pompousness in her demeanor, perhaps due to hermoner origin.
On another note, yes, asionally, the top scorer in the Royal Academy doese from amon origin. While the children of nobles obviously had the upper hand when it came to studying due to their money and the know-how in exam preparation, anything after the entrance exam depended on the individual''s quality and amoner''s specs usually happened to be on the higher side here.
After the light greetings, everyone shifted to having a barbeque in the cramped courtyard where the resplendent barbeque set was installed (it came with a chef and a waiter pre-installed).
Though, right before starting, Fey shed her usual grin and took the lead to announce the following.
"Alright, the sudden gathering of so many faces should be keeping the information departments of the other factions on their toes. But, since we''re simply here to hang out, I would like to set up magic tools to prevent peeping and eavesdropping. I believe there''s no problem with it, right?"
Why did it need to be so dramatic?...
"What''s there to hide? We¡¯re just some students having a barbecue at a family courtyard, no? Pipe down the melodrama."
Fey, however, chuckled hearing my exasperated reply.
"Kyahaha! Now you¡¯ve said it, Allen. Imagine my surprise when you said we¡¯ll just take a walk, which was going to make us stick out like a sore thumb, instead of riding the car. I thought ''Oh, howe the winds have changed?'', maybe there''s a reason or something...
Anyway, our people have already spotted seven silhouettes of unknown origins loitering around who are not from this neighborhood. Sounds like they''re in for some scoop today, huh? And the same number is going to swell by at least 10 times by the time we''re finished here if we don''t take any countermeasures.
Alright, let''s take a group photo inmemoration of the day that caused the intelligence agencies from across the kingdom to gather around."
"......Cough, I¡¯m still saying you''re blowing things out of proportion, but it wouldn''t hurt to follow your n. Right, elder sister?"
"Err, well¡ I don''t really care whether there are one or one thousand out there. Either way, what¡¯s your rtionship with these girls¡ª"
"But of course, we''re no more than just some ordinary ssmates! Instead, I wanted to ask about Furie-senpai. Is she someone famous? My information is a bitcking here."
"Fu-chan? Who knows, maybe she''s famous as an excellent researcher? I¡¯m just as clueless as you are..."
In the meanwhile, I attempted to desperately steer the discussion away, Fey pped her hands once again, and within a few seconds, someone brought her a square box. It started to make a ''hum~" noise when she turned it on.
The scouting magic I had kept activated out of habit drastically got its effects reduced¡ No wonder countermeasures were necessary.
"Now we can finally talk without having peeping toms listening in behind our backs¡ I must say though, you''re still the same huh, Allen? Howe you know everything about nobles and geopolitics but little to nothing about individuals?
Anyway, she''s the ''Solitary Schr'' Furie Elvart, the top graduate of the Royal Academy''s 1123rd ss. Ask anyone who''s the famous artificer of this generation and the first name on their tongue would definitely be her. Not only that, she¡¯s also a capable magic engineer, and a popr model to boot. You can bet there''s no end to the people who want to get into her good graces.
However, she''s also famous for being a ''misanthropist'', and has never once appeared in an official party or an aristocratic gathering. Frankly, she''s a prodigy even with the standard of the Royal Academy, and there''s an anecdote where her peers from ss A usually referred to her as ''Commoner¡¯.
Of course, the Dragoon family had also tried many times to talk with her, but all our efforts were turned down with no regard. Even now, I just can''t believe that the same Senior is actually in front of us, much less that we¡¯re able to greet her¡ Well, that sums up the introduction, I believe. What do you think, Senpai?"
"Ahaha. Now you''re making me blush with your array of praises. Well, I truly was quite like an unsheathed de in my school days. Letting myself be led around in my youth, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve blurted out more awful things than I can remember to my ssmates. But if anything, I wasn''t actually looking down on them, nor was I a misanthropist.
I was just angry. I couldn''t stand the fact that a person who should have been in ss A wasn¡¯t there all because of me."
Furie-senpai started her story with such an introduction and then turned to stare straight at my elder sister. Elder sister puffed her cheeks in objection.
"Geez. How many times have I told you that wasn''t your fault, Fu-chan? More importantly, I believe you girls also see him just as a ssmate, right?"
Apparently turning a deaf ear to my words, my elder sister started questioning the girls¡¯ team.
...C''mon, why am I stuck between a rock and a hard ce?
Kate might belittle me but I could be sure she wasn''t as much of a troublemaker as the other two. They were truly bundles of chaos and who knew what they would spout out at the next moment.
If they said anything that went against my earlier ''We''re just ordinary ssmates'' statement, I¡¯d be receiving a rocket punch the next moment.
At my wit''s end, I hurriedly turned to Furie-senpai.
"Riiiiight! How is Senpai connected with the red carpet incident that my elder sister caused?!"
"Red carpet? Ah, a few people do call it that. I heard from Rose that she hasn¡¯t told anything to her family, but it sounds like Lil Len already knows, huh? I¡¯ve never told anyone about it. What do you think, should I do so now?"
Furie-senpai asked my sister at the end of her words.
"Aw, it''s not like it matters when it''s already out. More importantly, I want to ask you girls, is Allen-kun just another ssmate for you¡ª"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Receiving Rose''s permission, Furie started narrating the whole ordeal.
¡°That day, Rose and I happened to hit it off well while waiting for the result of the preliminary round. The topic of magical tools was apparently amon interest between the two of us.
Though our peace was suddenly disturbed by the dumbasses from the Endumion family¡
Actually, it was my shoulder that had bumped into them. And then they used that pretext to pick a fight with us.
If you asked me at that time, I was only capable of squeezing my way into ss C. I was just desperate to get the backing of the Royal Academy somehow to stand out as an Artificer.
But with mymoner origin, I just couldn''t muster up a strong resistance to his absurd demand, to be his mistress, with his Marquis family backing.
And then, just as I was stuck between a rock and a hard ce, Rose entered the scene with a dauntless attitude¡ When I recalled the whole ordealter, I realized that cur simply wanted to target either of us.
Either way, the idiot pulled a sleazy smile almost as if waiting for that, and announced ¡®Then you''re in cahoots as well and should take responsibility as a friend.¡¯
He must have thought he could easily coerce Rose given her boxed girl-like vibe who couldn''t even harm an ant.
And what happened after that was something you already know.
She smashed the nose of that moron in an instant, and without further ado, she rained down her punches on his grinningckeys who had formed a circle around us to shield their leader¡¯s scumminess from public eyes. She moved like a petal dancing in the air, and wherever she shed by, sounds of bone crunching followed.
I could still vividly recall that scene, as if it was yesterday''s matter. Her ethereal dance thatsted for around two minutes had beenpletely engraved in the corner of my mind.
And when it ended, both her hands and shoes were dyed in red. Though not a single drop of it actually managed to leave a stain on her pure white dress. I couldn''t believe what I saw in those two minutes.
Then, like a mischievous child, she stuck out her tongue in a ¡®Tehe~¡¯ manner and said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Fu-chan. And here we had just started to get along. You see, I''m not quite a patient person. But you don''t need to worry about them. They shouldn''t be able to attend the practical exam with all their broken facial bones.¡±
That was all she said before withdrawing herself from the exam and without showing any reluctance, she walked away with a springy gait.
¡I admit, I wasn''t that well-versed in society, but even I could tell what she did. She had thoroughly gone all out just so that I didn''t feel trapped in the Academy.
She knew she could easily pass the exam but she decided to throw away that honor without a moment''s thought to help a randommoner she had just met. And so that I didn''t feel sorry, she even put up a strong bravado.
Afterward, I put all my effort into searching for hermunication address and sending her an apology letter. One thing led to another, and our letters soon turned into sharing each other''s views or theories over magical tools.
The exchange confirmed my guess. This girl''s knowledge of magical tools had far surpassed mine or even other prodigies. That wasn¡¯t even including her expertise in body-strengthening magic. She was so incredibly strong, but you wouldn''t think that from her lovely features.
¡¡I couldn''t forgive myself.
I knew the top seat of the Royal Academy would have been Rose''s if she had been there. Rose would still have that shining future if I had just beaten up that dumbass first. But I stole that future.
Maybe I was just atoning for that, as I put all my efforts into studying for those three years and made myself the top student of the Academy.
I got promoted to ss A at the start of my 2nd year, and then the No.1 at the same time as we advanced into 3rd year. ¡®The top isn''t a ce for someone ordinary to stand at,¡¯ was what a ssmate, who was also giving their all to take back the No.1 seat from amoner, had said.
I got what they were trying to imply behind their crooked words. As a result, I waster called a loner or condescending person.
Honestly, I wanted to scream my lungs out right there ¡®The only person fitting for this seat is Roselia Rovenne!¡¯ but both Rose and the Academy had asked me to keep quiet about the matter.
I was really a lost cause and didn''t care for anything untilst year when Rose made it to the Advanced Research Institute and got back her rightful life. However, this earned me a misanthropist alias in the meantime.
Well, it turned out in my favour as I used it to cut down the requests of the nobles so I didn''t really care about it.
¡¡.I had always wanted to confide this to someone.
This is why, being able to talk to Lil ¡®Len, who is Rose''s sunshine, has eased the burden in my heart a bit. However, I guess the guilt of that day would continue to remain with me¡¡±
Putting this on the endnote, Furie finished her narration.
E/N - Furie¡¯s story was unexpectedly heavy. Also has pretty heavy yuri vibes as well for you men of culture ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 74 - BBQ (1)
"...Phew, I¡¯m so d that I prepared the peeping prevention magical device. Seriously, I was so fed up with the multiple-dinners-a-day-with-nobles schedule. Now I just want the sleeping dogs to never wake up from their sleep¡ And care exining why you''re grilling the meat by yourself, Allen?" (Fey)
Fey asked me as I started to grill meat on my own, taking the metal skewers from the hands of the cook after sensing that Furie-senpai''s shback was going to take a long time. Well, the oh-so-nobles chef did say "Please let me grill" but I politely declined her offer.
"There¡¯s a saying, ''What''s a barbeque if it''s not something you''ve cooked yourself.'' Barbeque isn''t just about taste, it¡¯s something more precious than that."
And no, that something precious wasn''t the heat regtion, but the grilling experience itself. ¡ªAlright, there was a plus, too. I could have them all engrossed in some unfamiliar task so that they would forget what they were talking about and I¡¯d be able to shepherd the flow of conversation. Two birds¡ª I mean, grilled meat with one skewer.
"Aw heck, there goes Allen and his Allen-ific words. More importantly, what do you think, oh-so beloved brother of senpai? Are you not bubbling with emotions after hearing the hidden side of the incident?" (Fey)
Well, to start with, why are you all making such faces as if you¡¯ve just heard a top-tier drama? I don''t think you need to look so moved. If that part already surprised them, would they bang their head after hearing howical the true reason was?
We were talking about my sister after all. The game window would have just notified it like "Opponent irked Sis Rose" and "Sis Rose thrashed them like they were stress relievers".
"Well,ment is it?... Despite how it is for you, you really don''t need to take the matter to heart at all, Furie-senpai. It''s as simple as punching because their face demanded it. And she also didn''t have any particr interest in the Royal Academy, so she just came back. Isn''t that right, elder sister?"
I hurled a confirmative nce at my elder sister''s way, who broke into a chuckle after hearing what I said.
"Ufufu. I knew we would be in sync, Allen-kun! There''s nothing that you don''t know about me~ It¡¯s a real pickle, Fu-chan just doesn''t want to ept the reasoning no matter what, you know~"
Hearing the conversation between me and my elder sister, Furie-senpai paused to look at us with wide eyes and then cackled inughter, tears pooling in her eyes.
"Ahaha! I''m d I met you today, lil'' Len. Perhaps I can forgive myself even for a bit, with your words. Right, feel free to contact me if you''re stuck somewhere with dynamic power concepts, magic tools, or magic engineering. I¡¯ll definitely have time for you."
Then she winked and further added.
"But can you believe it? How can someone believe her when she goes on to say something like ''Dragreid''s noble school is closer to home (viscount territory) so maybe Allen-kun wille to hang out with me or something, so that''s lucky! Tee-hee~'' after casually giving up on the Royal Academy?"
"Goodness, you finally believe me!... Though Allen-kun never came to Dragreid¡ Anyway, so how do you girls see Allen-kun?"
"B-B-B-But you sure look closer than friends. Maybe, I hit the bullseye? And that there is someone special? Ohohoho."
And despite my efforts, the conversation still came back to where it started like a boomerang.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Wow, so belittling the Royal Academy runs in their blood¡ Like brother, like sister¡ You¡¯ve really shown me a different side of the world. But I¡¯m afraid to disappoint you, esteemed sister, Allen and I are just normal ssmates. For now."
Fey''s feline-like eyes shone as she hurled provocative nces at elder sister''s way.
"I''m also polishing myself to be someone special, venerated sister. Allen-san''s first partner is going to be me, and that''s absolute."
Jeu trailed after Fey, her gaze aze with a resolve that matched Fey''s, as she delivered her statement straighter than the straightest pitch in a baseball game.
"You idiots?! What happened to your noble''s etiquette of reserved speaki¡ª"
I jumped in to shut them up, but elder sister''s rocker punch was already hurling in my direction. I hurriedly used my body-strengthening magic, but it couldn''t stop the blood from spraying out.
Damn, I still couldn''t sense when the heck she channeled her mana.
¡°Strange, you should have been able to stop this one, right, Allen-kun? Ah, don''t tell me you''re so infatuated with them that you did it without thinking. I knew I couldn''t believe in you. Anyway, I''m going to have a girl''s only chat, so keep quiet and wait here for a while.¡±
Elder sister left behind these words and invited the two inside the house. But then, they suddenly came to a halt at the entrance because¡ª
¡°It sure reeks here¡ Just what kind of research can result in such a rotten smell?¡±
Fey muttered while pinching her nose. I sighed.
¡°Because it isn''t. Wee to the sloppy mess of my sister''s life. Smells like she hasn''t even thrown out the kitchen garbage. Come, Manager. It''s time for you to take the stage.¡±
I patted Kate''s shoulder.
¡°.........The hell it¡¯s my time to shine.¡±
¡ô
Afterward, everyone moved to open all the windows in the house to disperse the smell and tookmand of cleaning it.
Elder sister did say she could do it by herself, but as someone who has no cleaning sense, there was no way we could leave it to her unless we wanted to keep waiting for eternity.
We boys tookmand of the kitchen, living & dining room, bathroom, and washroom¡ª basically the first floor.
The girls tookmand of my sister''s research room and bedroom on the 2nd floor.
Fey and Jeu were just about to call in the personnel of their Marquis families on standby to clean up the mess, but I stopped them in the nick of time. Could you imagine, calling the handpicked individuals of the two esteemed Marquis families just to clear the trash of the house of a hick impoverished Viscount?
If it somehow got out¡ It would be like we were picking a fight with the noble society.
¡°Seriously, I don''t get your reasoning at all. But hey, then why do you think it''s alright for us to throw out the trash instead? Well, I''m notining though.¡±
Or so their mouths ran, but they still moved to help out. I could hear their ¡®ga-ga¡¯ giggling from the second floor.
¡What happened to the insects? These habitats were practically their heaven, after all.
¡°Al is Al, but I''m sorry you had to help out in dealing with the trash, Leo.¡±
¡°...Hey-hey, why is it alright for me?!¡±
Ignoring Al, who hadpletely be the gag character of the group, Leo answered.
¡°I really don''t mind. Sora¡¯s breakfast has trained my nose against the smell, and I also cleaned my room by myself after moving to the general dormitory, which in fact has led me to new discoveries.
Cleaning my room for inspiration is one of the household chores that I¡¯vee to like¡ And this is the first time I¡¯m doing anything like this in a friend''s house. In other times when I visited my friend''s house, there would always be the shadow of their parents lingering around in a half-baked attempt to get some information.
You might im yourself to be a poor viscount family but I¡¯ve never heard of anyone actually leaving their children on their own without any house helper at all, to the point that the house was such a mess now.
Anyway, what I''m saying is that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I might never get to experience again. It''s truly a lucky situation for me.¡±
Leo grinned and said so while scraping off the murky ck slimy substance from the sink.
¡°......Dude, did you lose some screws in your head?¡±
¡°Haha. Well, I guess it''s just a matter of perspective. You might never understand when this is an everyday, normal life for you. By the way, why did you not dodge Rose-senpai¡¯s punch earlier? I believe you should have been able to.¡±
Ho-ho, I knew he would catch on.
¡°Well, I had made her quite angry by ignoring her letters, after all. I at least need to take a punch from her to somehow appease boiling magma-like anger. Just for the record, that punch was merely a feint. She would have followed up with a more impactful punch if I had stopped it.¡±
I had just answered Leo when someone called out from the stairs.
¡°Oh~, so Allen-kun managed to trick me? Your big sister is so happy to see you growing into such an outstanding person. You know, don''t you think we haven''t warmed up enough yet after so many months of absence? Alright, let''s y our usual little game.¡±
Ah, Crap! Ipletely forgot my detection magic is unusable with Fey¡¯s peeping prevention magical tools. And from the look of it, shepletely heard everything I said down to every word, and I didn''t notice hering down at all.
Just as I was frozen on the spot, Leo joined the fray, grinning.
¡°Can I be your ying mate, Rose-senpai? Let me help out in relieving your stress.¡±
Unsurprisingly, even my elder sister was stunned.
¡°Eh, huh?! You''re¡ Leo-kun, right? I¡¯m not actually good at holding myself back so it''s not good for you, truly. You¡¯ve already helped out in cleaning, so let this slide. I don''t think it''s a good thing if I injure you on top of that.¡±
¡°Actually, I prefer you don''t pull your punches at all. Even Furie-senpai, the top graduate of the Royal Academy, vouches for you as someone even more talented than her. I definitely can''t miss this chance.
And of course, I swear on my name as Leo Zatsinger that no matter what happens, the responsibility will lie on no one but me.¡±
Stuck in a dilemma, elder sister turned to nce at me.
¡It''s Leo, after all. I was sure he could manage. I mean I brought them precisely so that they could take some of the punches in my ce. Heck, Leo was the one I had the highest expectation for to turn into my tank (punching bag). And what more could I say when the fish himself had taken the bait?
Zero obligation, zero elevation, after all! Alright, tag you''re it, my dear friend Leo!
¡°Elder sister, I have never won against him. So you can be relieved.¡±
¡°Ehh!? I didn''t know that?! Someone even Allen-kun can''t win against. Well, alright, just for a bit¡ª¡±
Elder sister''s words trailed as she jumped from the stairs and towards Leo without any cue. Her movements were even sharper than when she threw that rocket punch at me.
¡°Hhrrrgh!¡±
Leo barely managed to avoid it but at the cost of losing his posture. ¡ªUh-huh, it''s game over if you show even a single opening to my elder sister.
The next instant, she was behind Leo, performing a low roundhouse kick that smoothly swept away Leo''s legs right below his ankles.
That was my sister for you. A martial arts monster. I mean, it didn''t matter what his body-strengthening output was when he couldn''t bring it to use after getting thrown off their feet.
From the side, just as Leo was about to m onto the floor, elder sister''s fist came flying at his right cheek.
Though, Leo was wearing a baffled expression. Maybe he still couldn''t understand how he got thrown off guard or why his nose was bleeding.
I saw thating. Even more so, I was surprised at why I wasn''t surprised at the result. She really didn''t pull her punches, huh?¡
T/N - Rip, Leo-kun. The (losing) fight between Leo and Rose will continue in the next chapter. Don''t ready your Popcorn though, it will be short. Also, be ready for a spot moment.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 75 - BBQ (2)
"Oopsie, well that happened¡ But did you really lose to this guy, Allen-kun?"
My elder sister tilted her head with a look of puzzlement as if it was odd news for her.
"...He''s strong, but it''s a tall order to ask him to put up a fight when he has never fought you before, sister. Besides, everyone usually gives a signal like ''I''m starting now'' or ''I''m going to throw a punch'' nowadays in the Royal Capital. Also, we usually move into a spacious ce first before starting."
"Oh my! So that was it?! Uh-huh, I''m sorry. I didn''t know."
Elder sister hurriedly apologized to Leo.
"No, it''s not your fault. This is the Rovenne family''s house, after all. New ce, new rules. And I was the one who requested it, so¡ª"
Leo stood up, and suddenly threw a right kick, aiming at elder sister''s waist as he wiped off the nosebleed from his princely face.
"I will also y by the house''s rules!"
Kukuku. I dare say no one knew how much Leo actually hated to lose, to a degree, better than me. He was the perfect bait to throw at my elder sister. He just needed to tire her out and I would achieve my goal.
Elder sister caught his shin between her knee and elbow. And¡ª
Snap
"Haaarghh!"
"Ack, sorry. Your move was quite strong so I reflexively ended up using more strength Uh-huh, your leg bone is broken. Just take a rest for now. Allen-kun. It''s playtime."
...Damn you, Leo. How dare you not evenst for 10 seconds! He must have skimped on covering his leg with magic. You know, he definitely adopted a devil-may-care attitude following his expertise in explosive burst power. He sucked hard when it came to defending himself. He might be able to win against me, but he would be in deep water when facing a monster like my sister.
"Hey, Al¡ My sister is saying that she wants to y with us three."
"Hrgh!? Hey, hey, did you forget that I''m a mage?! What do you think my meager self could do against your big sis when even Leo was one-shotted?"
"Shut yer trap! What a load of crap for someone who''s the president of the Emission Magic Research Club! You think the enemy wouldn''t try to get into close range of a mage!? Juste, that''s an order from your supervisor!"
"Hey, You can''t be serious about using magic inside your house?! Are you even sane!? You don''t care if your house gets all busted!?"
"Dumbo, something like decorating a hole in the wall is the basic stuff when ying with her! Just leave it to me, it''s not like your slowpoke magic could outpace my sister in this cramped house. I¡¯ll target her when she takes you down and take revenge for you. It''s do-or-die!"
"And I¡¯m suddenly relegated to being a punching bag!? Ah, that must be the tank role you were talking about! Why do I have to be the shield when I¡¯m a mage!?"
"Curse Leo to not evenst for a second!"
In the meantime, while Al and I were squabbling, Jeu came back carrying a 1-meter or so staff with her. I was too flustered to notice when she actually left.
She approached Leo, murmured some mumbo jumbo ancient cryptic words¡ª basically her prayer, and then held the staff in her hand up atop Leo''s leg. In the next instant, a golden radiance enveloped Leo''s leg, and soon he was standing on his feet once again as if he had never been injured.
"Oh, dear~ now that''s a surprise. So, you can heal fractured bones with holy magic at your age, Jeu-chan. In an instant, too. Whew, we have a future bigshot among us~"
Furie-senpai didn''t spare any effort in praising Jeu. In fact, even Leo himself was surprised, and my sister too muttered something along the line of ''Woah, that''s wonderful, Jeu-chan''.
Jeu put up a sheepish smile facing all the reactions.
"It''s because I¡¯m also a member of the Emission Magic Research Club that Allen-san has created!"
"Ahaha. I did some snooping around on the rumors about Lil'' Len since Rose had asked me to, and also heard about that club. So that club is actually more than just about skirt-flipping? It''s quite rough to gather intel on what¡¯s happening inside the walls of the Academy. I for sure had thought it was just some caper club created on impulse following the Hill Road Club."
...Ah, so that solved the riddle. I was wondering just how this impossible person who was my sister actually managed to gather rumors about me. So she had helpers running errands for her.
But oh damn, I couldn''t believe the Emission Magic Research Club was called a ¡®whimsical club.¡¯
"Correction, it''s the Hill Road Club that was created at the spur of the moment. It¡¯s just there for basic training, which I can do on my own otherwise. If anything, the club I wanted to create is the magic research club that Al is currently handling as president ."
"Huh? Now that''s surprising information. Wow, here I thought Al-kun was just one of your ssmates. Truly a hidden tiger."
Furie-senpai muttered with amazement. I grinned and corrected her.
"No, Al is just as normal as one can be. But only someone like him can actually lead a group of knaves like the ''Demon Deputy Head Rudolf Austin'', Leo, Jeu, and me¡ He''s that kind of person."
"Whistle. You sure are dropping some juicy details, Lil'' Len."
Senpai chuckled and took a good look at Al once again. Even my sister was now looking at him with curiosity, sensing the underlying meaning of my words.
Kukuku. Just as nned. Now Al couldn''t escape even if he wanted to.
"Hrg?! Didn''t I simply be the leader at your suggestion, Allen!?"
"Err, um¡ I¡¯m going to hit now, alriiiiiight~?"
My sister gave her signal in an awkward tone and dashed toward Al. I, too, spin on my legs to deliver a kick at her, targeting the window beside her when she was just breath away from punching Al.
However, she stopped her fist that was about to strike Al and instead turned to counter my kick. I hurriedly dodged her, somehow escaping in the nick of time.
"Step up, ''tank'' Leo! The frontline wouldn''tst for even a second if my sister took you down effortlessly! Focus on defense! Hold your ground as if millions of lives depend on it! Al, Fey. You''re up to handle Furie-senpai. Kate, look after ''Healer¡¯ Jeu and givemands to others! I¡¯ll take the attacker role!"
"Hold on! Why''re you including us as well in your fight¡ª"
"It''s not a fight! It''s just a warm-up greeting!"
Kate was taken aback by all the kerfuffle. I ignored her and made my move against Furie-senpai.
I mean, since there was no escaping from it, I might as well implicate everyone in this chaos and let them share the burden. At least, I would still have a chance to survive and that would be better than exining everything. I guess the influence of those rowdy explorers had rubbed off on me, but it was still the most effective option.
"That sounds nice! I was really envious, seeing all the ruckus you both were causing. A joint front with Rose, fufu, I¡¯m pumped up!"
So said Furie-senpai, the top graduate of the Royal Academy, as she easily stopped my fist.
"Get reaaady~"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
It turned out that Furie-senpai was the textbook example of never judging a book by its cover.
She was strong for someone with an Artificer upation. I would say she could easily rival Justin-san, who also graduated at the top among his peers from the Royal Academy but was one year younger than Furie-senpai if it was just about unarmedbat.
I wouldn''t say my sister and Furie-senpai''s coordination was anything notable, but they still managed to overwhelm us. Anyone who was too battered to stay on the frontline was healed thanks to Jeu''s healing magic, so we somehow managed to escape a wipe-out. However, this practice had sapped Jeu''s mana to the bottom.
"I''m sorry, but that''s my limit¡ Be careful since I won''t be able to heal anyone anymore with my depleted mana."
Jeu crumpled on the spot, huff-huff, her breathing rapid. Seeing that, elder sister lowered her fist with a smiling face.
"You''re great, Jeu-chan! It''s been a while since I had a bout this intense with Allen-kun. And the magic at the end was totally fun!"
She said while wiping the blood from her forehead that my right hook ¡ª enhanced with Jeu''s buff near the end ¡ª had caused. However, she also blew me away with her counterattack kick.
She lookedpletely happy, muttering ''Phew, I feel so light.''
Honestly, it was just that kick in the end that got me down. So I managed to save my wool in exchange for that one attack. But, I at least managed tond an attack on her in this cramped room brawl. I would say everyone got plenty of points for avoiding any serious injury as well.
"Boy, that was fun. The title of the best among all generations truly isn''t in vain. Your individual strengths are already at the level of a 3rd year from my era. And oh-ho, your stamina is truly exceptional. Your coordination was quite impable as well for kids who have yet to take any training about it I believe. Hmm, the rumored activities of the Hill Road Club and your lives in the general dormitory weren''t just to experience the so-called moner life'' it seems."
Furie-senpai looked just as delighted as she shared her evaluation.
"It was fun, but¡ It''s going to be quite a pickle sorting out this mess."
Needless to say, the room was royally messed up. The first floor was flooded due to Al''s magic. That wasn¡¯t even mentioning the broken things here and there as well.
Leo, on the other hand, lookedpletely vexed as if he was forced to take some bitter pill as he said,
"I waspletely powerless......
I¡¯llpensate for all the broken parts and bits. Let me take responsibility since I was the one who asked for the spar."
"Come now, that''s hardly your fault. I know my sister well. We would have fought either way."
I mean, I had practically used him as a meat shield to deal with all of my sister''s umted anger, which I would have borne otherwise. There was no way I could have him pay for all that after his great performance.
"Don''t worry about it. I¡¯m sorry you got caught up in the fight between us siblings. Also, I have too much money to spare either way."
Huh, was elder sister always so rich?
"Rose has been earning tens of thousands of rea from her patents every month after all. And I believe this amount is just going to snowballter as well."
What, tens of thousands without doing anything!? I didn''t know Artificers were money-printing machines... It''s nice to roll on money, no? I''m so jealous.
"No, this is this and that is that. I hope you let me pay for it. Also, I have one more thing to ask."
Leo said, pausing on his words, and took a princely pose¡ª kneeling on one knee with his right hand on his chest. He then extended his left hand toward my sister.
"Roselia Rovenne. I wish to be your acquaintance on the hopeful premise of marriage one day."
......
Ettu~?
¡ô
Leo''s move was so unexpected it exceeded everyone''s imagination, freezing us in ce as if someone had pushed the pause on a video.
¡¡
Umm, to whoever my voice reaches, please tell me in just in what world would you see an idiot actually proposing to his friend''s sister on his first home visit, and that too after being her literal punchbag and even getting his bones broken.
Look, even our dear lover of raunchy stuff and dreamer, aka Kate, was taken aback.
¡°Jeu, it seems like Leo''s head has been messed up in the earlier fight. Can you heal him?¡±
¡°...I''m out of mana.¡±
No good, huh? Doctor it is, then.
¡°I''m serious.¡±
Leo looked at my sister with all seriousness.
My sister, who had zero immunity to this sort of stuff, had her cheeks glowing red as she fidgetted around in a fluster and squeezed with her teensy voice.
¡°Umm, err¡ I''m sorry. I don''t have any interest in the weak, so it''s impossible between us.¡±
Read the air, my dear sister!
¡°Hold on, elder sister. Did you forget who he is? He''s the eldest son of the Zatsinger family, one of the only three ducal families in this Kingdom. It''s not even a matter of strong or weak. There''s usually no way for someone of that caliber to cross paths with someone like us from a countryside viscounty.¡±
My elder sister sighed. Though, Leo didn''t show any sign of stopping at all.
¡°Something like who we are or our background is hardly an uncrossable gap in this time and age. Once more, I am serious. Is it alright to interpret your words as you will ept my proposal if I be stronger than you?¡±
¡°Err, um, Leo-kun doesn''t have much talent so that might be a teensy bit impossible, I think¡¡±
¡And my elder sister just trashed the once-in-a-century talent this kingdom was proud of.
Leo, however, just grinned and stood up. A soft smile spread on his face.
¡°It''s simply that I''m even further behind the starting line, am I right? This isn¡¯t much. I¡¯ll definitely be stronger than you, and one day have you ept me.¡±
¡°......Hey, why is no one asking me how I would hate to call you brother-inw¡¡±
T/N - Good lord that I wasn''t drinking anything. Now MC must have been regretting ever bringing them, lol. Oof, she sure did thrashed everyone so casually though.
E/N - What a twist! Also, who would have thought that Leo was an M?
Vol. 1 - Ch. 76 - BBQ (3)
"Anyway, my belly is rumbling so let''s have our meal first. We can settle everything elseter."
Fey suggested, to which everyone nodded and moved to the courtyard. When in the courtyard, Fey signaled the cook and waitresses ¡ª who had been on standby ¡ª to leave the ce.
"It¡¯s been a crazy day today so far, who knew someone would drop that kind of bombshell, then even if I¡¯m asked by my family, I can''t afford to let them hear anything. So, that''s how it is. Let''s go with Allen¡¯s style¡ª grill them by ourselves."
"So be it. But I don''t really mind anyone hearing about me though."
Leo said nonchntly, though it was anything but calming for me.
"Right, of course not for you, Mr Prince, but it''s definitely a problem for me. No, seriously, why the hell are you being dull-headed in this aspect? For god''s sake, use yourmon sense."
"Hahaha. Maybe it''s yourck ofmon sense that has rubbed on me."
Alright, this man was a lost cause... Even my corporate experience was far more than his entire life, and he has the nerve to say Ickmon sense...
Why didn''t others listen to me? He definitely received a heavy blow to his head.
"What bullshit, I dare say no one has moremon sense than me!"
I immediately retorted, but for some reason, everyone, except my elder sister, gave me a lifeless look. Oh great, these guys are definitely lost causes.
Afterward, we all started feasting on the absurdly delicious BBQ that the Dragoon family''s chef had set up while engaging in chitter-chatter.
Fey, my sister, and Furie-senpai were busy discussing magic tools. The topic of their conversation happened to be the automatic cleaning magical tool ''Runpo'' that I proposed the design of.
"Amazing. It sure is quite an interesting design. Not even Rose or I can guarantee to make it. You have thoroughly surprised me. You know, not everyone would be able to create so many types of magic tools in just four months since enrollment, even if they have the financial strength of the Dragoon family as their support." (Furie)
"I bet you¡¯ll be an astounding Artificer, Fey-chan! I''m not good at cleaning, so if you can sell me one that would be a reaaaally great help~"
Oh? It seemed like Fey''s talent had surprised even the other two.
"Of course. In fact, please use it by any means. I really would love to have your feedback as a fellow Artificer. But goodness, Allen''s umon ideas had been piling up so much that I even had one of the Dragoon family''s development departments relocated to the Royal Capital. I really want to open his head and see what the heck it''s filled with."
"Yay~! Thank you, Fey-chan!"
Still, I''m surprised at how chummy they¡¯ve be with my older sister. I heard their excited ''ga-ga''ing from the 2nd floor. I wonder what they were talking about?¡ But it''s them you know, I don''t have the guts to open that Pandora¡¯s box.
I just put my previous life¡¯s knowledge to use and had Fey build all the magical tools that came into my mind.
Pretty much all the magical tools ¡ª whether it be daily-purpose tools like for cleaning or dishwashing (for Sora), or necessary ones for the Hill Road, Magic Club, Geography Club, and the others ¡ª were developed by her.
Though I only paid her for the materials. ¡®It would take an extremely huge sum to pay even for one if all the development and other costs were taken into ount using market price'' were her words.
In the end, we created one more club, the Magic Tool Research Club, spearheaded by Fey. As for whatever my idea fee was, I had it simply converted to materials I needed for my personal use. Though even that was exchanged for actual items.
The Magic Tool Research Club was also quite popr, receiving many application requests. There were only three members in it for now, however. Fey apparently turned all the others down on the pretext that they wouldn''t be able to contribute anything and that she didn¡¯t have the time to train them.
Well, It wasn''t my circus to handle as long as I had my tools, so whatever.
"But I guess you can also say Allen''s ideas tickled my Artificer''s spirit as well, and I couldn''t help but juggle them out. Are you also developing any magical tool following his idea, Esteemed Sister?"
Fey asked, to which elder sister shook her head and turned to stare at me.
"I barely talked about magical tools with him. I thought these talks would bore him out, but after hearing all these interesting ideas, I regret not doing it back then."
I guess the ideas were truly novel for them. Perhaps it was because all of them were based on my knowledge of electrical appliances or novels and manga from Earth. Besides, I had awakened just a few months before the entrance exam. There wouldn¡¯t have been any result even if she had talked with me back then. The only time ¡®awakened¡¯ me had talked with her was before the exam, and that too for only a couple of days, so there was no time either.
"I''m also quite looking forward to the research you''re tackling, elder sister. This is definitely something I think I need the most. I hadn''t wanted to distract you from your research with some half-baked stuff, so I didn''t talk about it."
What she had been researching, amunication magical tool, has yet to appear in this world.
In stricter terms, a short-distancemunication tool was possible as long as one coughed up enough money in a restricted space like the premises of the Royal Academy. However, there hasn''t been a single radiomunication magical tool, maybe since they had yet to discover radio waves, and my knowledge of it was obviously limited as someoneing from the era of smartphones.
Well, her reason for developing it couldn''t be any dumber. Like, it was all because she wanted to have a way to contact me no matter the distance. But it truly would be a revolutionary discovery if she managed to develop it.
"Oh, a research Esteemed Sister is tackling? If I''m not breaching my boundary, would it be alright to ask what it is? Honestly, I''m quite curious after not seeing the result of any of the fundamental research that you used to frequently publish back at the Dragoon''s Aristocratic School."
"Err... Truth be told, my professor has forbidden me from talking about it. But mayyyybe, since you''re Allen-kun''s friend, I guess that''s not a problem. And Fey-chan is quite talented, so I can have your help as well.
I''m currently trying toe up with a magical tool that can let me talk with someone in a faraway ce. Something like using the mana properties present in the air to transmit my voice. I''m working really really hard to somehow talk with Allen-kun every day even when he''s at the Royal Academy, but can''t do that with that peeping-prevention magic tool in the way. It''s truly a pickle~"
Fey was immediately gobsmacked hearing elder sister''s research. She must have realized how much of a ground-breaking deal it was.
"......Just asking, even if that magic tool hadn''t been in the way, it still shouldn''t be possible, right?"
"Huh? Umm¡ I can do that much of course. I only need to quietly set up a ry base to bypass the peeping-prevention magic tools of houses around there. It''s just that the Academy''s security is so stupidly strict that I¡¯m stuck. Do you have any good ideas to bypass that?"
Fey waspletely frozen after hearing that. Instead, Furie-senpai asked elder sister,
"Rose¡ This is my first time hearing about it as well, but do you know what you¡¯ve just created?"
"Ah, I''m really sorry. I didn''t want to but my professor imposed that I shouldn''t talk about it...
But you know what else? He came up to me with a letter from some pompous person and started ordering me around like¡ª ''Halt your research this instant if you can only carve out this circuit on a magic base since it needs extremely controlled mana output and just mass produced the current version. It''s an order from higher-ups!'' and started pestering me.
I mean, I also don''t like breaching peeping-prevention magical tools without any reason, but asking me to mass-produce a half-baked prototype that only I can make is too much! He''s an absolute failure as an Artificer!"
Said my elder sister, simmering with anger.
Fey shook her head and turned toward Leo.
"......Nope, Our Dragoon family didn''t get even the slightest wind about it. Your confession had really surprised me, but it makes sense if the Zatsingers have caught wind of it."
"...It''s news to me as well. Also, my proposal to Roselia-senpai has no connection with my family''s politics."
Leo''s gaze alternated between Fey and my sister as he denied her im with a serious expression.
"This would definitely be an amazing idea if it¡¯s possible! Your sis is doing incredible research, Allen!"
"Of course, you¡¯d be so carefree about this... You know this research has more to it than just being ''handy''? To be direct, just the current limited use alone can increase a nation''s power by many folds by mass producing it. If a war were to break out this instant, the MVP would definitely be this piece of technology.
But if not even the Zatsingers had heard about it, this only leaves... Esteemed Sister, could that letter of an influential person by chance have the crest of a winged lion with a glittering jewel in its mouth?"
"Woah! You''re amazing, Fey-chan. It was annoying to go through so many letters so I didn''t read them, but it definitely was that crest. I think I tossed them into the living room so they should still be there somewhere."
Haaa...... Only I could have such abysmal luck to have such a dumb sister actually use the living room as a dustbin and toss the letters of this kingdom''s royal family like trash. Did nothinge to her mind after seeing the same symbol of the national g?
I really wanted to deck her, but my poor body wouldn''t be able to handle the retaliation so that wasn¡¯t an option.
Alright, whatever, time to draw the line as to who was responsible for what! I strained my voice and shouted¡ª
"Elder sister! That''s a letter from someone really important!
I fear those letters might have already been destroyed by the water magic that Aldore Engraver of the Royal Academy''s ss 1-A had used in the fight with everyone earlier, but still, let''s search for them right away!
But in case the letters are truly beyond salvageable, worry not, since Leo Zatsinger of the same ss has said he will take responsibility for all the mess and reimburse for it!"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Afterward, we all immediately started searching and scavenged them from the broken mess, but the water had blurred everything and we couldn¡¯t tell what was written on them.
"Well, you really did a number this time, my friend," I patted Al''s shoulder, and somehow tried to push responsibility. A pity everyone remembered that I was the one who allowed him to use magic, and so my strategy to fling the responsibility flopped.
"...Haa, seems like that''s what fate wanted... We can only use that."
I ignored my sister who muttered ''It''s not like I would have read them either way, so you don''t have to mind'' without a care in the world and looked at everyone. They all had pale faces.
"I always knew ¡®box of bizarre ideas¡¯ was truly a perfect alias for you, Allen. So, do you have a way to reverse this situation?"
Fey, and everyone else too, turned their hopeful gazes at me.
"We saw nothing, heard nothing! That''s all! Come on, eat the meat before it bes the foil for fuel! And don''t forget to drown yourselves in alcohol!"
What else otherwise, right? Not that we could reverse time.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 77 - Noble’s Gathering (1)
*Hello, there. This is the Author. This short, episodic event takes ce just a bit after Godofrun''s assignment result.
Now, I am sure many will be wondering why I am adding a sudden mini-arc when things already happened. Actually, I just realized that I forgot to add some foreshadowing and I think it feels like something is missing in the story that might be apparent to the readers. Well, that''s basically the gist of it!
There was this custom in the Dragoon territory. All the noble families within its influence would gather in its capital, Dragreid, to partake in a periodic assembly.
The core agenda of such assembly was generally information exchange, adjustment of personnel at the local level, petition for the construction of new roads, and other simr things.
Unlike the colorful, buoyant spirit that could be felt in the social life of the Royal Capital at the start of April, for the bottom rung of the aristocrats like the viscounts or barons, this season was usually a fateful one in lots of aspects like their kid''s schooling and employment. This assembly was the perfect ce for them to gather information for things like bureaucrat posts, so for their family''s interest, a good amount of such nobles participated in it.
Typically, the assembly would be held somewhere around spring, a month or so after the entrance ceremony. However, with a tumultuous time visible on the horizon, Marquis Dragoon couldn''t open his schedule to leave the Royal Capital, which he had visited to participate in the countermeasure meeting for the war. Subsequently, the assembly was thus shifted a monthter. Basically, it was held somewhere two months after the entrance ceremony.
Dragried was quite close to the Royal Capital and located in the northwest region of Dragoon territory.
The nostalgic townscape of Dragreid was colored in the southern region¡¯s peculiar reddish-brown tiled roofs with the buildings built with simrly colored bricks and stones, faintly reflecting the visage of what was once a hotspot for rare ores.
Bellwood Rovenne, the head of the Rovenne family, and his wife Celia Rovenne had arrived at Dragreid the morning of the day the assembly would be held.
Also typically, when it was time for the assembly, they would arrive at noon a day before, lodge in a familiar inn, and go out for a stroll as a married couple in the maze-like capitalced with narrow alleys, stone-built staircases, and glittering red neon sign fashioned papernterns. And then at night, they would relish the local cuisine in one of the Dragreid city''s not-so-high-ss restaurants. This was something they both looked forward to, and that should have been the same this year as well, but¡ª
"Phew. It seems like the cheating allegation against Allen has been cleared, but this assembly will still be a rough ride. I would have normally walked in pompously, with a high nose if he had gotten into ss-E, but......"
"And what¡¯s stopping you from proudly walking in right now? He crossed that narrow road that thousands of other aristocratic families couldn''t. Even the Dragoon family is unable to have more than 1, or even at best 2, kids qualify for ss A of the Royal Academy. A parent saying that they¡¯re troubled due to their child''s efforts is truly unbefitting."
Though he knew his wife''s words were right, Bellwood just had a hard time epting reality.
Bell waspletely aware of Allen''s prodigious talent in body-strengthening magic, and he could confidently say that Allen could easily beat others in a battle of wits as long as he could focus. But to say that his son could best even the cream of the crop of this kingdom¡¯s future generation was something an average countryside Viscount like him could never have imagined. Especially not when there was this 700-year-long trail of saddening history that their family had.
And the cherry on top ¡ª another shackle that limited his outlook to a frog-in-a-well ¡ª was that Rose, who was reputed as a wonder child even in the Dragoon territory, couldn''t surmount that wall either. He was sure this was the wall a bygone countryside noble¡¯s family like them could never cross. And yet, it just so happened that his adorable, youngest child easily broke through that andnded himself in the fabled ss A. This was truly a bizarre turn of events that was hard for him to understand.
"...I really don''t know how I should answer any iing questions. Even Schord is gathering unbelievable attention that Grimm had to stay at home to take care of the house."
"The Schord¡¯s visitors have mostly been reduced to a drizzle, and Grimm is going to be the head of the family in the near future either way, so leaving him is just practice. Besides, Schord himself had worked to an unprecedented degree in the closing months along with Allen. His duty as a tutor is finished with the youngest child, so the rest is to let him do whatever he wants to do. And you, my dear, should just follow the motto of the Rovenne family, ''Humble and Steady''. Just have faith in Allen and let him deal with things no matter what you hear, or rather, this is simply the only option¡ª this is the reality that you have to ept."
"...You''re right. It''s a waste of time to expect any detailed information from him, and there has been no further letter after the one informing us of his result.
...But there''s this ''Please refrain from boasting about my result to everyone in case I pass. It would be too embarrassing if I somehow had to leave the school for any reason.'' that sounded ominous which he left behind at the dinner before his departure. I just pray that his qualification is real and he doesn''t drop out of school no matter what happens..."
Long story short, the Rovenne husband and wife arrived at Dragreid making sure to shrink their amodation duration as short as possible to escape from the annoyance that woulde knocking at their door.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
With the capacity to easily serve a thousand people, the reception hall of Marquis Dragoon''s family was typically the venue for assembly. In one word, it was truly a ¡®vast¡¯ hall.
With red-tone brick as its backdrop coupled with stone engravings, the Viscount carriage had just arrived at the carriage porch of the grandiose reception hall. The Viscount repeatedly chanted the ''Modest and Steady'' motto in his mind while praying for this day to pass safely, and got down from the carriage.
Though, he had just gotten down when a hulking man with a scar running down his right eye wearing heavy-looking armor who had been lying in wait, suddenly bellowed at the Viscount.
"So you''re Bellwood Rovenne?!! You country bumpkin of a Viscount sure have guts to besmirch the honor of the renowned Count Abenil, ehhhh! I take it that you''re prepared then?!"
The man was none other than the head of the Abenil family renowned for their spearmanship, Count Nix Von Abenil, the instructor of the Abenil style spearmanship and one of the three generals of the Dragoon family¡¯s personal army. And right now, he was ruffling his pea-green hair and exuding a raging aura.
"Huh? I sullied the honor of the renowned Count Abenil family? I have no inkling of having done any such transgression."
Anyway, there was an urgent need to sort out the situation, and thinking so, Bell unconsciously asked.
"Great, so you damned fox are now taking me for a fool... Do you think you can keep that dull face even after noticing my spear?... Fine, I¡¯ll show this world your true color!"
Count Abenil said and loosely held his rustic, cross spear at waist level. Then, he thrust his spear at Bell, who was still rooted on the spot.
"......Why aren''t you trying to dodge?"
Count Abenil asked skeptically, his spear stopping just a hair¡¯s breadth away from touching Bellwood''s face. As for Bell, he burst out inughter hearing the question that couldn''t be any more misdirected.
"Ahahaha! There''s no why or what, I¡¯m just a hick viscount who knows nothing besides his bureaucratic work and gardening hobby, you know? I don''t even have a shred of warrior''s talent, and the best I could do is twist my waist like stiff wood. What''s the point of escaping when I couldn''t, right?! Oh goodness, I never knew Your Excellency had an exquisite sense of humor!"
"......I¡¯ve never seen someone proiming their martial ipetency so proudly¡ You really are a bizarre man. I thought for sure I was going to see you disgracing yourself by pissing your pants from being unable to dodge¡ What was it, ? I wanted to check for myself who this no-name loudmouth Rovenne family was to have ruffled the Royal Capital with such bold ims, and to deal with it if it turned out to be an embarrassment for the Dragoon family¡ I gotta say, you got some nerves of steel there."
"Your Excellency overpraises me. I would have surely pissed my pants if Your Excellency had released even a bit of his bloodlust. As a matter of fact, even I am surprised at how our family has so many roughnecks¡ It¡¯s just that Your Excellency clearlycked a threatening intent that I was sure that this was a trick from you. True bloodlust is just like, you know, right? It was just the other day my wife caught me ogling a cute girl I recently hired from a nearby bakery. The bloodlust she released was like that of a thousand-year-old demon. Believe me when I say I had to run for my life in the town for one whole hour while wetting myself. Wahaha!"
"Fufufu, what''s funny about it? Bell."
Fwoomp
A stepte, a walking mass of bloodlust got down from the carriage, its mouth curving into a cute smile resembling that of a young girl while a heavy scimitar rested on its shoulder. While it was sheathed, just the weight alone could blow away any normal person with a swing.
""Eeek.""
The crowd of onlookers who had been watching the y with gossipy looks let out shrieks seeing that bloodlust.
"R-Right. You might have nerves of steel but you¡¯re rotten to the core, man. Take me as an example, my eyes have never wandered off from my wife to another woman. Heed my words, a man should settle on a woman and offer her everything."
Count Abenil proimed while fleetingly ncing at the woman behind him, apparently his wife, Countess Abenil.
"A true man indeed. You should also learn from Your Excellency, Bell!"
"C-C''mon! That''s not fair. Your Excellency! Even I have heard about the exploits of your true spearmanship back at the pleasure quar¡ª"
"Shut yer trap, fool! My wife is my everything after marriage! If anything, it''s just you''re rotten! Anyway, my lord has tasked me to guide you. So get your ass moving!"
And that was how the curtain on Bellwood Rovenne''s ¡ª whose motto was to be ¡ª periodic assembly event opened.
T/N - Wow, truly an apple doesn''t fall far from the tree huh. Like father, like Son. Knows well on how to run their mouth. Also, the foreshadowing starts from thest (5th chapter from this one), Damn, the author should have added this arc before truly.
E/N - This is way toote. Well, better than never I guess. And the foreshadowing is most likely in the next chapter. Also, an interesting fact is that Count Abenil is the father of Parry, the antagonistic boy in Vol. 1. Like T/N said, like father like son and we got 2 examples in 1 chapter.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 78 - Nobles Gathering (2)
"It''s too great of an honor for someone of Your Excellency''s status to guide a rustic noble like me. Please don''t waste your breath over someone like me, I¡¯ll just grab some food and strain my ears to listen to one or two gossip like usual. Your Excellency should take his noble seat, I would be just besmirching your honor."
Viscount Rovenne had just finished the procedures at the reception and handed over the ornamental saber that he had been carrying to the checkroom when Count Abenil showed his intention to be their guide.
The noble gatherings were typically organized in buffet-style parties. It would start with striking up conversations with acquaintance nobles, or nobles that they want to form ties with. Then they would receive words of greeting from the Marquis who would then inform them of important affairs, after which, it would be a greeting round toward the high-ranking nobles where they would put forward their petitions if they had any.
While there was no seat for riff-raffs like Viscount or lower-ranked nobles, there were, however, seating arrangements for the Marquis Dragoon family and their eight retainers families¡ª basically the counts.
"Hmph. You don''t need to tell me the obvious, you moron! However, My Lord hasmanded me to do so with the preface¡ª ''Rovenne family are some no-names on whom weck any kind of information so far. The head of the family is another particr one who has been rumored as a carefree sort of person, and a failure as a noble who has no interest in the ups and downs of his noble family. However, any furtherck of intel even when everything has already been dug out is intolerable. I have no recollection of greeting him in all these gatherings, and there is a chance he might go under the radar in tonight''s greeting as well if left on his own ord, so I hereby entrust you to guide him.¡¯... And so!
I had been hoping that there''s no way a person would be so insolent but you''re telling me you''re going to grab some food and just listen to one or two stories? What makes you think you¡¯ll have any time to take part in the buffet, moron! Good grief, you truly are a troublemaker. And how long do you intend to keep that carefree mask?!"
So asked the frustrated Count Abenil. However, for Bellwood, his ¡®I don''t care aboutplicated stuff¡¯ attitude was his nature. There was no way for him to discard the thing that made him who he was.
"Whaaat!? There''s no time for the buffer!?... Actually, it''s as My Lord has said. A person of my caliber is truly no better than an ordinary folk, a stain on a refined aristocrat''s image. All the matter about the Academy has been left to the person himself as well. I barely have any information that''s worth the time of the Esteemed Lord or Your Excellent. I¡¯ll follow as usual order to greet My lord, so please excuse m¡ª"
The Count grabbed Bell¡¯s cor before he could finish his words.
"You didn''t hear me? I''m saying enough with that goody-two-shoes mask. It''s clear as day you¡¯ll disappear among the other attendees without doing anything if I leave your side, moron. Or what, are you saying you want My Lord to actually wait to greet you?"
"Oh dear, it''s hardly such an exaggeration¡ Besides, I¡¯ve been saying that there''s no noteworthy story in my belly to present to My Lord since a while ago. Often people are no more than fleeting, gradually buried under other rumors.
Anyway, I haven''t eaten anything sincest night, so my stomach can hardly endure. So, it would be great if Your Excellency would let me have my fill, or I might truly faint anytime soon. How about some bread at least? Eating the trending bread of the Dragoon territory has always been one of the things that I look forward to in this gathering..."
For him, the Marquis was someone at the zenith with whom his path had never crossed, and letting it cross now would simply be another headache for him. So Bellwood resisted Count Abenil''s attempt to take him in front of the Dragoon Family.
"You should know when to give up, Bell. Don''t trouble Your Excellency with your childish tantrum. If you''re so hungry, then take them."
Celia, unable to ignore her husband''s whining anymore, handed him a portable emergency ration tablet (in vor).
"......But my bread¡ª"
"Say that again?"
Stuck between a rock and a hard ce, Bellwood gave up resisting and took the portable ration tablet.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Oh, if it isn''t Bellwood. It''s truly been a while, huh? I think thest time we had a face-to-face talk was when you came to request for tax exemption following the famine outbreak in your territory a decade ago, isn''t it? But well, after that your territory management has been going smoothly. Now no need to stand, feel free to take this seat."
In the end, Viscount Bellwood Rovenne was dragged around by Count Abenil by his cor and was brought to a rectangle tablet of about 30 people capacity ced at the furthest location in the venue.
Marquis Meria Dragoon, who had been happily chatting with the others, stood up from the so-called seat of honor resembling a somewhat Japan-ish style arrangement when she confirmed the presence of Bellwood and urged him to sit on the seat adjacent to her¡ª the seat which should have been normally reserved for one''spanion.
This warm wee was met with the bewildered gazes of the other high-ranking nobles who had been eyeing the development.
While the Marquis'' husband had passed away at an earlier age, and the seat had thus been empty, the time when the head would get up from their seat and rmend the adjacent seat was when the said person was of the same rank¡ª like the head of another Marquis family or the spouse of the family head.
While it was no news that the Marquis had conferred the family''s title of ''Von'' to her granddaughter Fey, Meria was still the head of the Marquis family, and receiving such an honor from a person of that standing, needless to say, caused even the carefree Bellwood to break into cold sweat.
He knew there was no way a person of her standing would ever so slightly remember the meeting of a few words from the same gathering 10 years ago, while the request itself was left indirectly mixed in with others. It was clear that the person before him had dug up all his past circumstances just to have a fluent conversation with him.
"It has indeed been a while, My Lord. No words can describe how grateful I am to receive that concession over my plea. It''s all the magnanimity of My Lord that the fiefdom is continuing its normal life. If I may, I don''t think I''m befitting to sit next to My Lord. It''s already an honor of my lifetime to attend the same table as My Lord, and any more would sully thy name."
¡®At the very least, let me sit on the furthest seat where I can pretend to be air, and if possible, I might get to taste the bread as well¡¡¯ Those were his thoughts as he pleaded.
"My, don''t be so stiff on formalities, Bellwood. We are, after all, the immediate followers of His Majesty before anything, so who sully who is trifle, no? In fact, it has been my thought to have a direct conversation with you today. If we don''t do it now, it will be even more impossible once the gathering progresses and it''s time for the petitions. This is the only time we can freely discuss. Mistress Rovenne too, have a seat nearby. Count and Countess Abenil, do sit here."
Having been urged again, rejecting again would undoubtedly be too impolite. Ultimately, and reluctantly, he took the pointed seat.
With the appointment itself done by the ''Empress'' Meria Dragoon, the head of the Marquis family for around 30 years, none of the people overlooking the situation ¡ª who were members of the eight Count families managing various aspects of the Dragoon controlled operations, or the heads of the branch families assuming significant posts ¡ª could raise a voice of objection.
As a matter of fact, the seats on the table were normally limited to the heads of the family only. A prime example was the sporadic low-ranking nobles sitting at the end of the table, seemingly the parents of this year''s Royal Academy student qualifiers. They all were the heads of their families.
So to have Celia, and then Countess Abenil across from her was an unconventional arrangement that Meria Dragoon had approved of.
"Now then... pff. It''s a matter of honor, you know, so it would be good if you didn¡¯t have that bitter expression of yours. My maiden heart is going to be hurt at this rate. And so, why did Nix drag Bellwood around by his scruff? It was quite a creative way to make an appearance if I may so...
Hmm, you did ruffle a storm in your outrage by saying ''I''ll break the mask of that imposter and show the world your true color'' earlier... Could it be that you intimidated him so much that his legs gave up?"
Meria asked while grinning. On the other hand, Count Abenil had a vexed expression on his face.
¡°If it was only just that¡ I tried to intimidate him by showing him some spearmanship as soon as he got off his carriage, but that ended in failure, and do you know what he said? He prattled on some nonsense like ¡®Ah, I''m so hungry. I want to eat the Dragoon territory''s bread¡¯, and he also said ¡®Listening to conversations while eating is one of the main attractions in these gatherings.¡¯
He would have disappeared among the crowd if I hadn''t kept a watch over him, so I basically had to bring him by his cor.¡±
The table was immediately engulfed in the murmurs of the other attendees.
¡°He faced the intimating attack from that Count Abenil and all heined about was being hungry? Is he missing some screws on his head?¡±
¡°Huh, but look at his face. It''s as if he has been made to swallow a bitter pill even though My Lord personally asked him to sit next to her. What kind of nerves of steel does he have¡¡±
¡°Why in the world does a son of a dolt like him have to qualify for ss A of the Royal Academy? Don''t tell me the rumored cheating allegation is true¡¡±
Meria hardly appeared fazed by Count Abenil¡¯s recounting of the situation and asked Bell,
¡°I see. Speaking of which, you did request the increase of the research funds of the research to increase the yield of wheat following the year of famine. Next year will mark the 10th year of the research, so how is it going?¡±
Bellwood¡¯s expression clouded in more than just one way. This research was the government-funded work that he couldn''t go silent over.
The question was if this was something merely asked out of curiosity following Allen''s entrance to ss A. The Rovenne family was going to be investigated either way, so it wasn¡¯t unexpected. But the next problem, however¡ª
¡°Haa, the yield in itself is increasing by 3% every yearpared to the previous one, however, we do have some problems at hand.¡±
¡°Oh? What might it be?¡±
¡°We have sessfully managed to increase the wheat¡¯s resistance against mana blister, the main culprit behind the famine. However, it releases an explosion of smell when baking bread, the absolute essential for bread making¡ So it''s a result I can''t convey proudly.¡±
Hearing Bell''s words, a crooked-nose man sitting at the middle section of the table burst out inughter.
¡°Haha, you truly are a family riding on the rumor talk of the Royal Capital as well!
No, I''mpletely amazed. Going with your estimation, doesn''t that increase the yield of wheat by 30%? Wheat is already one of the long-standing troubles guing the Dragoon territories which has few ins and relies on imports to sustain itself. And what you''re saying is that the wheat from your research even gained resistance to the very disease affecting the southern Dragoon territories for ages, all in exchange for some explosion of baked smell?
Give me a break for real. I bet whoever imed that statistic must have mistaken the grace of fine weather with the research, just what you would expect from a forsaken ce. Oh wait, or maybe you''re intentionally misreporting just so you can squeeze more funds from My Lord, you''re not, right!?¡±
The fierce disy put Bellwood on a hard spot, swallowing the words he was about to speak, and instead wondered how he should exin the situation.
Meanwhile, his wife next to him was quietly smiling (raging), her hands and face pale.
E/N - Well, I was wondering why we don¡¯t see any effects of Allen getting into ss A on his family. Now we know. And I sense face-pping in the next chapter.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 79 - Noble’s Gathering (3)
Viscountess Celia''s hand and face were pale white as she smiled (internally raging).
There was no sign of bloodlust from her, if anything it was as if she wasn''t even breathing. However, this was undoubtedly the omen of her fury.
Not only were they constantly voicing out their doubt about Allen''s qualifications, but they even clearly dismissed the current report as nothing but a mere mistake. And for her, it was no different than touching her reverse scale.
When someone from the low hierarchy suddenly achieved the insurmountable, the top hierarchy was bound to follow with demeaning words. She knew that would be the case, however the level of criticism was out of her expectation. Viscount Bellwood was someone who would simply turn a deaf ear to mockery, but his wife, on the other hand......
¡ªHaa, this is why I wanted to just stay in a corner of the hall.
Bellwood sighed internally and diverted the topic.
"Oh goodness, perhaps this city''s air has rubbed off on me to speak more nonsense. Indeed, I am nothing more than a rural side farmer who only has a dingy bit of knowledge as a researcher, so there''s that, wahaha!
And of course, there can''t be any bigger embarrassment than to ask for additional research funds without putting up any chest-thumping achievement, and I don''t n to follow up on this foolishness as well.
Oh, right, right. I intended to ask Count Abenil about his earlier words. When Your Excellency said that I have sullied your honor, do you mean our Allen has done some discourtesy to you...?"
These words had just left Bellwood''s mouth when Countess Abenil suddenly red at him.
"I must say you''re quite a shameless person who hides well behind his mask. Weren''t you the one who said that it would already be a huge boon if your son even managed to qualify for ss E in the earlier spring''s social event back at the Royal Capital? But looking at the result, your son has surpassed even our Parry-kun, making his way to No. 4 in the ss A knight course.
If that wasn''t enough, he even beat down our son in front of everyone right at the first ss and used him as a stepping stone. Just what do you intend to start with this sort of conduct?"
Count Nix Abenil hurriedly rebuked his wife.
"That''s enough. Parry himself had said he wasn''t strong enough.
There might be some discrepancy about the information on the Rovenne house, but the mock duel in itself had yed out fair and square. A warrior must ept their loss."
"Haa, and who was the one loudly hollering ''I must tear apart that imposter''s mask'' until this morning?!
The eyewitnesses have confirmed that Allen Rovenne¡¯s battle style was clearly specialized to deal with spears, even if just a bit. I do wonder why he would be training in anti-spear arts when it wasn''t even part of the entrance exam''s curriculum. If that wasn''t enough, he is gaining the attention of the Young Lady as well. Someone sure has cleverly yed their dice very well"
Bellwood was thoroughly confused hearing the cynical words of the Countess as she replied.
"Allen trained himself in anti-spear arts? I fear I have no inkling about this. Maybe there''s some sort of misunderstanding at y here...?"
Countess turned her face away at the excuse, muttering ''Hmph, keep that obvious facade of yours.''
"......You must have sent Dio as Allen''s escort ¡®til the royal capital, right? I presume this is when he learned some of the basics. Dio''s spearmanship is not bad."
Celia calmly filled in for Bellwood, her hands still pale white. Hearing that, Countess turned to give her a sharp re as she put up a mocking smile.
"My, so an ''is not bad'' guard managed to teach him enough to thrash my son, whose talent is touted to be the greatest in the Abenil family since its foundation, in a mere few days?
Who would have guessed that a bygone countryside actually hides so many national-level talents as if heaven has sent them, it¡¯s certainly an eye-opener for me. Isn''t there the rumoured private tutor as well? Many would surely like to jump in the river of reincarnation and be born in that ce, don''t you think so!?"
"That''s enough! It doesn''t matter what kind of backstory there is to it, a loss is a loss. You may have some doubts but this very duel took ce in front of this kingdom''s hero, Godorfun the Buddha. Never can injustice happen on his watch. Your sour words are only going to discredit Parry''s hard work, Stop it at once."
Nix rebuked her wife with a sound argument, but when has logic ever worked against a mother sentimental about her child?
¡°Does it not frustrate you even a bit!? You have seen with your eyes how much hard work that child has put in so that he can support the Young Lady by her side, and yet! He is your offspring, he picked up the spear at the age of 2 seeing your back, the glorious victory that should have been his¡ And what do you see? Some no-name conman from the countryside suddenly appears and spoils the Abenil family''s foremost achievement, spoiling his great moment of passing ss A!"
Countess red at her husband with teary eyes. The atmosphere at the table couldn''t have been any worse.
Everyone gazed at the Viscount couple with stern res, as if saying everything that happened was their fault.
But taking no heed of such a situation, Meria Dragoon ordered the steward nearby to ''bring thest 15 years of data for Rovenne territory''s farming tax'' and then turned toward Bellwood to pose a question while grinning.
"Bellwood. I heard from my granddaughter that your son seemed more intent on transferring to ss E than ss A. Do you know anything about that?"
"Huh? Allen transferring to E-rank...? Pardon me, but everything rted to the Academy has been left to him so I have no clue¡ª actually I have no clue about what''s happening in the Academy either. That idiot hasn''t sent a single letter since after the result and getting into the dormitory. I have given up on counting on him for that."
A bitter expression floated on Bellwood''s face as he scratched his head, truly giving up on the matter.
"Oh? I have only ever seen parents filled with the desire to support the child with everything they can, even if they have to temporarily take out a loan or even get every family member on board when they¡¯ve passed for ss A, but...... Your son himself hardly seemed to have any attachment to the school, and I also don''t feel as much enthusiasm considering your son has qualified for it, huh?"
Meria was grinning as she continued, but in the depths of her eyes, one could see a beast-like fierce glint.
"Oh heavens, no, of course not. The qualification for the Royal Academy has been long, long sought by the Rovenne family ever since its foundation. Our dearest wish from 700 years ago.
He''s the type to make all sorts of long faces even for something like a once-in-a-year grave visit, so I can''t say anything on his behalf but I for once am sure delighted in my heart.
It''s just that everything escted so quickly that I have yet to catch up with everything. And then the rumors about how our family tutor is suddenly a gem and all that flew up that threw us off guard, and we have just been swept with the flow since then.
......By the way, Allen has little attachment to the school? Did that guy really mess up somewhere in the end?"
Bellwood asked Marquis Dragoon with a trepid tone, and thetter replied delightedly.
"Oh dear, fret not. It''s not enough to turn into a huge matter. His homeroom teacher just happened to be that shitty geezer Godorfun¡ª the one mentioned just a while ago. By the way, he and I are fellow alumni of the Royal Academy.
Anyway, your son mboyantlyshed out at that geezer when he was suspected of cheating in the exam, shouting ''Do you think I will plead to the Academy and shake my tail for you? I might be just some roadside stone from your perspective, but no matter who it is, I will crush all who dare to stand in my way!¡¯.... or so I¡¯ve heard."
Amotion suddenly broke out at the table.
"Ridiculous! He dared to pick a fight with the ''King''s right-hand man'', Godorfun Von Wangyus?!"
"He can easily crush the whole family like swatting a fly!"
"My lord! There is no telling what kind of disaster that perilous brat might bring to the Dragoon family if let loose like that! You should summon him quickly and drill him with the importance of ranking!"
Despite the sudden ruckus, the Marquis simply waved her hand while grinning, reigning in their opinion.
"I expected better from you people, it''s shameful to see you all getting strung up with just that much. You all might as well learn from their son, this much was his greeting if anything. His exploits didn''t end just there.
I heard he deliberately got himself into the general dormitory that''s poprly called the ''Dog House,'' despite having the right to stay in the noble''s dormitory thates with the ss A qualification stating that it would chip away at his discipline. And facing that, apparently, the rest of the ss A members moved to the general dormitory as well.
The Hill Road Club that he created has turned into a huge circle with over 100 members in a mere span of one month, and he is training them all. There are even some upperssmen who joined the club to eagerly seek his instruction.
Or like how he led the Exploration Association''s Vice-President, ''The enemy of the earth'', and mine hunter, Satowa Fjord by his nose and forced him to bend the rule to let himself register as a G-rank explorer.
Not even a day had passed by that I hadn''t heard their son''s name in my earlier stay at the Royal Capital. He alone has made the people of the Dragoon family or any other major power''s intelligence department run like dogs in just a short time. Isn''t that achievement something to be proud of?"
Meria said with a grinning face, but that smile wasn''t reaching her eyes.
"Just what has he done?......"
Bellwood waspletely sprawled on the table. But Celia, on the other hand, couldn''t have looked any more pleased, the rosy color returning to her hand and face.
"Oh my, it seems like Viscountess Rovenne doesn''t look that surprised. Did you foresee this?"
Meria said, and looked at Viscountess Celia with a probing gaze.
"No, it has caught me by surprise indeed, My Lord. It''s just¡ª"
Celia stared right back into the eyes of the Marquis and replied.
"Is there any parent who wouldn''t be delighted at their child''s growth?"
She said, as a smile blossomed on her face like that of a young girl¡¯s.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 80 - Nobles Gathering (4)
"Is there any parent who wouldn''t be delighted at their child''s growth?"
She said as a smile blossomed on her face like that of a young girl¡¯s.
"Pfft¡ Hahaha! Truer words have never been spoken. To make merry together, and to be proud together¡ª it''s certainly the foremost job of a parent. Don''t you think so, Countess Abenil?"
In response, Countess Abenil pressed her lips tightly, only muttering ''I do''.
"So, about what we were talking about earlier. It seems to me that your son doesn¡¯t hold a desire typical of an ordinary person. It''s apparent from his attitude toward the Academy, deliberately moving to the general dormitory, the matter with his fellow alumnus, and the explorer rumors.
A desireless human can never achieve great heights even if they''re heaven''s chosen¡ That''s my pet theory. What do you think, ''Celia''?"
Meria skipped her usual formality and directly addressed Celia by her name.
"...I haven''t seen him since the day of the result announcement. But if anything, he already had the face of a man¡ª the face of a person who knows exactly what he wants, just like Bell''s when I met him for the first time. I believe he would walk down the path of life in his own way."
Celia finished her words with that and put on a girlish smile once again.
"My, that''s truly a wonderful mindset. And Bellwood, how long are you going to sleep there? Speaking of which, you did say it was the 700-year-old wish of the Rovenne family to get into the Royal Academy. So, what''s the point behind it?"
Bellwood looked up on hearing his name being called out.
"......To be blunt, it''s all about the protection of the ubia mountain forest range."
Hearing the reason, Meria looked a bit puzzled.
"Oh? The protection, not remation, of that¡ Sea of trees?"
"Yes, the protection. Ah, a part of it has actually been cleared indeed though. More importantly, We, Rovennes, had cultivated thatnd, and it is the ce where the Rovenne family was born. That mountain forest range is a treasure trove of animals, flora, and fauna. It houses a plethora of rare monsters and magical nts that are native only to that ce and the potential that ce harbors is something we know better than anyone else.
It''s currently standing at an unfavorable juncture, and while we are somehow controlling the situation following the Rovenne family''s policy and a gentleman¡¯s agreement with the explorers, there''s no doubt that the mountain range would one day face ruin if its exploitation goes up a level.
We either have to pass some developmentws, something to deter others more effectively, or even enough funds just to maintain it¡ª we simply need to secure a guarantee. However, there''s not much a little viscount family can do¡ For the Rovenne family, the ubia mountain forest range is like another mother, and it has been our goal since then to get into the Royal Academy for her.
Well, it seems like neither Allen nor our oldest daughter Rose have any interest in it though. Truly, nothing is ever certain in this world."
Bellwood replied with an assertive gaze, aplete flip from his earlieridback expression.
Right at that juncture, the butler that Meria had instructed earlier came back with the past agriculture records of the Rovenne region and handed them to her, along with a certain note.
Meria slowly went through the documents, and then at the note. The next instant, her pupils dted like a beast.
"Kakaka! Kahahaha! Rejoice, Bellwood, Celia. I just received another piece of information from the Royal Capital.
That geezer apparently had tasked your son with an abstruse assignment that concerned the Academy''s training policy. He announced the result to be a failed one but then your son grabbed him by the cor and after a thoroughshing and argument with him, that geezer not only overturned his decision but also apologized in the end. Well, so the rumors go, which, to be honest, even I am finding it impossible to swallow.
However, this is confirmed to be ''true'', from the looks of it. Godorfun had directly appealed to the king and despite being a first-year, your son got the right to join the knight order, which was the reward that he demanded. Following that, he became the disciple of themander of the knight order''s third legion¡ª ''Efficient Operator'' Dew Owiel.
Kahahaha! Truly, what abysmal greed! It''s truly been a while since I¡¯ve heard such shocking news!"
A gobsmacked expression colored the faces of the nobles at the table and around the table ¡ª who were straining their ears to catch the happenings ¡ª as if they couldn''t believe what they just heard.
The bustling, passionate atmosphere of the venue suddenly cooled down as if exposed to the chilly wind when the strange atmosphere drifted to the others.
Meria, the only one who seemed to be in a merry mood, turned to address Count Abenil gleefully.
"Fufu, you made an error in your judgment, Nix. The biggest impostor wasn''t the tree but the apple that fell from it. You talked about Parry-kun, right? Their son has taken my Fey, who earned my recognition as my sessor at the age of 12, and the entire Royal Academy body as a stepping stone¡ª his springboard, and made the biggest leap in the Yulia kingdom!
Moving behind the scenes, ttery, schemes, and strategy¡ª a true noblemand over all sorts of tactics!
I ask you, no matter a fool, a coward, or a daredevil, who else can thump their chest and say that their family, too, can sturdy this Meria Dragoon?!"
Almost in a condensing way, Marquis Dragoon swept her gaze across the hall, however, everyone ¡ª except Celia ¡ª had their head hanging down. Bellwood was sprawled on the table once again.
Meria, still harboring that gleeful expression, continued.
"Speaking of which, Bellwood. I havee to hear that Fey, the sessor of the Dragoon family, seems to have be quite fond of your son. Even going as far as to spend any amount just to have him turn his head toward her. Thetest is that she has even built a magic tool development department at the Royal Capital, and the amount spent has reached the point of 100 million rea."
Viscount jumped from his seat with a pale face as if someone had shocked him. Should she ask to pay the amount, he could boldly im that not even 100 years would be enough for the Rovenne family to pay the amount.
"Pfft. Really now, there''s no need to make such a pale face. But truly, I never expected Fey to be so head over heels for a boy.
After seeing her lovestruck, I had never stopped thinking that she truly was a girl of her age in her personal affairs, maybe I was a bit too hasty to transfer the title of Von. It truly troubled me, but¡ª"
Meria narrowed her eyes.
"It seemed like the eyes that were clouded weren''t her eyes but mine. Of course, I wouldn''t be asking you to pay me back. But it''s natural to make the love of myrger-than-life, adorable granddaughter a reality¡ª that''s what family is like, no? I believe you wouldn''t oppose it ''if'' the Dragoon family and the Rovenne family were to tie a marriage knot, right?"
To have a low-ranking noble promise ''it would be our honor,'' even though the marriage wasn''t yet certain, was truly an expression that high-ranking nobles loved to y around with.
Viscount Rovenne hurriedly replied.
"Rather than opposition or anything of the sort, it''s that our statuses are worlds apar¡ª"
"Bell. Her Excellency isn''t asking you to give her a generic, vague response¡ª a spouse is to be chosen by the person themselves. Is it not the policy that you decided on, and that you raised your kids while telling them so? Sincerity can only be conveyed by your true words."
Hearing Celia''s words, the gleeful aura from the ''Empress'' Marquis Meria Dragoon instantly vanished. Then like the elderly she was, she weaved her next words in a more overwhelming tone.
"It''s a no, is what you''re saying? It''s really riching from a mere viscount who can''t even shelter themselves from the high winds. I take it as that¡ you''ve braced yourself for what¡¯s about toe!"
Meria carried her words with intense intimidation, inducing shrieks from the onlookers. However, Celia followed up calmly and corrected her.
"It''s not a ''no.'' The spouse is to be chosen by the person themselves. This was what Bell said, the policy of the Rovenne family. It''s as simple as that."
"And how is it any different from saying ''no''!!?"
The bellow of ''Empress'' traveled to every nook and corner of the silent hall. Celia ignored her rage with a nonchnt face.
Meria, irked by herposure, repeatedly tapped on the table with her finger and gazed at the Rovenne couple.
"Very well, this is my loss. Let me rephrase my words again¡ª Bellwood, you''re the head of the Rovenne family. Ponder ''very'' carefully the future of your family and then the answer.
The Marquis Dragoon family hereby officially proposes the marriage to the Rovenne family. Does the Rovenne family agree to the marriage between us two families ¡ª the marriage between Allen Rovenne and Feyrune Von Dragoon ¡ª or oppose it¡ What''s your answer?"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The sudden change of atmosphere, like the calm tides or a sea transformed into a ferocious beast of cmity, brought back Countess Abenil to her senses. At the same time, a streak of tears silently rolled on her cheek.
The ''Empress'' was no longer asking¡ª it was an order.
A mere viscount family¡ª that said, even if it was a Count family, they obviously no longer had the option to refuse after pushing that ''Empress'', the ruler of the Dragoon family, to this phase.
This was the future that her son Parry had been so piously chasing after. To be the youngdy''s partner and to support the Dragoon territory together was certainly a dream out of their status.
He discarded everything to reach that unattainable flower and threw himself into the fiery pit of training¡ª which was a milder way to put it. She had been watching everything from the very beginning.
His effort indeed materialized in the exam of the Royal Academy as he made his way to ss A. It was no longer a dream for him.
How they were above the clouds on the day of the result, hugging and crying when they saw it. However, it didn''tst long before the bubble of illusion burst.
Everything was foiled by the appearance of that boy, whose arrival was like a storm that swept everything in its wake.
Countless Abenil turned to nce at the Viscount Rovenne, who then shook his head horizontally with an untimely carefree expression.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 81 - Noble’s Gathering (5)
Having been pressed for an answer by Marquis Dragoon and with all escape routes shut, Bellwood looked at the raging olddy (Marquis) in front of him with a ratheridback expression¡ª which was basically him trying to escape from reality.
The most that crossed his mind was ''Hmm, that''s quite an impressive disy of intimidation but it''s a candlepared to my wife''s wildfire-like anger¡¯. He had basically stopped thinking of any excuse at all.
Well, in truth, he didn''t have any particr deep conviction like his wife said. It was indeed true that the Rovenne family had a ''magnanimous and free-will focused'' motto when it came to marriage. But then again, what other option could they have as hick nobles with one foot in themoner''s rank than to look for a partner by themselves. Being a run-of-the-mill lower-rung noble was their reality.
It was quite easy to say ''It would be our honor'' for him, but that would be going against their values. The kids have been raised with a ''find your partner by yourself'' principle after all. And even if he did ignore that, his wife next to him would never acknowledge it.
The words "You should simply act on the motto of Humble and Steady" his wife had spoken in the carriage on the way here suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
''Humble and Steady, huh? What was even there to be humble about in their current position?¡¯ Such were his thoughts. Besides, his empty stomach was also straining his sanity.
The constant sweet smell of bread tickling his nose was like an enchantress ying with his mind. He really didn''t care about anything anymore.
He looked at Meria and sharply shook his head.
"I am just aid-back failure of a noble who doesn''t really care about the rise and fall of his family. Decide what? I don''t have the acumen to settle on our family''s fate. So everything is ording to the will of our excellent kids!"
"......So you have made up your mind huh, Bellwood? There''s no turning back after, you know?"
"That would never happen¡ or so I that¡¯s what I want to say, but someone like me just lives in a pool of endless regret! Wahaha!"
The Viscount closed his words with that and stood from his seat, turning his back toward the only person he shouldn''t have. He no longer had the guts to look at theter proceedings of the meeting after this event.
Following Bellwood, Celia left her seat nearly at the same time, as if they had long thought of that.
"Hold your horses. Our discussion hasn''t yet ended."
Meria stared daggers at the Rovenne couple.
"However, the rats in my belly can''t hold on any longer."
Bell said while lowering his eyebrows, his expression twisted deplorably.
"......You really have nerves of steel to not only bite back but to even have no shame in making that shameful expression due to hunger. Truly, a good-for-nothing.
Moonlit, your territory is supposed to be next to the Rovenne''s right? Have you noticed any change in their wheat yield in thest 10 years?"
Hearing his name suddenly being called out while the venue was shrouded in deathly silence with everyone''s breath caught up in their throats, Moonlit hurriedly scrambled to answer while lowering his head almost to the level of the table.
He also had received the right to sit in this chair following his son¡¯s, Theode, enrollment to the Royal Academy¡¯s ss E.
"Yes. We had a particrly good yieldtely with the weather showing less of its whimsical side.... That said, the results we got from the crop seeds of the Rovenne the year before thest were certainly substantial despite some issues, so we hadtely reced all the seeds we have with those we harvestedter on. We¡¯ve seen approximately a 30% increase in our yield."
Meria nodded and then flung the Rovenne''s wheat tax records that had the details about their yield increasing by 3% each year at the crooked nose man who was belittling Bellwood''s research earlier.
"How long will it take to deal with that smell?!"
"Yes! Considering our current research stage, three years ¡ª including this one ¡ª should be sufficient!"
"I will allocate the research funds. But I better see a semi-annual detailed report!"
"Certainly!"
"And another thing. The daughter of Marquis Levarance has taken quite an interest in your son as well, and considering the assignment news, it''s without a doubt that every major power, including the royal family, may want to tie the marriage knot.
I want the report about which family proposed marriage before answering at my table! No motto of your family has anything against that, right?"
The venue was filled with chatter.
Bellwood turned to nce at his wife with his usualidback expression.
"If you can uphold the promise."
Celia said with a smile. Then, Bellwood shook his head.
"I truly apologize, but I don''t think that rambunctious fe would ever consult us in advance no matter how many times we warn him. If anything, I wouldn''t be surprised if he decided to marry someone the next instant.¡±
Meria''s head hung down in thorough disappointment at his words.
"Never have I seen a noble like that. Goodness... But aren''t you the head, at least?"
¡°Humble and steady is the Rovenne family¡¯s motto."
Bellwood said triumphantly.
"You can at least cut this olddy who¡¯s simply worried about the love of her granddaughter some ck, can''t you? An excess of greed would pull the carpet from under your feet without even realizing when!"
A broad smile appeared on Celia¡¯s face as she replied, "But isn''t it greed that Your Excellency would like to see from us?"
Then she turned her back on her just like her husband. On the way out, Bell casually picked up a piece of bread from a te.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After the noble''s gathering event. Having moved to the Marquis¡¯ residence, Meria shouted at the steward following her.
"Gird and Abenil should still be here, right? Call them now!"
In just a few minutes the two appeared. Meria crumpled the investigation report about the Rovenne couple she had been carrying and stared at Gird, the intelligence department head, with a mocking smile.
"Celia Rovenne is apparently ofmoner origin, a model wife who stays behind her husband''s shadow, whose smile is like that of a young girl¡¯s, and a mild-mannered beauty¡ª that''s what you reported, remember?"
Then, even that mocking smile vanished from her face as sheshed out.
"Whatmoner, what mild-mannered?! She''s a king''s vassal! Had I known about her twenty years ago, I would have deployed any means necessary to adopt her into the Dragoon and raise her as my sessor. I specifically ordered you to gather every little information about the Rovenne, how embarrassing it was for me when someone suddenly appeared in our territory and I know nothing about them! Do you have buttons for eyes or what?!"
Gird, in a kneeling position, didn''t say anything¡ª or rather, he couldn''t say anything.
Viscountess Celia had never appeared in public ever since the Rovenne family had started gaining attention. Even the attempt to scout Schord was all done through the intermediation of the Viscount and the eldest son Grimm.
When the only way they could dig up the past information of someone who appeared out of nowhere was either through investigating or guessing, it was certainly a bit stringent to me them for theck of information. The steward thought so and decided to intervene.
"Your Excellency. I have also gone through the background report of the information department and I believe the report up to that point stood correct.
It is certain that the Viscountess had hardly done anything to stand out after her wedding to the Rovenne family, even in social events, she had upheld that ''everything is by my husband¡¯s wish'' with no other remark, and today''s event as well as several other people''s testimonies cemented that fact.
However, the issue about the Viscountess'' past before her marriage¡ Every single record from the Royal Academy to the Aristocratic School or any other institute for thest 40 years has been thoroughly investigated but nary a single information that matches her was ever found.
Maybe she was a foreigner who had been wed to this kingdom''s noble family? That possibility was also investigated, but no records were found as usual. Putting together all these facts, the only logical exnation is that the Viscountess is amoner who couldn''t attend any school in her childhood due to her family''s circumstances. However, looking at the regal manner the Viscountess had disyed today, this theory appears to be no longer viable.
Most probably, the Viscountess had been once a noble who couldn''t attend advanced schooling for some reason and waster removed from her family''s registry. And that family most likely had to have substantial status as well, or else it''s a bit hard to cultivate that sort of regality¡ª that¡¯s my conclusion.
It''s really a mystery why a person of her caliber decided to adopt that lifestyle... On the other hand, the investigation has only been going on for two months. None of the other camps could possibly have more data. If anything, the Dragoon family is lucky to have a face-to-face dealing with her. To put a gag order on what transpired today in the venue is truly a far-sighted decision, Your Excellency."
''Hmph,'' Meria harrumphed and took her seat.
"A gag order on such arge gathering is nothing but a temporary aid. It''s only a matter of time before the rumors start circting. And Nix.
Your attitude shows that you noticed something in that Viscountess that we couldn''t. All your ferociousness simply disappeared in front of her like a cat suddenly bing so quiet and meek, huh? So, what''s your impression of her?¡±
"......I had swung my spear at Viscount Rovenne the instant we met, but that guy''s expression didn''t budge even a bit. And his answer when I asked why was ''my bloodlust was just a pretense''. This was what made me think ''he isn''t just some random conman,'' so I decided to look at his conduct carefully. I think his im of being inept at martial arts is indeed not wrong.
...I can''t say if it was the effect of ''Unceasing Prudence,'' or his wife, but he wasn''t fazed even by my empty threat."
Meria passed the crumpled report in her hand to Nix.
"This is Bellwood''s score back in the Aristocratic School. Now that I look at it, his results in the life science field were indeed outstanding. I can''t say for sure, but he''s probably the type of person who only excels at certain fields¡ª the so-called gifted person. It''s not exactly stated, but there are a lot of these people who face problems in society due to an unbnced aspect of their brains.
He certainly has nerves of steel, but anyck of reaction over his son passing the glorious ss A of the Royal Academy, and even at our intimidation made it clear that he apparently doesn''t care due to his nature. That''s why the qualification to the Royal Academy is only equivalent to ''ubia Forest Mountain Range''s protection'' to him. However, it''s just that his son has no heart to care about that, which is why Bellwood has no interest in his son¡¯s academy life as well.
Wouldn''t a parent normally try to persuade their children to take on the path they want them to take? Well, Bellwood surely hasn''t tried anything to make it happen. He''s already at the age to have some dealings with society but I believe his thesis or anecdotes from his time in school would surely reveal this in the investigation.
Well, no need to waste our breath on him. He isn''t the type to make any effort in society unless someone notices him and makes use of him, so all that matters is if I can make him do my bidding. Anyway, what about Celia?"
Hearing the analysis about Bellwood, Nix recalled his appearance. Certainly, his attitude ofying low or even hisidback appearance in front of Her Excellency wasn''t something that could be dismissed simply as a carefree personality. And his wife¡ª
"...I couldn''t gauge where the Viscountess''s limit lies. To be frank, I don''t think I can win against her at all after seeing the quality of bloodlust she had let out while quarreling with Bellwood when he mentioned giving the bakery''s staff an ogling look.
The Viscountess''s presence had nearly vanished when my wife called the Rovennes a group of cowards. Her face was so pale as if her heart had stopped beating, and there wasn''t even a hint of mana being released from her, which would typically happen when breathing.
I can''t give an urate measurement of her strength, but had she decided to go all out, none of us would have been able to stop her for sure is my conclusion. Honestly, I was only thinking about how to safely evacuate Your Excellency in case that madam decided to explode."
"......That bloodlust was definitely intentional. After hiding away in the shadow of her husband, she probably judged that it would be impossible to hide any longer now that her son was practically a star...
Anyway, she probably guessed that trouble would ur in today''s meeting for sure, and that''s why she decided to suppress you first to have a slight upper hand.
One doesn''t need to have a ''martial heart,'' but it''s impossible to cultivate that caliber of bloodlust without power. Gird, thoroughly investigate all the noble houses in this kingdom, especially the ones that have earned military exploits. The key to the Rovenne is none other than her."
"Yes, ma''am!"
"And speaking of their family¡ The second son of the Rovenne family, Beck Rovenne, is enlisted in our private army, right? I will assign him under you, so keep an eye on him."
"As youmand."
"Truly tantalizing... Each and every one of them is so out of the norm and they want to say that ''Humble and Steady'' is their family''s motto? They havepletely taken me for a fool, haven''t they!?"
Meria shouted, however, none could answer her question.
T/N - The arc might havee to end but the exposition have yet to end. Pace has just started to speed up.
E/N - This mini-arc is finally done. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t a fan of thest few chapters but Celia¡¯s mysterious background is indeed intriguing like the trantor said which made up for it. Excited to learn more of that.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 82 - The Five Families of the Beginning
On the morning of a certain weekend. I just arrived at the main entrance of the Academy while jogging following my daily routine when I spotted Godorfun there.
"Good morning, Godorfun-sensei. Is something the matter, to actually be here at this time?"
"Nothing. It''s just that I¡¯m simply fed up with the neverending meetings all day long. I expected this when I left the frontline and took this post, but boorish things are still boorish. So I thought I¡¯d do basic training with the young ones, you know, for a change of pace. I was just waiting for you while looking at others running around. This old man isn''t bothering you, am I?"
"No, of course not. Hmm, so the teachers are not free even outside the Academy''s ss hours, huh?"
From there, we started our clockwise running around the Academy''s premises.
Apparently, Godorfun''s work didn''t end after the sses ended. He also had stuff to take care of at the knight order and the royal pce so he usually left the Academy after the morning sses. If rumors were to be believed, he often wasn''t able to get proper sleep beside his naps on the staff room''s custom-made sofa. It was really hard to believe this was the lifestyle of the kingdom''s most valuable asset.
"I feel ashamed to push the inconvenience onto you students. You were right in your sermon, I should have shown myself in the club activities earlier... I guess my age got the better of me, huh?
Perhaps, I just gave in to my convenience. I could tell ss A''s progress from the morning practical lessons. The report consolidated by the managers filled in the gap that was left. Everyone''s improvement was visible to my eyes even withouting here to check things out."
"Please no. You¡¯ve also been teaching the morning ss every day considering your hectic schedule, and us just having the chance to talk with you whenever we have a question is already a lifesaver."
We continued with our small talk for the first half of the course, and from the second half, we sped up to chase after the Hill Road Club members.
The time I chased down the club members like a mad dog has been drastically reduced after I cleared Godorfun''s assignment. Or so it should¡¯ve been, but this practice still continued due to the masochist club members¡ª though not as intense as before. Their words were ''We can''t get any motivation if our honorary supervisor isn''t there hooting at us''. What a deplorable bunch, truly.
I¡¯ve also grown enough to cover the entire premises of the Academy in one hour over thest four months. I have yet to see anyone achieving the same thing.
Well, Leo technically could push through if he utilized his absurd mana reserves but that would be detrimental to his mana maniption skill so he has a self-imposed ban on himself from using it.
"......You also can''t run whilepressing your mana, Sensei?"
There was nothing to nitpick about one of the best warrior¡¯s mana-handling skills. Godorfun was easily matching his pace with mine with the bare minimum mana consumption. However he was running while using mana-enhanced eyes to look at the mana flow, it was a sign that he was running withoutpressing mana.
Godorfun, however, didn''t answer me but instead threw an unexpected curveball.
"......Do you know about the Original Five?"
The five families of the beginning. This was the collective title of the five noble families in this continent with the longest history. Long before even the Yuglia Kingdom was there to control thend, the five noble families already reigned on this continent.
The noble families that we spoke of could actually be traced back from most of the other noble ns¡ª the closest example would be the Genpei Tokitsu in Japan. The era we were talking about was actually a bygone era long ago and as they said, nothing is eternal in the world. The original five obviously couldn''t prevent the flow of time from affecting them. However, while they were just shadows of their former selves, these families still existed in the current era like the Rosemieur family that controlled the northern empire. (T/N - In simpler terms, the MC is referring to the origin of an ethnic/race, from where they originate from. Genpei Tokitsu is the term referring to the four Japanese ns¡ª Minamoto, Taira, Fujiwara, and Tachibana. Apparently, the majority of the Japanese¡¯s lineage can be traced back to them, so like their ancestor of sorts.)
The Yuglia Kingdom also had one of these noble families that used to be a part of the original five.
"Yes. I¡¯ve heard about the north''s Rosemieur family and the ''Marquis Sunset Family¡¯ in this kingdom."
Godorfun then continued after my affirmation.
"Right. The said ''Marquis Sunset Family'' ¡ª the Dosperior Family ¡ª has currently rolled down from that lofty peak after their family heads for generations refused to enter the Royal Academy, and also by only tying the knot of marriage with adjacent noble families that had their blood, though they are still carrying out the concept of their ''original teachings'' without fail.
But even now, this kingdom ¡ª as well as the other nations in this continent ¡ª hold this deep fear and respect toward these families, each one blessed with the talent of mana operation to enhance body-strengthening magic though they rarely appear in public."
After saying that, Godorfun''s face scowled, seemingly remembering something unpleasant.
"The earlier war had cost me the life of one of my dear friends¡ª , the sessor of the Dosperior family. Before he died on that battlefield, he had taught me the secret art of the Dosperior family. And it''s the same instant manapression that you''ve been using."
Godorfun then stared at my face.
"......Your mother seemed to have cut off her ties with the family for some reason. I hadn''t asked why since it seemed to be a past she didn''t want to be dug up, but¡ Don''t you think it might spell trouble teaching that secret to the club members, even if that''s not what you meant to do...?"
But how could I have known it was this special of a technique!?
"Fuhahaha. Well, no need to make such a face. I''m the advisor of this club, and Bardi taught me the technique as well. With that said, Bardi himself had said¡ª ''Instantaneous Mana Compression is a secret art and the specialty of the Dosperior Family. Just because you know it doesn''t mean you can imitate it''.
And his words were correct. This vessel of mine with no talent failed to pull it off even with several years of training. They might be the cream of the crop this kingdom has to offer but one look and it''s clear that they''re struggling as well. It''s not a futile training but I believe only a few of them would be able to learn it well. Is it alright, though? You taught your mother''s family''s secret art with no misgivings and so easily."
Can''t imitate, huh?... That¡¯s true. The technique ¡ª which was to instantaneouslypress mana and refill one''s mana pool ¡ª actually turned out to be more difficult than I had expected.
It has been four months since I passed the details of the ''mana on/off precision'', which was a prerequisite to learning the technique, to my ss A ssmates. However, a vast majority of them were still struggling with the concept. The only ones who had managed to pull it off, though superficially, were Dan and Ste.
But I couldn''t actually envision them pulling it off perfectly.
Leo might be talented and blessed with overflowing mana, but it was this talent that was holding him back as well. It turned out that he was actually much worse than the others when it came to utilizing body-strengthening magic at will due to the precise mana maniption it needed. Well, his explosive mana capacity was already more than enough topensate for hisck of precision.
"Secret¡ Hmm, we actually weren''t told anything otherwise so I think it shooooould be fine. I¡¯ve never met any of my mother''s direct rtives as well. Cough How about forgetting that such a thing ever happened? My dad is usually a broken recorder when drunk, but mom has that tight guard around as she never talked about her past. I honestly don''t feel like anything good wille out of it now."
"Hahaha. So even the rustic brat from the countryside has started to pick up on things as well, huh? Indeed, tall trees are often the ones that get affected by storms first. I believe it''s just a matter of time before this spreads but I also suggest to keep the matter confined only to your heart as much as you can. Right, let''s just say we never talked about it."
"Well, only a fool wouldn''t learn after going through so much bitter experience...... But thank you very much."
Though I felt more pressure due to the embellished rumors about your assignment, old man¡ I wanted to retort so hard but swallowed theint in the end.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Afterward, Godorfun followed me and performed a simr number of hill dashes as well, and from there, we moved to the dorm. Today was a break so he probably wanted to see what sort of life the members of the Hill Road Club had.
"Hmm, this regime looks easy when seen from afar, but it sure is quite an intense training, huh? I guess I would hardly be your match in just two more years. But time sure flies. This ce is just as it used to be in my era, but the gloominess is nowhere to be seen."
""Good morning, Godorfun-sensei!""
A lot of the dorm residents were practicing their weapon swings in front of the dorm when they spotted me and Godorfun and came to greet us. However, it was just a simple greeting after which they returned to their training holding the weapon of their preference.
It was an everyday scene for me, but it seemed to make a difference in Godorfun''s eyes.
"I also used to stay in this dormitory. Though rather than the current bustling scene, I prefer the quietness that was there earlier.¡±
I drew a wooden sword from the weapon rack ¡ª it was just recently installed in front of the dorm''s entrance ¡ª and followed with my usual 30-minute sword-swinging practice. I wonder what¡¯s going on in his mind?
Godorfun, on the other hand, sat nearby cross-legged and quietly watched everyone''s practice without making a sound.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 83 - A Half-a-century Ago Tale (A silly, boastful clash of egos)
*T/N - It is an interlude chapter. By the way, the title in parenthesis is what I put. You will soon understand.
Godorfun and I ¡ª after I was done with my practice ¡ª entered the dorm and went to the cafeteria. When we arrived there, several people were setting the tables in a bit of a flurried manner.
Sora''s workload had suddenly exploded when the previously deserted dormitory had be as lively as a theater. She lookedpletely distressed by the situation, so I started helping her. This sudden and voluntary action was picked up by the other dorm upants and this was how the current situation came about. The image of the dorm had truly transformed like a rising star.
The dorm did receive a supplementary budget, enough to just hire employees, and there were already some that had started working. However, as a frugal person who hardly experienced such luxury, I insisted that if there was such a surplus of money, it might as well be used for materials and research.
But I was beaten down already. As if they were some kind of irvoyant who had already foreseen my objection, the staff was hired only for the bare minimum. While the rest was done by ourselves or through a schedule.
"Goodness, y''all sure are hard workers heh. Well, at least the Knight Order isn''t going to have students whining to take along a chef for camping from this batch. Each and every one of them truly was a sheltered bunch, they don''t even realize any nonbatant is just an extra liability when the camp is raided on the battlefield. Those garden flowers just don''t seem to get it no matter how much you yap at them.
But seeing the students here willingly doing the work without anyint is truly a sight for sore eyes. I bet all of them will be someone befitting of suitable status."
Godorfun stated while narrowing his eyes in delight when Sora showed her face from the kitchen.
"If it isn''t Godorfun, and here I wondered what kind of old ghost drifted here. What kind of wind brought you here when you haven''t visited the dorm ever since graduating 50 years ago, huh?"
Huh, so Sora-san had been working in the dorm for over 50 years... No wait, then what''s her current age?
"It''s been a while, Madame Sora. I have nothing but disgraced memories of this ce. I truly loathed it, so I didn''t want to bring myself here. Never again, would I step here again¡ was my resolution.
...But you see, the radiant visage of my pupil here gave me the push to finally face my past bratty self, anding here, I couldn¡¯t help but want to see you. I¡¯m truly ashamed of my immature self."
After saying that, Godorfun apologized, bowing akin to the greeting one does in training. Sora''s eyes narrowed in emotions for just an instant before being reced by her typical maniac-like smile.
"Hyahaha! What Madame? Yeah, you truly have grown up to say something like that. I still remember how you, after being bullied by your seniors, would cry in the bathroom while hugging your knees without turning on the lights¡ The passage of time is truly a fast one, no?"
Godorfun also smiled back, with a blue vein throbbing on his temple.
"Well, did something like that ever happen? Oh, I know. Age has surely caught up to Madame, so maybe your mind is going senile, fufufu. But I had indeed taken the vow to never turn my face when being promoted to another ss. Though it was all those bitter experiences that made me who I am right now."
"Hahaha. I never thought that ''Crybaby Godor'' would learn to have such a slick tongue. But so be it. I still clearly remember that burning zeal within your eyes when you stood outside the dorm, saying ''I won¡¯t return here ever again, that''s why this is our farewell for all eternity, Sora. I¡¯m much obliged for your care all this while'' before leaving.
''Ah, the child has finally stood up on his feet, and he will continue to do so¡¯, I had thought then¡ You were the star of hope that this dorm had long since sought for. I used to tell this to all those children who had lost their confidence, how that definition of ''Indomitable'' used to be here, crying endlessly from frustration. But he used that as a springboard and look at where it brought him. How many had been given the push to walk forward in these several decades, huh?
Well, the current upants are all excellent so there''s just no chance to tell them your sob story. It''s been a while, why don''t you have breakfast as well?"
''Then, I will take you up on your offer,'' said Godorfun, while scrunching up his face from having his dark history dug up by Sora.
Today''s breakfast consisted of grilled Greateus Snake liver with a sauce so bitter it would contort your mouth, along with milk with such a horrendous stench as if someone had wiped the spilled milk with a rag and squeezed it back into a cup.
"When I heard you were all merrily enjoying the breakfast here, I was really surprised since all that was left in my memory was nothing but a rotten stench, though I thought that my prejudice of being here for all those years exaggerated it... But this is even more heretical than I imagined.
You all really have great prospects awaiting you to be able to handle this so easily. I really can''t eat this."
Gordolfen took a bite of each, dipping them into the side dish, and sipped the milk, then set down his knife and fork.
He had just done that when the invincible man, Al, said with a face full of smiles.
"Godorfun-sensei! What you see there are the words that Allen learned from Schord-san! It''s all about determination!"
Godorfun turned to nce at the wall Al pointed out where a poster with the slogan of ''Once you clear your mind of mundane thoughts, even roaring mes are nothing but a refreshing breeze'' was framed inrge, bold letters.
"Hahaha. It seems like ''Unceasing Prudence'' is a concept impossible for you. Oh my, what a pitiful sight to see that your soul is still that of the crybaby Godor even after 50 years."
Sora''s face immediately twisted into that of a crazed scientist and provoked Godorfun.
Having been told ''You don''t have what it takes to practice Unceasing Prudence so it''s truly impossible for you'' in front of his students, another blue vein throbbed on Godorfun''s temple as he picked up his knife and fork.
"I once survived on just tree bark for one week after I was attacked by enemies on the battlefield which caused me to drift away from myrades. This heretical cooking can never be worse than that."
"Hahaha. Well if you feel like eating it, then stand in that magical tool and crank its handle first. It would be easier topare the data from before and after."
"...What in the world is this? Never saw this type of magical tool before."
It was a bathroom weighing scale-style magical tool ced in a corner of the cafeteria that Sora had pointed out. It was designed by me and created by Fey. Dorm upants here take their reading every day before and after eating breakfast.
"It''s a magical tool we created, after being briefed by Allen, that measures and records your mana capacity, mana cirction, the smoothness by which you can change attributes, and many more. ''The result would surely be a good source of motivation and growth by extension'' were Allen''s words back then... It was developed under Sora''s supervision, and cost 3 million rea."
...What? I never knew it was so expensive...
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The breakfast was like a scene from a battlefield that Godorfun challenged as if he were facing a mortal enemy. After that, we headed for the public bath.
"Just the same as ever, huh? Haaa... It''s like this dorm had its time stopped, unchanging for the past 50 years. The sole difference is the radiance in the eyes of the students living here."
Slip Godorfun had just said that when something went past his leg.
"......The heck is that?"
"Huh?...... Ah, this is the automatic cleaning robot Runpo-kun V3. With enough mana and water, it can keep cleaning and wiping on its own continuously for 24 hours. This was also Fey''s creation."
"...Robot? ......It can easily snatch away the livelihood of a great many people so be careful when releasing it to society."
"Everything that needs care around here has been left to Fey, their inventor¡ Anyway, sensei said that this ce is the same as ever, right? But this ce has gone through quite a bit of renovation though.
Well, you wouldn''t find any gaudy decoration here of course, but it was enough to aid in training and all that. Like how a sauna has been installed in the public bath we''re heading for to heal our fatigue. But oh boy, its maintenance cost sure is high. It took almost all of the renewed budget granted to the dorm."
Why do I have a say in the dorm''s budget? Because I was the dorm vice superintendent. Originally, Riyad-senpai used to be the dorm superintendent in name only, but then he said ''My absence is piling up with my increasingly hectic schedule so I am leaving everything to you, Allen'' and named me as his assistant.
As a matter of fact, the only facility installed with the dorm¡¯s money was just a sauna. The rest of the trivial amount went into the samples that the magical tool research club invented.
Godorfun''s eyes widened upon hearing my words.
"Goodness me! A sauna in the Academy''s dorm? Sublime! Spectacr decision. The sauna is the soul of my life. There''s no sauna facility nearby so I seldomly visited one but it wouldn''t be bad to show myself here asionally in that case."
We entered the bath while chatting over such a topic. The temperature of the water was 55 degrees, the same as the ''extra-fine sake'' in thenguage of Japanese rice wine. I bet this would surprise even the folks of Kusatsu. (T/N - Apparently a ce, Kusatsu Onsen)
On, and I don''t use the sauna in the morning. I prioritized letting my body heal my tired muscles naturally. I exined the same to Godorfun and left him with the words ''Today''s a holiday, so please use it to your heart''s content.''
I saw Leo entering just a while ago so I don''t think I need to stick with him here.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After Allen left for the bath, Godorfun, with a look of excitement unbing of his age, headed for the sauna.
His recent schedule had been so hectic for him that he only had time to use the simple shower in the Academy, unable to dip in the hot water that he longed for. And with all the ongoing meetings, this was just the perfect chance to loosen his stiffened muscles.
With these thoughts, and suppressing his bubbling excitement, Godorfun calmly stepped into the sauna but was surprised by its temperature.
Cold...?
The temperature of the sauna was so cold it reminded him of the time when he had subjugated the Ice Dragon in the Yuhard Mountain Region.
"Sir? Why are you here?"
Leo, who had entered just a while ago, asked Godorfun.
"Oh, don''t mind me. I was just curious to see how everyone here is doing. Since I had been with Allen Rovenne in his morning training, I thought to look at the situation here as well. But a cold sauna, huh? That''s quite an unconventional setup."
Godorfun murmured and sat down on the upper stair, diagonally above Leo. ''Ahh,'' several people shrieked in that instant.
¡°What? What happened?¡±
"Sir... This ice sauna is set at minus 30 degrees. Allen said icing is the elixir for fatigue recovery and muscle growth. But to sit down with a wet body and without a towel in the cold¡ that would cause your butt to stick to the floor and you wouldn''t be able to stand up."
Godorfun concentrated his strength on his feet. Sure enough, it was as if his butt had been glued to the floor, it just wasn''t budging. He could force himself up, but that would cause his skin to peel off and it was anyone''s guess how much blood would spill from that.
One of the students who had just entered the sauna hurriedly dashed off outside and brought in some hot bath water that he sshed around Godorfun''s butt.
Soosh With a mild sizzling sound, Godorfun''s bum was finally freed from the floor.
"This is a typical case with first-timers and has happened quite a lot. It would be fine to justpletely wipe your body and spread a towel on the floor to sit on. In case someone is stuck, there are red buttons around which can stop the sauna by pushing it."
"Sorry, that was apse in my judgment."
Godorfun meekly apologized, though, at the same time, it had hit his pride as a first-rate sauna-melier ¡ª a sommelier but for saunas ¡ª that he had trained in the Wangyus territory, rich with hot springs and saunas.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The folks that entered the sauna could be divided into types: ones that fight with their inner selves, and ones that fight with others.
Godorfun belonged to thetter category. The tragedy that followed when a man of a stubborn nature met with a man of a simr nature ¡ª who had just entered the sauna as well ¡ª was a scene familiar even to Earth or another world.
Leo had entered the ice sauna a step earlier than Godorfun. By this time, everyone, aside from Godorfun, had already been reced by other students, save Leo.
Godorfun''s body had chilled to the point that he couldn''t even properly close his mouth. However, did he have the choice to leave? No, not when Leo, who had been here earlier, was still in his position.
Leo, the source of this tragedy, had his eyes closed in silence, enduring the chill. It was clear that he was conscious of Godorfun!
Anyone with enough brain cells could guess he was contending to match the timing with Godorfun''s departure, ''his goal for today''. His legs were trembling like a newborn fawn, and even the tip of his ears ¡ª not just lips ¡ª had turned bluish-purple.
*This can''t go on... He''s already at the juncture of getting frostbite. Shouldn''t he know when to give up, for god''s sake?
I had entered hereter, how could a sauna-melier like me possibly leave first then!? And this chill on my legs¡ It''s clear that the cold is more concentrated on the lower steps. It would be a shame on my honor, having appraised so many saunas, if I still get up first!*
A drowsiness assailed Godorfun while his mind was a mess as he monologued in his head.
Crap¡ Sleep is the nemesis of one''s life.
Haa, I guess I only could use the dirty haggling of an adult to make him retreat before the vessel of this young man gets cracks of ice in it. He is too talented to get wasted here.
Having made up his mind, Godorfun suddenly stood up from his seat and headed for the door.
Seemingly on cue, and having already reached his limit, Leo also stood up and followed after Godorfun thinking ''Oh, it''s finally the time to leave huh''.
However, Godorfun then suddenly turned on his heels right before the door and returned to the spot he was sitting earlier.
Leo, who had stood up to follow after Godorfun, was left as the sole standing person, a look of astonishment dyeing his face.
Fufufu. You¡¯re still an amateur in sauna discipline if you can''t even see through such basic feints, Leo. Godorfun gloated in his mind.
Leo, however, then curled his bluish-purple lips into a grin and started stretching on the spot before returning to his previous position.
You moron! Just how much do you despise losing!?
"...Umm, how about the two of you stop this moronic act and just leave it at that?"
Coco, who happened to be there, called out. But they had already closed their eyes, not intending to respond to his words.
30 minutester, Jeu was greeted with the sight of two frozen tunas ¡ª two bodies with towels wrapped around their waist ¡ª thrown at her feet.
E/N - I¡¯ve never heard of a cold sauna before. I learned something new. Also, I¡¯m d that theedic tone of the novel is back.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 84 - Summer Vacation
"Now then, two months long summer vacation starts for y''all from tomorrow onwards. Normally, I would have hammered into your heads to not ck off just because no one is there to supervise you and all that, but... you all have done wonderfully in thest four monthspared to the starting point of the first orientation. The looks on your faces tell me everything. Truly a peculiar sight, fufufu! This sure has taken the worry off my shoulders.
Also, there will often be many chances to venture outside for field sses in the second term, testing the abilities that you¡¯ve gained in the first term. I look forward to seeing how you''re going to spend your holidays, and the look in your eyes right after. Nevertheless, do make sure to be careful about your health. That is all."
Thest homeroom of the first year''s first term hade to a close, and it signified the start of our summer vacation. We were also told the results of the top 20 students in the freshmen year as a whole. The whole list was dominated by ss A students.
Leo Zatsinger (Leo)
Daniel Sardos (Dan)
Feyrune Von Dragoon (Fey)
Bester Von Stocud (Bester)
Jeuri Levarance (Jeu)
Shalum Halloween (Shal)
Kate Salkanp (Kate)
Allen Rovenne
Rudolf Austin (Dol)
Margrait Stea (Magi)
Aldol Engraver (Al)
Coconial Canardia (Coco)
Regina Sanhurt (Regi)
Visques Lawyunkurl (Viz)
Elena Iskandar (Elena)
Parry Abenil (Parry)
Sophia Bransh (Sophie)
Berd Yuniwance (Berd)
L Von Liancool (L)
My ranking had dropped by 2 from my entrance examination''s 7th rank. Overall, I stood 4th in the knight course.
Well, I was taking sses seriously, but I just couldn''t bring myself to study for the exam, and this was just the start that could continue to drop me to a new low. Though I had definitely snagged the top spot in magic theory. Magic was everything that I wanted to pursue and was the only subject where I had put actual bone-breaking effort¡ However, it seemed like I was the sole precedent in the knight course to exhibit such contrasting scores.
Not that I care. To be honest, I was more pumped up about the summer vacation!... Ah, what a lovely sound it had, summer vacation.
That said, I don''t know why Godorfun was assuming that everyone would be taking their study and training seriously for sure. I mean, like hell I was going to let my summer days rot over the desk. I had even stayed up so many nights to consolidate my long-term n. I was going to take this chance and go on a long wolf''s journey!
Everything from the destination to what I¡¯ll be doing has been confirmed¡ Well, I couldn''t stay out of the Royal Capital for long with the knight order matters that I couldn''t skip on, but that was all. I¡¯ll definitely make this the best summer vacation of my life!
However, there was something verrrrry important that I needed to tackle before that¡ª
"Now is the time to cough up your ns, Allen. You already declined our invitation saying ''you don''t have any ns yet'', but I sure hope you''re not thinking this barefaced lie would be enough to excuse yourself. Your eyes are literally gleaming with child-like excitement as you think about going on a vacation for the first time."
¡ªI need to throw them off somehow.
I wanted to travel through the kingdom as a lone individual and experience all kinds of adventurers along the way. But let alone a monster, I doubt I¡¯d encounter a fly if these irksome, batshit rich folks, for whom every journey is a matter of traveling in gaudy magic cars and all that, tagged along. How else was I going to enjoy the turmoil if such obvious light bulbs followed me along with their servants or guards who were constantly on guard!?
I wouldn''t mind an aimless journey if it was just Al or Coco who gave off moner aura'' but I didn''t want to risk carrying such burdens if my n was spilled out within the group.
"You''re calcting your route to escape from here, aren''t you, Allen-san?"
Jeu said as if she had seen through my heart. What the heck, are you an esper...?
Fey took one step forward. And I opened the distance.
Crap¡ My escape n would be squashed under this tyrannosaurus''s grip if she caught on to me. How do I know? Well shit, this wasn''t the first time this has happened.
"Is Allen here?"
Just as the heavy footsteps of the tyrannosaurus wereing my way, my miracle appeared at the perfect timing. Someone had apparentlye looking for me, and this familiar voice was¡
"Riyad-senpai!"
From the entrance of the ssroom, my sole revered senpai¡ª Riyad Senpai called out to me.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Hey...kind of sorry to barge in when you''re with your friends. Do you have any ns for the summer vacation? Actually, I have a favor to ask of you¡ but given how busy your schedule is, I guess you already have ns?"
"Senpai has something to ask of me? No way, that would be my honor! In fact, my n is still a nk te!"
I felt some malicious gazes boring holes in my back, but it was better to ignore them.
"Ahaha. It''s actually more of a request as an explorer than a favor, see if you find it alright."
With that preface, Senpai passed on the details of a request.
Apparently, there was a certain waterfall, a bit deep into the forest, about 12 hours away from the Royal Capital after transferring from the magic train to a magic car where senpai had found a new variety of mana moss in clusters.
The moss with the mana property ¡ª which dramatically enhanced the absorption efficiency of medicines made from magical creatures, nts, and stones ¡ª was a first-rate high-grade medicinal material. But a few things like its growth period and where they grow in clusters were still shrouded in mystery so Senpai would check on their growing conditions twice a year while passing a part of his harvest to his family.
However, the Mt. Penipany that his family runs was actually having trouble procuring high-grade medicinal materials for their important customer. The problem could be traced back to the sudden decrease in their import volume from the west''s Wisteria empire, and it didn''t seem like the problem would be resolved anytime soon.
Given the fact that they were in a bind, he had decided to sell those mana moss ¡ª with the premise that it didn''t affect their ecology ¡ª en masse as it had yet to circte into the market from his family. However, the road to that ce was especially fraught with strong monsters and there were a lot of them due to the summer season.
Senpai wasn''t sure if he would be able to cross it safely and even if he did, the monsters¡¯ materials would be too much for him to carry back. Well, there was the option to hire some porters or guards, but bringing strangers with him would mean that the location would be sold out in the blink of an eye and chaos was guaranteed.
"So I thought of you. I¡¯ve already seen your skills and I don''t need to worry about the secret being found out as well. I might be able to find someone else if I look hard but I thought it would be a good idea to take you along after I had rejected your invitation so many times due to my hectic schedule. All the expenses would be paid by my side. Also, the reward is 60,000 rea, and we¡¯ll evenly split any mana nts ¡ª except the mana moss ¡ª and monster materials we get along the way. What do you think? If you''re up for it, I¡¯ll issue you a nomination request through the association."
No, no, what was there even to think about? It appeared to be fun work and the reward was plenty as well. Most of all, how could I turn down Senpai¡¯s consideration to go out of his way to request for me when he could have gotten someone else? Sure enough, a capable man is also wise in his thoughts.
"I would absolutely love to join you! In fact, I''m really d that you came to invite me!"
My decision was prompt.
"And here I thought Allen would be stuck in doing un-summer vacation-like things. Well, I was actually being nagged by my grandmother to bring you to the Dragoon family''s summer vi but I guess we''ll be doing some camping first, huh? Right, I¡¯ll prepare Allen''s sleeping bag¡ª a special one that can amodate two people and can be zipped up and locked along with soundproof magical tools, alright."
"Hmm, fighting several strong monsters sounds interesting. I¡¯lle along as well. I¡¯ll have my family arrange ten trustworthy couriers. Who can take down more monsters, huh?... I guess we¡¯ll be having a contest."
Would you look at this? Fey and Jeu were giving perfect textbook examples of daydreaming.
"Hey there, Senpai and I are currently discussing explorers¡¯ business. This line of work isn''t something amateurs like you can handle! Am I right, senpai?"
"Huh, ah, if they can protect themselves, I don''t really min¡ª"
"But I do! A professional isn''t without a license and we need to have the integrity to uphold the contract through the association!"
"Fufufu. So it seems, Fey-san. But fear not, I, a D-rank license holder, shall spare no effort to prepare a sleeping bag for Allen-san. But then again, I don''t have one with soundproofing like you do, so do pardon me if some strange soundse out."
Jeu prattled off her idiotic delusions with a triumphant expression.
"......When the heck did you register? It''s not good manners to get a headstart, you know?"
"My, what sour words. But I think those who let themselves fall behind are the ones at fault though. I had a genuine interest in explorer''s work and so I registered myself to experience it. So I hope you can teach me the ropes down to every nook and cranny, Allen-san."
"When is the departure? I¡¯ll get my license prepared within 3 hours. You shouldn''t have anything toin about then, right?"
What happened to all that ''busy schedule''? I was cursed, truly.
"There''s a problem, you morons. You can register just in name only but that doesn''t change the fact that you''re amateurs. This is not a kiddy make-believe game, alright?"
I had just retorted when Coco, who was also there ¡ª well, we were still in the ssroom ¡ª raised his hand nervously.
"Can I apany you as well? I can fend for myself and it''s also a chance to test out that magical tool."
"Nice idea! I was thinking of visiting my family but that doesn''t sound bad either. How many days will this trip take?"
"Ah. Both Al and Coco are also working as explorers, and I think they have good enough experience. So I don''t mind, but what do you think, Senpai?"
I nced at Senpai''s way.
"I don''t mind if they have your approval. It will be a four-day return trip, but it might extend by one or two days, so about five or six days at max. But the problem is the reward. Embarrassingly, I honestly don''t think I have the budget to support three people."
"We can just work with the previous condition. My reward can be divided between the three of us."
"Ehh... but that''s honestly a bit low of a reward. Alright, let''s do it this way then. The fixed reward would be at 60,000 rea, as I told you, but we can divide the rest of the materials we get our hands on ¡ª except the mana moss ¡ª between ourselves equally. What do you think? Having more skilled members is less dangerous in my opinion, and we would also be able to carry more materials."
I nodded to the condition Senpai proposed.
"Great. So, we¡¯ll meet at¡ª"
"Hold on, senpai. The pros talk should remain within us professionals! Please look at their gazes filled with such avarice! It''s clear that they¡¯re going to sell out the information when they learn about it!"
I hurriedly stopped Senpai who was about to spill the location of the mana moss.
"Huh, it can''t be, right? I don''t think students of the Royal Academy ss A would do such¡ª"
"Unceasing prudence is what makes us professionals among rookies, Senpai! C''mon, let''s go somewhere else. And you lot, don''t even think about tagging along. I can already see your n to eavesdrop and learn the location! Well then, I pray your summer vacation is as bright as the clear sky!"
I pushed the back of Senpai and sessfully managed to break through the ss siege.
Kukuku. After striking down the nail in the way, they surely wouldn''t be following even if they wanted to.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 85 - What it takes to be a real B-rank?
The following day, after epting the nomination request yesterday from the association''s eastern branch, we met at the Royal Capital''s central station that we had decided earlier on.
"Oh-hoh, you truly have dyed yourself in the color of an explorer huh, Allen? Just what I would expect from the rising star ''Ren'' who dashed away the kingdom''s fastest record to reach B-rank."
Senpai teasingly exaggerated his voice after seeing my appearance.
I had already exined that I went by the name of ''Ren'' in the explorer world to him, who had taught me so much essential stuff, as well as to Al and Coco, with whom I often teamed up.
"It''s my honor to receive Senpai''s praise. I may not have been able to achieve all this if not for the trip with Senpai or our visit to the association right after. By the way, don¡¯t listen to the rumors. It''s all the fault of the association''s president who thinks it''s fun to open a back door."
It was just the other day that I had a chat with Rouge-san, the branch manager of the Shinud Arm Store, and refreshed my adventuring gear.
My first purchase was a simple dagger with a de length of 40cm which was the recement for my earlier knife I had lost in the Honey Ant''s nest. It was manufactured by the same Banri firm as well. I used it for pretty much everything from dismantling to harvesting to battle thanks to its sharpness. Well, it was a pain in the butt to maintain it though, but I decided to choose it in the end given its convenience and ease of use.
That was followed by my defense gear. I actually had no n to change them but Rouge-san was worried that the low performance of my beginner gear would pull me down and rmended a high-performance vest with a belt that I ended up buying.
I also graduated from myrger-than-life Lygo Bow¡ª honestly, I still felt sad that I had to say farewell to my precious baby but what could I do, the path to improvement was just no longer present with it anymore. My next primary weapon became aposite bow, made from a multitude of materials, that goes by the name of Parthia. Um, yeah. Most of it was the enticing sales pitch of Rouge-san who said ''Buying as a set will get you a discount'' and I also kind of went with the flow.
But overall, I could tell this one was going to be more fitting for my bow training when I tried it out at the testing area. So it was a worthwhile purchase, at least. The bow''s effective range was 200m with 600m for its longest distance, which was double the performance of the Lygo. It was also quite tough to use but that was no biggie. Rouge-san had specifically chosen it based on its shared trait with the Lygo, after all.
''Fufu, now you properly give the image of ady charmer¡ª though they''re just standard equipment for B-rank explorers,'' was how Rouge-san teased me in the end when I changed myself into my new gear.
I guess she knew about my alias ''Ren'' as well, which was known to only a handful of people thanks to Uncle Shell properly working his ass off for once at least. I asked her how she came to know about it, and she just chuckled and said, "Well, I just happened to be a fan of Explorer ''Ren¡¯. But hmm, don''t worry. No other person is going to hear about it from me, so rx."
The bill in the end turned out to be 30,000 rea. Quite a lot if you ask me, but the expression of Rundo, the branch deputy manager of the store, was curled up in bitterness. So I presumed the discount was just more than a bit.
We took the first magic train in the morning and headed for our destination¡ª Robles, a city in the Dailmacque territory.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
It took us 8 hours to arrive at the capital city of the Dailmacque territory. From there, it was another four-hour journey with the magic car that we hired from there to reach Robles City.
Geographically, Robles City was quite blessed with resources due to the thickets and grassy ins in the nearby area. The city itself was bustling with activity and arge crowd, the majority of whom were explorers.
"We''re going to visit this city''s association branch first. It''s the number one spot to know about dangerous monster activities and other important information. We also need to borrow some bags to carry all the materials back. We¡¯ll sell everything besides the magic moss after returning. Let''s finish the task and check in at an inn. We''re going to leave tomorrow at the crack of dawn."
The storage bags were generally equipped with cold storage, decay prevention, and odor-resistant effects among other things. They were essential gear in an explorer''s life for areas with bad roads or woods where it was impossible to bring hand carts along.
"Alright."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The Explorer Association''s Robles branch, unlike the Royal Capital, was housed in a wooden building that exuded a rustic charm.
My heart was thumping nervously as I gave the door a push. It was a new ce, you know? Maybe, someone mighte to find trouble seeing some unknown brats entering, or they may even give us intense, scrutinizing gazes. But, that was apparently just some groundless worry as we made our way to the reception without any problems.
I guess being a huge city, along with being near the Royal Capital, must have made them used to facing an unceasing crowd of strangers until they becamemon around here. Well, I was just worried that trouble might block my respected Senpai''s request. So, I couldn''t ask for anything more when everything was done without a hitch.
Honestly, squabbling and brawling had be such an everyday thing ¡ª with so many dumbasses with hot tempers ¡ª that I was getting fed up with it.
"Hello~. We just arrived from the Royal Capital and n to visit the southern forest to collect materials. Is there any request that you would like some help with? By the way, I also want to borrow two mid-size sacks."
The receptionist, a chubby aunty, shed a smile when she saw Riyad-senpai.
"Aw, what a sweetie. You''re truly wasted doing something like explorer work. The southern forest is currently infested with strong monsters which would be impossible with your party of, err, ady killer and three young''uns. Yeah. Let''s not invite the devil''s luck by saying anything, but I would suggest the grasnd in the west. You would be able to make a killing if you can fetch Huge and Koppel grass with the current market."
"Ahaha. You tter me, miss, but I¡¯m a B-rank explorer so you don''t have to worry about us. This is my license. Between, the one behind me is the same rank as me. Oh, and are there any tips on the more dangerous parts of the forest? You know, like some abnormal happenings or the like"
The receptionist¡¯s eyes went wide when she saw Riyad-senpai''s license.
"My, pardon me for my earlier remark. Still, the ace of the Royal Capital''s eastern branch, Riyad Guffus, is truly just as rumors said. A looker, indeed. Fufu, we also have some of Sir''s fans among our branch staff.
The monsters are just as strong and numerous as you would expect given the season, but I guess Riyad-kun knows your party¡¯s ability better since you''re confident. Can I check the licenses of the three young''uns behind you? It would be required to register the party if your group intends to take on requests."
Just as we were told, we put forth our licenses.
"Fumu, Aldol-kun, and Coconial-kun, huh? A D-rank at such a young age means you must be a student of the Royal Academy, right? To be able to reach such heights is truly proof of your achievements. And this boy is¡ª"
The receptionist''s eyes became round for the second time when she checked my license.
"......The rumored ''Mad Hound''? Hrrr! I had heard the so-called exploit of starting a brawl without any thoughts and going all apeshit. Was the Royal Capital not enough?! Just don''t cause trouble here or you will see the exit of the city the next minute!
No, seriously. Just what the heck is going in the mind of the superiors to grant B-rank to such a fe? A bit of flimsy strength doesn''t give you the right to fool around!"
The bellows of the receptionist echoed in the branch''s hall, causing even the uninterested explorers to whisper among themselves while pointing at me.
...Look, this was why I wanted to have the traditional promotion style instead of just raising it on a whim. I needed to exin myself here. I mean, I don¡¯t expect them to go ga-ga over me saying things like ''Kyaa, we''re Ren-sama''s fans,'' but something like a normal treatment wouldn''t hurt, right?
"I-It''s all a misunderstanding, Ma''am! There had been some inevitable circumstances that led to that fight¡ª"
"Any excuse is useless, boy! Were you not the one who jumped at President Shell with an iron pipe on your first meeting but got sted away instead?
I heard you also thrashed senior explorers at a tavern saying ''Ah, it''s pain in the butt to talk sense into them so let me teach them through the way of the fist'', and pretty much squandered all the 100,000 rea you earned from the Honey Ant''s nest extermination in a drinkingpetition against the whole tavern like money didn¡¯t matter to you!
Truly, what has be of our youngsters for one to be such a rascal? Our branch''s president had heard it directly from President''s Shell in a bar so don''t say it''s all a lie!"
A buzz louder than before engulfed the branch''s hall.
"That damned baldy! Did he think it''s funny to spread rumors without giving the full picture!"
''I am definitely going to make that bastard cry rivers of tears one day!'' My bloodlust subconsciously oozed out of me as I made such a resolution.
"Eeek."
"......All that matters is you''re having fun, Allen. But maybe you can calm down your bloodlust, the miss here can''t take it."
"Ah, that wasn''t my intention."
I took back my bloodlust which prompted the receptionist to heave a sigh of relief.
"Phew¡ It didn''t take much to show your true colors, huh? But, as expected of the eastern branch''s ace Riyad-kun¡ª no, Riyad-sama to calm down that ''Mad Hound'' with just one word! I heard even President Shell was unable to do that! Truly, one needs more than just brawn to be at the top."
The chubby aunt spoke in an enraptured tone, like a maiden who had fallen head over heels for a celebrity. It was a pity that she didn''t get her misunderstanding corrected ¡®til the end, but hey, at least I just saw the appearance of a new ''Riyad-sama fan''. I replied with a gleeful expression.
"Riyad-senpai is the one I respect most!"
Then, the lovestruck maiden swiftly returned to the usual cubby aunt mode.
"Tsk! At least do your best to learn how a true B-rank should act! Also, don''t cause any trouble to Riyad-sama!"
Wow, the difference in treatment was truly heaven and earth...
Vol. 1 - Ch. 86 - Canardial
With the presence of Riyad-senpai (?), we easily received the material fetch quest and some storage bags from the receptionist without stirring things up too much. For the night, we lodged into the explorer-specialized inn and took action toplete our mission while the sky was still ink-ck.
Riyad-senpai was carrying himself with his signature style¡ª a bamboo basket on his back, while Coco was carrying a knapsack that had the Create Map magic tool that we had developed back at the geography club.
Last night was honestly a bit too in¡ª for so much traveling to another major city. I wanted to dive into the local cuisine at the dining hall affiliated with the inn, but Riyad-senpai apparently spied something fishy and stopped us. So our dinner was the emergency portable ration tablets that we were carrying.
I didn¡¯t think this had anything to do with me but I was feeling that stabbing presence more than anything. I had already captured the sign of a somewhat capable-ish stalker group following us after we left the association. So there wasn''t any other option in this sort of situation except quietly staying put.
The hollering of the receptionist had done a number on us, I guess¡
Who knew what kind of intention they had for following us, but a wise man knows not to entangle himself in danger.
¡°The time is ripe, so let¡¯s set out for the forest. This season usually brings in plenty of strong monsters that you otherwise wouldn¡¯t need to be vignt for. So keep your wits about you.¡±
Senpai advised as he girded himself.
¡°The Dunce Tiger, who are out there taking care of their cubs, and the Linew in their mating season seems to be the first target we should be careful of in this Nyapu Forest. Are we going to cross the ridgeline?¡±
The question came from Coco, who utilized his wealth of knowledge here.
Recently, he had managed toe out of his shell of shyness. Well, he still had a lot to work on, but themunity life in the cramped dorm along with serving as the president of the Geography Club put him in an inevitable arena ofmunication that he couldn¡¯t shirk away.
He was gaining his foothold with increasing confidence.
The students of ss A were all hard workers. Coco himself had been diving into multiple activities ranging from independent life in the dorm, training in the Hill Road Club, doing tasks for the Geography Research Club, handling explorer quests, and attending the sophisticated lectures of the Academy. It would have been strange if he wasn¡¯t at least able to hold his ground after being exposed to such an environment. Who cared about the trifling gaze of others when your eyes were looking straight ahead?
I also kept asking him about all sorts of things that I still didn¡¯t know, like what monsters rte to what among other things, and his impressive knowledge bank was truly an amazing one that I seriouslymended him for. All the students of ss A simrly acknowledge that none among us could best him in this aspect.
Honestly, ¡®amazing¡¯ wasn¡¯t enough to describe it and probably no word was enough to do so. It was truly vexing.
¡°Heh~, I didn¡¯t know you had such a keen insight for such stuff. Did you take the time to investigate that? Also to your question, we¡¯re not going to cross the ridgeline. I presume you already noticed the danger of the Wyverns flying around in the area hunting for food due to the season?¡±
The ridgeline Coco spoke of was the line connecting the peaks along the mountain range on the map. It kind of looked like a wavy line drawn on paper that started from the base of a mountain, but it basically connected the peaks of the mountains with the rolling hills. He probably wanted to ask if our task involved crossing that ridgeline.
¡°He¡¯s the walking database that knows everything from a monster¡¯s habitat to their distribution level in this kingdom, Senpai. You know, he¡¯s from that Canardial family whopiled the ¡®Canardial¡¯s Monster Encyclopedia.¡¯¡±
Senpai directed his question at Coco, but I couldn¡¯t help myself from answering. It was just a pity that he still hadn¡¯t gained enough confidence to be proud of his knowledge bank when facing strangers.
¡°Oho, that exins things then. Hmm, I sure got a bargain for bagging an excellent monster navigator for a mere 60,000 rea.¡±
Senpai teasingly said to Coco.
¡°¡Practical experience triumphs over desk knowledge¡ I want to confirm as much as possible with my own two eyes, for knowledge tends to change often. So I¡¯m really d to receive this chance. Please ept my gratitude.¡±
Coco, while still meek in tone, answered.
Well, that pretty much settled everything. Dunce Tiger and Linew are our main targets to look out for. Come to think of it, Linew are kind of like Okapi, a herbivore monster normally with stripes on their lower body part.
I heard that they typically don¡¯t attack humans but the chemistry in their brain changes in their mating season. With a speed close to 60 km/h in the forest, it would be tough to escape from them if they set their eyes on someone.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
We took a narrow path on the unpaved road to the forest as we advanced swiftly and skillfully.
It didn¡¯t take long for the three-man group that had been following us since yesterday to be left outside of my scouting magic range. They were quite antsy when they saw us gradually disappearing from their range, and their conversation being¡ª
¡°Do these brats not know how to take it slow!¡±
¡°F*ck! We¡¯ll lose the chance to rake in fortune at this rate if we can¡¯t follow them!¡±
¡°It¡¯s impossible, so let¡¯s retreat! We¡¯re not a match for the current monsters!¡±
¡°¡W-Wait¡ There¡ I think I just saw something moving?¡±
¡°¡No¡ freaking way¡¡±
¡° ¡± Run for your sorry life now!¡± ¡°
Thest of their words was unclear because my scouting magic couldn¡¯t pick them up well due to the distance, but I was sure I heard them shouting to escape. All I could say was, Amen¡ª I mean, I hope they got away safely.
Once we were a bit deep into the jungle, any resemnce of a road vanished. We switched on our vignce to the maximum level as we navigated through the trees.
The journey was a non-perilous one, contrary to what Senpai had feared, as we didn¡¯t encounter too many monsters.
Though I guess the credit for that was due to Coco. He would warn us whenever he saw traces of Linew, like its hoof marks or feces, as well as trees with w marks indicating a Dunce Tiger¡¯s territory, which helped us avoid trouble.
It might not sound like a big deal, but urately grasping such traces when it was his first encountering them wasn¡¯t something that could be easily discounted.
¡°This is also Linew feces. This solidified feces at the base of the fern is a sign that there¡¯s still a male who has yet to find a mate. But it has been three days since this got left behind judging from the stink and the degree of softness, so we can go through without worry.¡±
Coco exined while pinching the excrement and taking a sniff with a calm face to confirm his guess.
I had also read about them in books, but that was just to fill the gap in my knowledge at best. I wasn¡¯t a hardcore nerd about it. So all the lumps shared the same roundness in my eyes.
Even Riyad-senpai couldn¡¯t help but whistle in marvel despite his extensive knowledge about explorer stuff.
ording to Coco, he had often apanied his parents for field trips in his fief or the ones adjacent to it. Adding to that was the number of journals and detailed records piled up in the Canardial family, a relic from when the Canardialpleted their encyclopedia. Apparently, there was such a mountain of them that it could bepiled into 50 volumes easily.
I was curious about some aspects of the Linew like ¡®Why does its lower half have stripes?¡¯ or ¡®Should it really be at ease as a herbivore monster in the forest where carnivores rule¡¯ and asked him.
He didn¡¯t even pause to collect his thoughts and simply replied, ¡°A human with their vibrant perspective would find it strange, but a majority of monsters or animals can only see the world in a monotone color of ck and white. What could be better camouge than stripes in the grasnds, right? The forest Linew seemed to have adapted their color and pattern ¡ª of their upper and lower body ¡ª to blend into the trees here.¡±
The Canardial apparently also had some restricted journals and records, which couldn¡¯t be taken outside of the premises due to their forbidden nature. I was nning to take the excuse of hanging out with his family and see if I could take a peek at them one of these days for sure.
Speaking of which, the Canardial used to be a Count family ¡ª a peerage holder without a territory so to speak ¡ª for their efforts inpiling the monster encyclopedia that took them over 30 years, and even held an anti-monster strategical post in the past for a long time.
However, following their loss in the political strife that happened around 100 years ago, a part of that restricted research fell into the hands of the enemy which pushed them out of their peak to the bottom of the barrel at Baron rank and their post was transferred to handling the royal family¡¯s managed territory at a remote frontier region. The pompous bunch at the top must have had dung in their minds to leave a family so enthusiastic about their research at the fringes for over a century.
Oh, right. Where was I¡ Yeah. We only dealt with the bare minimum of monsters that we would have otherwise taken a long time to avoid due to Coco¡¯s knowledge and my extensive use of scouting magic. It would have been unwise to increase our burden with materials when we were still en route to our destination.
Oh, right. Al was also following us, though his presence was so thin that I almost forgot about him. He also helped out in his own way¡ª producing water with his water magic for Coco to wash his hands with.
Though he was uncharacteristically down today, perhaps because he sensed how thin his presence was.
¡°Truly, I¡¯m d to have you with us, Al. A water mage honestly solves one of our biggest headaches¡ª water. We would have to either carry additional weight with us in the form of water or have to take a detour to procure some on the way in explorations like this.
I bet a water mage with such formidable stamina like you would receive hundreds of party applications in a jiffy if you look for one in association, unlike someone who is just a sitting duck with his sword.¡±
Said the ever-so-kind Riyad-senpai who took the helm in this situation. Truly not a gap in this capable person¡¯s consciousness, even when working in the group.
Senpai¡¯s encouraging words, along with Al himself being a bomb of optimism, quickly brought him back to his cheery self.
But Senpai was right. A water mage who was also a capable warrior was a hard find. Al had kind of be the butt of our teasing but in a different party, he might as well be a goose thatid golden eggs.
The rest of our journey was also uneventful, and we reached our destination ¡ª the waterfall ¡ª by evening.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Our destination appeared immediately after we arrived at the heart of the forest. The trees suddenly gave way to clearnd and presented the marvel of the Lipupu-Nyapu Waterfall before our eyes. With a depth of around 100 meters, this enchanting waterfall gracefully held still waters on the gently tiered cliff that looked like a staircase creating a fantastical scene.
A spring of approximately 15m in diameter circled the base of the waterfall. The water was carving its way out of the spring and into several small water streams that vanished into the forest.
¡°Great. I was fully ready to arrive here by tomorrow, and maybe even in the dead of night. I think this is my first time arriving here this early when the sun is still on the horizon. Honestly, Coco-kun¡¯s expertise truly shocked me. But Allen, what¡¯s with your foul scouting magic? I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t know about scouting magic on our first field trip, right?¡±
¡°Yeah, I just learned it recently. The sight of Senpai unhesitatingly pushing through the forest in the dim light had intrigued me. I just happen to have a mentor whose specialty turned out to be scouting magic so I learned from him.¡±
Senpai seemed truly astonished as he rubbed his forehead.
¡°You¡¯re telling me you learned scouting magic and have be urate in a mere few months? The sky truly is the limit for you, huh?¡
Alright, let¡¯s set up our tents here. We can collect the moss tomorrow morning as well, so for now, I just want to take a rest. My stomach is rumbling after all that walking.¡±
¡°Ah, I¡¯m also hungry. Senpai, you said we could catch fish in the spring, right? But we don¡¯t have any fishing tools, though¡¡±
¡°Haha, well I thought since it would be just the two of us, we would chase the school of fishes to one end and then use our body-strengthening magic to capture them¡ Yeah, don¡¯tment since I know how inefficient it is. But ourbor is cut short with Al-kun here.¡±
Senpai expressed what his idea was earlier and burst out intoughter.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 87 - An Uninvited Guest
Our n to secure fish went off without a hitch with the assistance of Al¡¯s water magic.
We first closed all the exits of the small stream save one with suitable size stones while Senpai ced his basket at the remaining opening.
Following that, Al created chaotic waves in the stagnant waters of the spring with his water attribute mana maniption. The startled fish then sought refuge through the only avable exit and voluntarily walked into the trap that was the bamboo basket.
The waves made by Al weren''t that strong but the mana that caused it in the first ce gave the fish the false impression of being attacked. It seemed like they had the instinct to escape at the first sight of mana.
Right. Master also said that wind controlled by manipting mana coulde in handy in chasing away monsters. The theory was the same as here. Either way, the tactic was immediately effective and it didn¡¯t take long before we had around 20 fish in the basket.
A majority of trapped fish were the typical breed like rainbow trout which you could find in rivers, however, five of them ¡ª appearing to be of the same species ¡ª were giving off a shining blue light.
¡°I had heard rumors that magic fish are easier to find in waterfall pools, but this is truly amazing. It¡¯s going to be a feast thanks to our star member Al-kun.¡±
The magic fish were basically monster-ified river fish and were much harder to catch. They tasted great and also fetched a lot of money but unfortunately, they can¡¯t be harvested from the same ce continuously. So yeah, magic fish never turned out to be the golden hen for Water Mages.
Once we secured our dinner, everyone except Al jumped into the spring to wash away the sweat of the day andter we sat around the bonfire
¡ô¡ô¡ô
¡°By the way, Al. Can you dip your hand in the water and freeze the spring by chanting something like ¡®Ice Age!¡¯?¡±
I asked Al while sharpening the tip of the branches I picked up from around the camp with my dagger and skewering the fish onto them, which was followed with a seasoning of salt.
¡°You know, I¡¯m seriously going to open up your head one day to see what you have for a brain¡ I don¡¯t know about the future, but the current me can¡¯t freeze all that water ¡ª that too with the water constantly flowing ¡ª in an instant. Heck, I¡¯m sure you know that already so why even bother asking?¡±
¡Well, just the expected reply. I had already seen the impossibility of it in the activities of the Magic Research Club. I mean, Ice Mages would have been literally invincible near the waterfront region if freezingrge bodies of water had been as easy as snapping their fingers. However, I couldn¡¯t wait to see Al, the head of the Emission Magic Research Club, reach that realm.
We ced the skewered fish over the bonfire. Soon, an appetizing aroma permeated around as the fat started to cook. The magic fish, in particr, were giving off mouth-watering aromas.
¡°....That said, why are you the only one being whipped up by the wind, Allen?¡±
Senpai asked me with a wry smile.
¡°Oh, this? I¡¯m training my wind magic proficiency, and drying my hair. I wanted to blow warm wind but, haaa, I don¡¯t have much talent for it¡ I can currently only generate enough wind to dry my hair, as long it¡¯s not winter. By the way, should I do it for you, Senpai?¡±
I would have surely puffed my chest in pride if I could conjure hot wind and name it ¡®Dry Wind¡¯ but it¡¯s a pity I couldn¡¯t. What was even there to give a name to ordinary wind, right?
The road to even the Wind Mage Level 1 was truly not a rosy one. Well, at least I could spin the wind around at mymand, so I took sce in that.
Senpai looked at the unbothered bonfire ¡ª I was controlling my mana with precision to keep the wind from affecting it ¡ª and answered,
¡°¡I¡¯m fine like this. I can¡¯t put my finger on it, but that feels like a huge waste.¡±
Huh, it¡¯s just mana-controlled wind though? I wasn¡¯t sure what was there to squander about needlessly.
But before I could reply, Coco quietly stood up, his eyes staring in the direction of the forest.
¡°...¡Something ising. Get ready for battle.¡±
Ah, Ipletely didn¡¯t notice the presence of the monster due to the fwhoosh sound of wind¡
¡ô¡ô¡ô
I pulled on my bowstring and spread out my scouting magic.
¡°It¡¯sing at 3 o''clock. The iing monster is a huge quadruped beast, two meters in height and 4 meters in length. We have 15 seconds before it crashes into us. What are your orders?¡±
¡°...¡It doesn¡¯t sound like Linew. The monster must have been attracted by the scent of grilled magic fish. It would be better if we could switch the battlefield from the campsite as the fight will draw in other monsters, but this is an emergency.
Allen and Al, you two use your long-range attacks to see if you can intimidate it. It would be great if that¡¯s enough to scare it away, but we¡¯re all going to attack from up close if it instead charges at us.¡±
¡° ¡°Roger¡± ¡±
I took my position behind Al. It was the perfect angle and would also work in favor of making synchronized attacks.
Ice Lance was Al¡¯s foremost magic with huge range, however, it stillcked the sturdiness and sharpness needed to pierce the target. Then again, it was still the better option than my arrow for intimidation. I would take my shot if the magic didn¡¯t scare it away.
Al stretched his hands forward and produced multiple ice spears in the blink of an eye.
A short squabble urred between me and Al in a hushed tone.
It was a pity, but this world didn¡¯t have the rule where chanting or even saying the spell name was required to cast magic. No, not just spell names, they didn¡¯t even have fixedmon names for their spells for that matter.
This world was truly a strange one. No-chant was the signature cheat in the Royal Road series, after all, so this other world with its different rules was truly a strange one for an otherworlder like me.
I really wanted to see him shout ¡°O spirit of Ice. Manifest thyself and pierce the being of evil with absolute zero thorns! Ice Lance!¡±
Actually, I made him shout it out once during training for Magic Research, but it turned out to be such aical spectacle that everyone, including me, couldn¡¯t help but burst out inughter. Al was as red as a boiled octopus at that time and he refused to chant ever since.
Before someone called me heartless, I didn¡¯tugh at the typical chuunibyou-ish chant, but that Al himself looked soical while chanting the make-believe spell with a red face.
Sigh, I guess there was no choice but for me to take on the mantle, huh? Just wait, I was going to show this world amazing wind magic and use it with chants. Then there was no way the world would remain immune to the charm of chanting!
Anyway, I was keeping an eye on the monster''s approach and as soon as I sensed it approaching our range, I swiftly warned Al who fired the magic at my cue.
The mysterious quadruped monster let out a groan as the ice spears made contact.
¡°Buooohh!!¡±
¡° ¡±Mega Boar!¡° ¡±
Senpai and Coco shouted in unison when they heard the groan. Judging from theirplexion, this monster was anything but good news for us.
The beast elerated in a breath and rushed in our direction.
I shot an iron arrow at its front leg the instant it appeared in my field of vision. The arrow did pierce its thigh, but all it did was slow down the speed of the Mega Boar a little. The beast otherwise retained its momentum as it charged at us.
Al and I immediately dodged in the right and left direction respectively.
Spaaash!
With its targets out of sight, the Mega Boar crashed into the spring with momentum. It slowly turned its huge body and stared straight at me and Al, its eyes burning with an intense hatred for us, apparently because of our attack.
¡°...¡Mega Boar typically have robust hide and this damn monster is even an earth elemental variant. Haa, it¡¯s going to be a tough fight. I didn¡¯t expect it to appear in this region.
Weck firepower, and escaping into the depths of the forest is even more dangerous so we can only take it down here. But we have to prepare for a protracted battle. And in the end, this campsite is going to be useless with the bloody smell spreading after the battle. Lest we face any more monsters, we¡¯ll need to move from here once we take down this boar. We¡¯ll start again tomorrow morning.¡±
¡°We¡¯re at the eastern edge of the West Rune Mountain Range, so a stray isn¡¯t rare. Prioritize safety first.¡±
¡° ¡±Roger¡° ¡±
We swiftly decided on our strategy while we still had time.
On the other hand, the Mega Boar raised its upper body from the water while rapidly paddling all its legs. It must have been nning to jump out at once. That said, quietly waiting for the opponent toplete their move wasn¡¯t my style.
I aimed at its front right leg that I had shot earlier and fired two more arrows in session.
¡°Buoooo!¡±
The tusk of the enraged Mega Boar shined in amber color as it produced arge stone with earth magic, but Al shot it down with an ice pebble before the beast could hurl it at us.
¡°What did I say, it¡¯s I-C-E B-U-L-L-E-T!¡±
¡°Stop being a moron and focus! It¡¯s he pissed off now!¡±
I made an unwarranted retort while firing the 4th, 5th, and 6th arrows in session. All of it pierced the ¡®spot¡¯ at its front right leg¡¯s thigh that it was trying to use to jump off the spring.
A copious amount of blood spilled out of its front right leg which had lost nearly half of its flesh.
¡°Buoooo!¡±
The pain was finally too much for the Mega Boar to endure as it raised a huge ssh and retreated into the water. Except, its injured foreleg thigh was still slightly visible through the water¡¯s surface.
I nocked an arrow with a MacAquate arrowhead and nailed the final shot at it. The arrow cut through the remaining foreleg and sent it flying, and the Mega Boar, having lost one of its legs, sank into the water.
It did try to get up, but that apparently proved to be a challenging task with just three legs. It rampaged for a while but the excessive bleeding andck of air soon suppressed all of that.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
¡°Alright, this amount of blood loss should finish it off! Let¡¯s leave that guy here for a while and finish the fish before they are burnt.¡±
¡°...¡Well, true. The smell of the magic fish is just too appetizing. We shouldn¡¯t have any other monsters nearby due to the Mega Boar but we can¡¯t be too sure if they are drawn again by the smell.
But that was amazing marksmanship, Allen. I¡¯ve never seen an archer with the precision to shoot at just one spot continuously before. No seriously, I didn¡¯t expect you to have be this strong. I thought it was just some exaggeration when I heard you were rapidly finishing the stock of arrows at the Academy''s archery training facility, but you surprised me today. So you¡¯re the type to go all in on training, huh?¡°
I nodded while taking a bite of the salt-grilled fish. Training my marksmanship had indeed be an integral aspect of my routine, but I wouldn¡¯t say I was training too hard. It was like, you know, I¡¯d have felt weird if I didn¡¯t brush for a day. It was the same with archery practice, so I was basically using the facility every day.
¡°Delish! It tastes so good given the intense smell. I bet the taste can bepared to that fancy food¡
Well, I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m a madman for training. I asionally learned a thing or two about marksmanship from the expert archer Kiana-san back at the knight order. I¡¯m just a noobpared to someone like her when ites to moving targets¡ Especially the ones that frequently move in a sideways pattern. It was lucky that the monster was a dunce, otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have been easy if it had started swimming sideways in the spring.¡±
I replied while munching on the grilled magic fish. They were too delicious.
It was easy to aim at a beast who only knew how to jump backward or upward with projectile weapons like a bow or gun, but sideways-moving targets were tougher to pin down.
¡°¡Oh? So you¡¯re basically half on the level of that legendary explorer ¡®Godly Archer Kiana¡¯¡ Hmm, right. I should have expected that with your feat of entering the knight order at the mere age of 12.¡±
¡°The Mega Boar¡¯s face is much tougherpared to its other body parts since ¡®charging¡¯ is its main weapon. Was it all ording to n? There couldn¡¯t have been a better spot to target than its leg.¡±
Coco asked.
¡°Huh? Nah. I¡¯m not that much of a irvoyant when facing an unfamiliar monster. But I read that its face, especially the forehead section is he tough from the ¡®Encyclopedia.¡¯ I just target its front leg thinking if the situation devolved into a battle of attrition, slowing it down would be of great help. The rest was to see how the situation unfolded.
I saw how it was positioning its legs when I shot my iron arrows earlier and thought ¡®Maybe if I do this, there will be a chance to cut off its leg¡¯... Well, that was basically how it went.¡±
¡°Al-kun was also amazing at crushing the magic of the opponent with perfect timing. Do you guys perhaps practice synchronized battle training?¡±
Al was the one to reply this time.
¡°We didn¡¯t, but I could feel what Allen¡¯s aim was. The general dorm is not a spacious one, so we often spend a lot of time together.¡±
¡°Oh right, Allen. You also immediately took your position behind Al-kun¡¯s back. Normally¡ª¡±
We continued our reflection on the battle afterward while savoring the grilled fish.
E/N - Iughed at the MC insisting that Al chant his magic. I find the chanting magic troupe pretty stupid and illogical so having a novel that makes magic work via image and control makes me happy. Also, for an adult who supposedly got beaten down by life and society, the MC does act pretty childish in times like this, huh?
T/N - I guess it''s because MC didn''t possess another body or something directly, but that he was already a part of this world but the sudden stress from exam brought in the ''memories'' of previous life. This is why it has been a mix of both.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 88 - A Trivial Exploration Trip
The Mega Boar died from thebined effects of blood loss and drowning in the spring at the end. Once a good amount of its blood had been drawn out, I proceeded to dismantle its fur, tusks which were its mana organs, flesh, and internal organs one by one under the supervision of senpai.
The edible flesh was sliced into very thin parts with the help of a Japanese ne-like tool that Senpai had been carrying which weter grilled after seasoning it with the special herb mix that Senpai had prepared, much like our first trip. Since we were going to pass the night here either way, Senpai really didn¡¯t miss out on his preparation.
The herb seasoning subdued whatever the slightly quirky smell the meat still had and soon it started to give off a mouth-watering aroma.
The internal organs were meticulously washed with spring water from nearby andter left to stew along with bay leaves ¡ª once again, picked up by Riyad-senpai ¡ª ¡®til the morning when we relished it as our breakfast.
Well, we couldn¡¯t finish all the edible parts by ourselves, and carrying them held no meaning if they were just gonna rot. It was a waste truly, but we could only cast them aside and let them return to the circle of life.
On the night watch, at least in my watch hour, I noticed two Dunce Tigers sneaking into our campsite stealthily but I made them run for their lives by intimidating them with wind magic. The wind magic¡¯s pressure was truly an excellent monster repent.
I guess they would only get the chance to gorge on the remains of the Mega Boar once we left this ce.
Then came the morning, we collected the mana moss, our objective for this trip, and sorted out our tent back.
¡°The rucksack is pretty much filled with materials from the Mega Boar at this point. What do you say we aim straight for Robles? I believe we should be able to reach it before nightfall. Well, our schedule is already a day ahead, so we can totally afford to follow any other n if you have any.¡±
Coco raised his hand when Senpai asked.
¡°I would like to check out the ridgeline, and maybe reach the summit of the mountain to test a magical tool if we have time. We should be able to reach it in less than an hour and a half. We¡¯ll stay away from the wyverns, of course.¡±
The magical tool we had developed in the Geography Research Club was a tool designed for creating the so-called ¡®Point Record.¡¯
On Earth, we could ess our location at any given time through the utilization of artificial satellites with a tap. However, I couldn¡¯t ask for the same in this world.
I needed an urate base map to create effective maps of all types. However, the scaled-down maps avable in this world were he mid. The situation was even direr forrger areas like a Marquis-managed territory. Honestly, they were only a tiny bit better than the so-called pirate''s treasure map consisting of simple geometry and some scribbles.
Therge-scale maps were only so-so, but even they werecking in many parts. The maps of urban areas and frequently used roads were rtively alright, but they degraded the more you ventured into the countryside region. This Nyapu forest wasn¡¯t even on the map.
Explorers relied on their intuition and experience for their work, so naturally, they were quite prone to getting caught up in idents and mishaps.
Perhaps, it was an unnecessary act for ordinary folks, but I found these maps limiting after having personally seen the usefulness of GPS through a smartphone. The first thing that came to mind was something like¡ª let¡¯s create an urate map first!
I knew that asking for an artificial satellite was a pipe dream, so I followed the next best method avable: the triangtion surveying technique. We specifically created a tool to help out in grasping an urate view of an area, and the mountain''s summit was obviously the prime choice for a bird¡¯s eye view. Technically, the tool was still the creation of Fey as I did nothing except mention my requirement and a simple surveying theory to her. I didn¡¯t have any idea how it was truly implemented though. It seemed to utilize the property of magic stones being attracted to other magic stones under specific conditions, but the intricate details seemed to be her trade secret so I didn¡¯t inquire any further as well.
Anyway, I just needed to ce this tool on the summit of a mountain from where a bird¡¯s eye view was possible, and I would get my reading. I also had the n to get the association to ce these magical tools on other spots throughout the kingdom to further create ¡®record points¡¯, but then again it depended on whether they would agree. The rest would be to just connect the ever-increasing dots and we would have our map with detailed directions and distances.
We already had one ce at the Greatus Mountain, located northeast of the Royal Capital, and if it was this ce, it should still be in range to connect to that record point. Plus there was also one ced near the Royal Capital and two on Robles'' outskirts that we had set up yesterday morning.
Creating and expanding these record points was the first step for the Geography Research Club. The cost of the magical tool was eye-popping as well, though Fey seemed to have recognized the usefulness of this magical tool so she should be able to think of a n to recover the investment.
¡°Ah, right. You did mention creating an urate map. Honestly, I don¡¯t see the point of working this hard just to get an urate outlook of this forest, but it¡¯s not something I would mind. However, wyverns are no pushovers so I want you to prioritize safety first more than anything else.¡±
Senpai readily agreed, and with that, our n was set to reach the summit.
We proceeded with caution, then we set up our magic tool, and seeing that there was still time, we took to the west ridgeline and ced a 2nd tool on the adjacent summit.
On our way back, Senpai with his acute sense and knowledge even managed to find precious magical nts and mushrooms in this trailess jungle. This trip also cleared the quest that we had received from that aunty.
In fact, we also found another waterfall where I caught some traces with my scouting magic. This waterfall was as tall as 40m and the torrential flow was impressively dropping off several tons of water.
I was extremely excited to find that waterfall.
I mean, the Lipupu-Nyapu Waterfall was certainly beautiful and was a scenic sight with how the water gracefully flowed down from the staircases of rocks. However, there really was no beating the majestic sight of water falling with a crashing sound!
¡°Rejoice Al! We¡¯ve found the perfect ce for a Water Mage like you! Now hurry up and meditate under the waterfall!¡±
I quickly pushed Al, who was making a bitter expression, toward the basin of the waterfall and subjected him to the pounding force of the falls.
¡°So cold! What the heck is this for!?¡±
¡°Mental training! And don¡¯t force your logic in here, guide your heart to feel the force of the water!¡±
¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a Water Mage requiring mental training!¡±
And they don¡¯t, idiot. But what¡¯s the use of being hung up on anything if not to make a ruckus?
I was just babbling nonsense, or at least I didn¡¯t have any other intention, but out of everyone¡¯s expectation, we found a cave behind the waterfall where another batch of mana moss was growing in a cluster. It felt like finding a horse in a gourd.
We settled on spending the rest of the day and night there.
Overall, the detour proved to be a good experience. The two summits where we had set up the magical tool were visible from our location along with one more, and by measuring our distance and direction from those peaks, we were able to urately determine our current position through triangtion.
In fact, we also got an urate reading on our positional distance connecting the mountaintops to Robles. With that, I believe we would be able to find a shortcut.
Senpai was also amazed by our findings.
¡°Hm~m, that¡¯s honestly¡ incredible. It would surely be a godsend in unfamiliar locations. I guess I can now see what your Geography Research Club is trying to achieve. It¡¯s a pity that I don¡¯t have much time left in the Academy as a 3rd-year student, but I would have loved to help out as well. Is it possible for me to get into the club as well, President Coco?¡±
¡°It would be our pleasure to have an experienced person like you, Riyad-senpai.¡±
Hmm-mm, Coco¡¯s gears seemed to have meshed well with Senpai as he delightfully epted his request. I guess birds of a feather do flock together, huh? One specialized in animals and the other in nts. Two sides of the same coin, truly.
For dinner, we got Al¡¯s help in capturing fish again. This time we managed to capture five magic fish.
Morning. We thought we would be taking the straight route to Robles, in the northeast direction. But Senpai apparently had a guess in his mind as the direction shifted slightly to the northern side. It turned out there was a main road passing through aftering out of the forest. There really was no gap in knowledge for our ever-so-reliable Senpai. He had already started to take advantage of the magical tool to its maximum capability.
The trip was overall fast and problem-free. Following Senpai¡¯s lead, we arrived at Robles in the afternoon. By the way, I chanced upon the sight of the previous group ¡ª which had tried to sneakily follow us ¡ª leaving for the western grass field. They looked exhausted and their equipment were in shambles. I hope they learned that life is more precious than fortune with this.
And speaking of fortune, the nt materials and the Mega Boar parts were all sold for 80,000 rea. Though credit was due to the ¡®Riyad-sama Fan¡¯ receptionist who had put in a good word at the counter of the delivery point.
Well, her attitude towards me was as salty as ever¡¡
All of my expenses, including the cost of the MacAquate arrows I used, were paid from Senpai¡¯s pocket. Furthermore, the fixed mary reward was tripled to 180,000 rea following the discovery of a new mana moss spot.
I tried to turn him down, saying it went against our initial contract. But Senpai countered saying a client had the right to make an evaluation and give a maximum of triple the original reward.
He said with the state of affairs that the kingdom was embroiled in, our discovery may as well deserve another raise considering the price of mana moss when it could be procured in a stable supply. So I quietly epted the reward.
Ultimately, we all ended up with a ie of 80,000 rea. Certainly much more than we expected. It kind of gave me a guilty feeling.
The trip may havee to a close, but the rollercoaster ride that was my fun summer vacation was yet to end.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
From the angle of historians, or to those looking through their journal of activities, the Robles trip was a rather insipid node among their otherwise shining record.
But the same insipid or trivial exploration trip carried great importance in the bigger picture of the future outlook.
First, the exploration trip was effectively the point where the pages of the book called ¡®A Guide to the Kingdom¡¯s Geography¡¯ ¡ª which had brought a wave of transformation into the world after itspletion several decadester ¡ª were set to open. The publisher of it was none other than ¡®The Friends of the Many¡¯ Coconial Canardial, the second-generation director of the Kingdom¡¯s Geography Institute.
Simrly, this trip was also the trigger that pushed the fate of Coconial Canardial to cross with his sworn friend, the ¡®Father of Taxonomy¡¯ Riyad Gufush.
And third, this was also the start of the bumpy fate of the ¡®Great Cascade¡¯ Aldol Engraver.
At the same time, it brought up a question in the minds of those who had read their journey¡ª just how far had the ¡®Time Traveler - The Boy From The Future¡¯ Allen Rovenne, who brought together all these fates together, predicted the influence of that exploration trip would bring into the world.
Yet, the answer was something that not even the supposed three, who couldn¡¯t be any more rted to this wind of changes, could answer.
T/N - Hmm, so I guess that¡¯s where Al got his name nickname huh. R.I.P Al. Everyone will surely remember you as the tag-along of Allen¡¯s ridiculousness.
E/N - I thought Coco¡¯s future title was ¡°Jack of all trades¡±? Well, I guess you could have more than one title. Also, lol at MC¡¯s title. ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 89 - Solo Trip
I took a lungful of dearly missed air to my heart''s content.
The breezy air, with a hint of salt, evoked the memories of my previous life. How long has it been since I relished in this refreshing air? At least, this was the first time in this world.
Solcoast was the No.2 city in Count Serdos¡¯ territory that served as the trading point between the Baerentz Archipgo Nation ¡ª which mainly exported all sorts of weapons and armaments like Katanas made of ck Tiger Ore ¡ª and this kingdom.
The trip here was rather shortpared to traveling from our territory to the Dragoon¡¯s. Lying in the northwest direction of the Royal Capital Runerelia, it was first a one-and-a-half-day trip to Cosrael, the capital of Marquis Grauksh through the magic train, and then a 4-day carriage ride to the east from there.
It had truly been a while since I was sted with the smell of the sea as I took my first step into the port city.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The first thing I did after arriving at Solcoast was get a room at an inn affiliated with the association and specifically catered to explorers. Then I changed into a light getup and swiftly embarked on my sightseeing.
I was out on a whimsical solo trip that I had envisioned. Well, there were two reasons I elected to visit this ce among the other options.
I really wanted to see if I could acquire a katana for cheap in this trade spot. The ones in the Royal Capital had so many zeros in their prices that it might as well cost me more than just a hand and a leg.
It wasn¡¯t my main reason, however. It was on the line of ¡®Since I¡¯m here, might as well try my luck¡¯ kind of vibe. I was still practicing with the sword, but I saw no need to change from my current bow and dagger battle style for now.
Yes, what I had been looking forward to, and why I marked this as my destination was the fish! Ah, I had been craving for some fresh fish dishes like sushi or sashimi.
For all its splendor and majesty, there was not a single ce in the Royal Capital that my seafood pte took a fancy to. I visited so many shops after hearing about their seafood cuisine only for my hopes to be dashed away. s, the curse of modernity, truly.
Once, I did manage to find a ce selling raw fish dishes¡ª a sashimi-like cure with vinegar and¡ And there was no more. The dish they served was, mildly putting, ¡®crude¡¯.
I presumed the difference mainly came from their freshness. The sea was quite far away from the Royal Capital which was located at the heart of this kingdom.
There had been a breakthrough recently in magic machinery that apparently improved the transportation method of fish. However, the fad of raw and fresh fish was still unpopr to most. Theck of demand obviously tranted to the chefs being mediocre at making them.
Humans are deplorable creatures. The more they face something distant, the more they would want to chase after it.
There had been rice in this world but the staple food was still bread in this kingdom. So, like, I wasn¡¯t demanding sushi, but sashimi wouldn¡¯t hurt, right?
Just as I had been passing my time in anguish, I suddenly realized something.
The kaeshi used by the soba shop that I visit almost daily definitely used a soy sauce base along with a blend of seafood stock which could be eaten with chopsticks.
In my pursuit of better meals and local cuisine, I had pretty much checked out theplete food culture of the Royal Capital, and that was when I realized how strange that shop was.
For one, I could discount the chopsticks since they were popr on par with forks and knives even back on earth, but the stock and soy sauce base suddenly clicked in me. Maybe a region somewhere out there shared a resemnce with Japanese culture.
My next steps had already been decided. I met with the owner of the soba shop who was an old man nearing his 60s with a medium build ¡ª he looked incredibly pale for some reason ¡ª and asked him about its origin. He exined both the soba and soy sauce were from his hometown, the Baerentz Archipgo Nation.
He surprisingly ¡ª and with a bit of fanaticism if you ask me ¡ª answered all of my questions, a cheapskate student of the Royal Academy frequenting for soba.
And my guess couldn¡¯t have been any more correct. The culture of the Baerentz Archipgo Nation shared quite a simrity with Japan. They not only had sashimi but also ind sushi¡ª basically a dish with a marinated topping ced on rice and a touch of mustard sauce.
So far, so good. However, I was stumped with two roadblocks when I considered my potential trip to Baerentz.
First, it was just too far away. Second, the country would be doing a thorough inspection first before allowing entry. Baerentz typically had a neutral stance toward all the major powers, even to Yuglia Kingdom, and supported itself through trade. Plus, the looming unnerving air would probably make them deny any tourist entry, or so was the owner¡¯s opinion.
In the end, since I couldn¡¯t have the best of the other side, I decided to settle for the middle ground and that was where Solcoast town, the trade point with Baerentz Archipgo Nation, came into the picture.
Solcoast apparently sold salted sashimi while I would be bringing my own soy sauce since I could get it from the Royal Capital. I also got Riyad-senpai to help me a bit and got my hands on a wasabi-like spice with sharp taste via the intermediation of the Mt. Penipany to bring with me.
My preparations were all done, and all that was needed was my sweet, sweet ¡ª I mean salted ¡ª sashimi to jump into my mouth.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
It was close to evening by the time I came out into the streets.
Perhaps it was due to their early bird nature as fishermen, the main street was already dyed in the vibe of rounding up all their stuff for today. I could hear the nonsensical babbling of drunken customersing out from the rows of open shops.
The trip was proceeding just the way I wanted, and while I wouldn¡¯t mind some misadventures, I wanted nothing more than to taste the long-awaited sashimi. It would be great if I could somehow get the best shop to sate my craving.
I concentrated the mana into my nose to parse through the drifting smells to search for my target and¡ that¡¯s when I realized it was futile. The air in the port town was thick with a fishy smell ¡ª as you would expect from a sea-sided region ¡ª and garlic or butter-grilled dishes. I was no Sherlock of cookery to identify the smell of delicious sashimi out of this blend.
I had almost forgotten the basic thing through which I used to search for better shops back on Earth¡ There was no way I could hope for a sure-fire method like user-verified gourmet sites avable readily on a smartphone.
There were various points to consider when scrutinizing various information, but it was like beating a dead horse at the moment.
If I didn¡¯t use the inte, then I would often ask the taxi drivers ¡ª you know right, the inside tracks that locals had ¡ª but the magic car was still a pricey mode of transportation and prevalent only in the Royal Capital.
There was no way taxis would be avable or popr in such a remote town when there was a cheat called body-strengthening magic just to travel some streets.
Haa¡ You really are your own best friend indeed. I guess I would try to gauge the stores from their billboards or vibe and my intuition.
This shop sells grilled shellfish¡ Yeah, let¡¯s check it outter.
This shop sells buttered octopus¡ This, too, is forter.
This is dried fish¡ Yeah,ter.
Ugh, this one reeks of a dense fishy smell¡ Nope, cross out.
Crap, I guess I relied on my smartphone so much that my intuition wasn¡¯t working at all. I thought about gauging the vibe of a shop from the outside and taking a leap of faith¡ but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it in the end.
Hesitation truly was a killjoy, wasn¡¯t it? Once its bud had sprouted, it truly made even a bustling store or delicious-looking dishes appear doubtful.
The impatience was growing in me when I found no suitable ce even after going through all the main street shops. I was at my wit¡¯s end when I suddenly took notice of a certain store in a small alley. It exuded a simple, calm vibe, reminding me of the sushi stores from my previous world.
I paused for a while to take a look but found no customer entering or exiting from there. I know it looked strange but I was somehow attracted to it.
I decided to trust my intuition for this one and stepped into that alleyway.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The first thing that jumped into my view when I entered the store was a short-haired, stern-faced general-like man. He was tall and sported a lean build.
Just as I had thought, there truly was no other customer besides me. Heck, I couldn¡¯t even find any sign of an employee.
Yup. There was no way I couldbel this ce as ¡®A store to relish your favorite dishes in silence¡¯.
The store was missing the typical buzzing of mana particles¡ª that was what you would generally hear when trying to eavesdrop on a ce equipped with an anti-detection magical tool. That said, I had already imagined this scenario to some extent when I couldn¡¯t hear any sound at alling from inside.
But I was already at my limit, and my wallet was ready to tank the expense. A simple, expensive dish wouldn¡¯t be able to deter me today!
I closed the door after entering inside. Of course, boss of this shop didn¡¯t fail to notice me.
¡°A stranger, and a brat to boot¡? Heed my advice if you don¡¯t want your wallet to end up dry here. It costs more than just a bit to eat here. Check somewhere else.¡±
Now that¡¯s something new. If earlier I had the impression that maybe this shop would end up as a ¡®cheap but awful¡¯ ce or ¡®rip-off rendezvous¡¯, then everything was cast away by that his warning.
At a nce, it was clear he just sucked at handling business. I wonder how much his dishes cost¡ but I needed to ask something else. First of all¡ª
¡°I want to eat a raw, freshly sliced fish dish. Do you serve it here?¡±
Yes, I had to confirm if they even sold the stuff that I was so desperately looking for. I asked bluntly, pleasantries were not needed here after all. Well, I believe some would have surely been affected by his stern expression and words.
I just had an inkling that anything less than an upfront and direct attitude wouldn¡¯t work here.
¡°Tsk. It¡¯s truly a tall task to ask for some sense from a brat. We do serve ¡®sashimi¡¯. But its price isn¡¯t something a brat like you can foot. And neither am I a scum to take that much money from a brat, even if you do carry enough. Go back to the greenhouse you came from, munchkin. Right, go back!¡±
...Wow, truly establishing a hard-headed image, wasn¡¯t he?
I bet this ce would have long be unpopr over the inte with that attitude. Not that this was a society that half ran on the inte bubble. And neither was I a mimosa from a nursery.
I mean, this shop did serve Sashimi ¡ª he didn¡¯t pronounce sashimi like you would in Japanese ¡ª at least, and who knew if his skill turned out to be the real deal? Like hell I would quietly nod ¡®Sir is right¡¯ like some twiddler and leave.
I ignored his warning and took a seat on the counter.
¡°I have enough to foot my bill. So don¡¯t tell me that crap. Oh, and yes, I¡¯m just a third son of a destitute noble house. Greenhouse and I don¡¯t exactly match well. My money is what I had earned with my explorer work. By the way, my rank is B. What? Wanna see my license?¡±
The brows of the obstinate geezer shot up on hearing my words, but otherwise, he just shook his head.
¡°Truly an untactful brat, huh? This is why the youth of today''s generation are so rash. If you wanna bluff, at least say something believable, for goodness sake.
Whatever. Head out of this alleyway and take a left to the main street. You will reach the Yuuki Pavilion after walking for 200m. You¡¯ll get your sashimi there. The price is on the steep side though, but they aren¡¯t that bad.¡±
¡®Shoo,¡¯ the obstinate geezer gestured with his hand.
Not that bad you say? I haven¡¯t taken this long journey just to try some so-so stuff, alright?
Hah, the gall this man had to say ¡®Be satisfied with the milder stuff¡¯. Kukuku, fine, I would break this geezer¡¯s stubbornness today and have my dinner here for sure.
T/N - So Baerentz is basically set after old japan, when it was closed for outsiders,
Vol. 1 - Ch. 90 - Ginkgo’s Sashimi
Bring it on, geezer! It¡¯s either your stubbornness or mine.
¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere! I¡¯m going to eat the sashimi here, and only here. Understood? No matter what!¡±
I tightened my expression, which caused the boss to falter.
¡°What the heck is with no matter what, truly an odd fe¡ No, wait. Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s the doing of those morons? Hmm, but even they shouldn¡¯t have any reason to push a brat like you¡ Anyway, I¡¯m no longer in the mood to keep the shop open for today. And that¡¯s how it is, go somewhere else!¡±
¡°I refuse! I¡¯m no dilly-dallier, alright? I came to fancy this shop, that¡¯s all. Like hell I give a damn about your grumpy mood! Or what, you¡¯re saying you don¡¯t feel like opening your business? Then, aside from your obvious signs of aging, why have you even kept the store all shiny and spotless? Don¡¯t think you can fool me. I certainly saw the pride in your face¡ª back straight, eyes fixed at the entrance when you noticed a new customer arriving. You can¡¯t even properly hide your conviction to keep the store up and you have the gall to bluff me. Alright, we don¡¯t argue in a restaurant. Just ring me the sashimi!¡±
¡°Why the heck are you calling the shots!? Listen to me, I am only saying this for your sake!¡±
¡°I never asked for your concern! My motto is only one, beat the crap out of anyone who dares to hinder my path. I¡¯m prepared for anything, alright!?¡±
A stare-offpetition had started between me and the boss when someone, seemingly the proprietress, appeared from the inside of the store.
She had a tanned look with ck, lustrous hair. She wore a kimono-like dress which I presumed to be a product of the Baerentz Archipgo Nation.
She must have sensed the entrance of a customer.
¡°Oh dear, we seemed to have one peculiar customer today. Hmm?¡ Pfft.
Ahem, I came here after hearing your spirited speech, I just didn¡¯t expect the customer to be truly a child. But you have a great pair of eyes. And you, dear, shouldy off now.¡±
¡°¡¡Go and sleep, Chloe. Don¡¯t you have another night divingter?
¡°You don¡¯t expect me to do that, do you? I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be able to next see your craftsmanship if I let this chance slip by.
However, boy¡¡±
The proprietress then paused, nced straight at me, and said,
¡°This upholds but one motto: our price is set the same for regrs and first-timers alike. No service charge, but also no discount. You¡¯re our customer if you can agree to that.¡±
I nodded.
¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting any exception to begin with. Sure, what¡¯s the price here?¡±
¡°A bright person, I see. We currently only have limited ingredients at hand, only fish that this person had captured locally, and the shellfish that I got from diving. However, I wouldn¡¯t let dear¡¯s workmanship, which had entranced me, be sold for cheap.
A simple meal alone would cost 130 rea. But assuming you¡¯re an explorer, the total price including alcohol is 200 rea. Do you think you¡¯re up to pay for the dishes whose materials we just happened to have lying around by chance?¡°
Huh, 200?!
¡He cheap¡
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Recalling back to my first task as a G-rank explorer, the reward forbor work was surely 150 rea a day. But then again, it was hardly ¡ª or not at all ¡ª lucrative work in contrast to the pay, so they obviously have trouble getting enough people to help out. So was the exnation I heard from the site foreman.
Putting 2 and 2 together, even G-rank explorers at the Royal Capital could easily splurge should they want.
No, wait a minute. 130 rea was almost 15000 yen in Japan¡¯s currency. I was nearly led astray by the Royal Capital¡¯s vibe.
The price was certainly on the higher side just for a meal made of stocked-up fish. Honestly, my 1000 rea hourly wage from the knight order plus my earnings after being promoted to B-rank had truly loosened my economic sense.
¡I wasn¡¯t a strict upholder of the no luxury motto. However, the concept of luxury is a subjective matter based on an individual''s perception of whether they were rtively fortunate in their daily life.
Even luxury would wear off its charm when it became part of one¡¯s regr scenery. Perhaps, only the luxury of a certain level could evoke such a decadent sensation after reaching that stage.
I should have long decided that status, honor, or fortune would never be able to shackle me. But I was somehow unknowingly dragged into the swamp of a new ¡®normal¡¯. There was no way I would be able to live as freely as I intended if I started worrying about maintaining this ¡®normal¡¯ lifestyle.
...¡I reflexively shouted ¡®so cheap¡¯ in my heart when I heard the price, but right¡ I decided to live freely and having a high standard would just hinder me in the long run.
I answered while running my thoughts in different directions.
¡°A craftsman should get the credit they deserve, and it¡¯s your freedom to set the price. After all, the judges are still the customers. The store would either drown in the waves of customers or just be weeded out. I¡¯ll have the boss'' rmendation, though I don¡¯t need the alcohol.¡±
The boss took a quick nce at me and chewed on his lips in vexation.
¡°Tsk, a brat with a silver tongue. Fine, I won¡¯t say anything further when you put it like this. As for skills¡ Let me show you the skill of the 7th generation Ginkgo.¡±
The boss said so as a fire lit up in the depths of his eyes.
He disyed a defeated look on his face, but I for sure could see a faint smile on his lips as he held his knife.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
¡°You were asking for Sashimi, right?¡±
The boss said as he took aplete fish from the bucket of ice water ¡ª I guess he must have caught them this morning ¡ª and sliced it up in a jiffy.
The shop had an open kitchen ¡ª a rarity if you asked me ¡ª so I could clearly see the chef¡¯s expertise with which he handled the food. And for that matter, a set of chopsticks was ced in front of me. I guess they were fairly used in this area.
¡°¡Hmm? Oh, could that knife be made from ck Tiger Iron?¡±
My eyes were drawn to the jet-ck knife in the boss'' hand.
¡°Hmph. What, are you saying it¡¯s a pearl before swine? Sure, this might be a bit too fancy to be used for something trivial like chopping fish, but this is indispensable for me. I guess you can call it the other half of me at this point. Anyway, our local specialty is ready.¡±
After saying that, the boss pushed forward a good-looking mackerel sashimi.
The thinly sliced pieces arranged on the te were so thin they were almost transparent, with the te adorned with cut watermelon resembling blooming rose petals in spring. There was another smaller te beside it that had fine white salt.
¡°Come now, I never thought of that. Don¡¯t they say, a knife¡¯s sharpness is what matters when making sashimi? I saw your skill and it truly was without any shorings. And I bet you wouldn¡¯t get this level of thinness ¡ª as if I¡¯m looking at a silver mirror ¡ª with an ordinary knife. The best part of a fish is the fattyyer just beneath the skin."
I said as I sprinkled some salt and tried a slice.
It was delish¡ But more than that, it reminded me of my past life.
¡°Oh? I guess you do have a discerning eye¡ Oi, why are you crying?¡±
¡°Ah, my bad. The sashimi is truly exquisite, it suddenly reminded me of my hometown. You truly never know what kind of surprise awaits you. Next please.¡±
¡°Tsk. I thought I was dealing with some precocious child, but you hide your own share of hardships, huh? We won¡¯t be having any other customers except you either way, kid. Alright, I¡¯m going to give you your fill ¡®til there are no more ingredients left. Don¡¯t think you can get away scot-free today.¡±
Another dish he lined up was, once again, a masterpiece.
It was fish eggs ¡ª resembling processed cod roe ¡ª diluted through the sake and spread on a small peri leaf.
It was slightly roasted sardine split from the center, which was upied by a small peri leaf serving fish eggs¡ª diluted through sake and resembling processed cod roe in appearance.
Ultimately, I just couldn¡¯t resist the temptation and ordered sake as well.
The dishes afterward were just as great¡ª like the Thai-style white-fleshed fish or squids, salt-pickled sashimi, or steamed abalone that I ate with deep-fried fish bones for more vor.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
¡°Phew, that was a feast. Honestly, I¡¯ve tried many shops back in the Royal Capital after starting as an explorer this spring but none of them canpare to your cooking marvel. No, seriously, this was probably the first time my stomach and mind were both content for once. Good lord, good thing I didn¡¯t judge a book by its cover. I bet no one would have thought a stern-faced old man could do such meticulous work.¡±
The boss burst out inughter while chiming in ¡®The stern-faced part is unneeded¡¯.
We looked at each other and simrly burst intoughter.
¡°Fufu. All that matters is we didn¡¯t fall short in the service. I could see you truly enjoyed the dishes. You should be staying in this city for a while, right? Come again. We don¡¯t have anything fancy here but you¡¯ll surely be content with the menu.¡±
¡°Ohh, I¡¯ll take you up on your offer then. Oops, right. I didn¡¯t introduce myself. As you know, I¡¯m an explorer, the name¡¯s ¡®Ren¡¯.
By the way, do you have any problems preventing you from securing ingredients? Wait, don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s the typical case of some Luthor wannabe swaggering around and causing trouble to the store with the local lord''s support to wipe his butt¡ Well, who am I kidding.¡°
A scowl appeared on the visage of the couple on hearing my words.
¡°Luthor wannabe? I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t get the meaning, but your guess is pretty much correct.
There is an old-established firm, Serene Wind Co., which started with the shipbuilding business but the current head is no less of a cunning fox. As you can expect from a port city, shipbuilding and repair are the lifeline of this town so they had be quite a behemoth with the dock under their lead. But the current head was apparently not content with that and has expanded their business to even trade and food.
They seemed intent on taking our shop under theirmand as well, and have been pulling strings behind the scenes to prevent customers froming which has jeopardized the shop¡¯s operation.¡±
Wow, talk about the devil¡¯s tongue¡ I sighed.
¡°I see. I bet there might be some benefit for the mayor so he¡¯s ying blind to the situation or, let¡¯s hope not, even in cahoots with them. Hmm, so I presume the group of three people waiting outside must be there to give me a ¡®Don¡¯t bothering again if ya value yo life¡¯ warning once I exit, eh?¡±
The couple¡¯s eyes widened when they heard me spitting what was the cliched troupe in such cases.
¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯m an explorer. I guess my body has just limated to the work so I couldn¡¯t help but sense their presence outside. Truly, I can''t rest even while dining, huh? Well, that is typically prevented by an anti-detection magic tool but that¡¯s not here.
Anyway, it seems like one of them is a girl¡ª ¡®Young Miss¡¯ as they¡¯re referring to her. A beefy guy, seemingly an employee from the dockyard, and a bodyguard-ish explorer. The explorer has two short swords.¡°
¡°......We had many explorers as customers but never did I hear them having such sharp ears being amon thing¡ That girl is the current head of the Serene Wind, Mimosa. The beefy guy is the clerk Gatx, and thest one is ¡®Double-edged Jerren¡¯¡ª a talented explorer in this area, and his skills are not a joke.
It¡¯s strange for Mimosa toe here, but her arrival is anything but good news, and she also brought her trusted men, too. You hurry up and escape to the backdoor. I¡¯ll deal with them somehow.¡°
¡°Ah, I don¡¯t think you need to waste your breath. Because¡ª¡±
Bang
The door was opened with a forceful entry.
¡°They¡¯re already here.¡±
T/N - This is just my headcanon by the way. I just had a hunch what wouldeter. (I truly haven¡¯t checked the ahead chapter)
MC - Hurray, liberation! No more crazy folks for some time!
Author - Have you ever heard the phrase ¡®don¡¯t stick your face where it doesn¡¯t belong¡¯?
MC - Where does it suddenlye from¡ªno, don¡¯t tell me¡
Author - Bingo, as a reward for guessing, here is another tyrannosaurus as a gift!
MC - You gotta be kidding meeeee!
On a side note, how often do you use some metaphor, and it so coincidentally appears as a character? I didn¡¯t expect the ¡®I am no Mimosa¡¯ phrase to be a reality.
E/N - I had a sense of deja vu while editing the first part of this chapter. I could have sworn I already read and edited that part in thest chapter. Also, Allen¡¯s sense of money reminds me of Westernersing to my country, the Philippines, and being surprised at how much their currency could buy here when converted to pesos.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 91 - Mimosa (1)
Chapter 91 - Mimosa (1)
With a bang sound, the entrance door was violently flung open. The girl at the lead looked all cool, but the man behind her harbored a rugged expression. There were two of them who entered the shop while the bodyguard-ish person was, surprisingly, made to stay outside.
¡°What are you here for, Mimosa? I¡¯m sure I heard someone saying ¡®This is the final warning¡¯ the other day, now what?¡±
The girl¡ª or more like, the woman seemed to be in her mid tote 20s. But the manner with which she carried herself suggested that she could be in her 30s as well which was well hidden by her wheat-toned skin and short chestnut hair that gave her a youthful vibe. Her face was a bit small, but she was quite a looker.
The woman nced at the boss and replied.
¡°¡You stubborn fool will never understand, huh? You know, too much obstinacy isn¡¯t good for one''s health, right? But don¡¯t be too antsy, I¡¯m not here to greet you today. I happened to receive a tip from the association that a menace ¡ª ¡®Mad Hound Ren¡¯, a B-rank explorer ¡ª has stepped into the city.
I¡¯m this town¡¯s boss after all, so I thought I should do my due greetings and handle the situation in case he decides to have a fit. So I was waiting outside all this time but then I saw no oneing out. I almost wondered if he was even here and came to check it out.¡±
Mimosa exined and then nced at me. Her gaze was serious as if she was looking at someone of equal caliber and not a 12-year-old brat.
¡Hmm, was that how it was? She even had the association in her pocket. At the very least, not just any riff-raff or puny viin could employ these methods.
Either way, irrespective of what sort of tricks she used, she had effectively be the kingpin of a town of considerable size. Hmm, I guess she wasn¡¯t actually doing it for simple clout or due to rebellious behavior.
But that aside, how did that rude nickname ¡®Mad Hound¡¯ even make it to this distant town¡¯s branch?¡ I truly underestimated the informationwork of the Explorer Association.
¡°Y-You¡¯re really a B-rank?!¡±
The boss asked in a flustered tone. Ah, right. He never believed my words after all.
¡°She¡¯s right. I¡¯m Ren, but I¡¯m more of a gentleman than the rumors say. It¡¯s just some wannabe who gave me the notorious title of ¡®Mad Hound¡¯ for no reason. How did you know I was here?¡±
Mimosa shrugged her shoulders.
¡°It wasn¡¯t hard to find you to begin with. Aren¡¯t you lodging in an inn that the association rmended? I visited the inn after getting to know where you were staying, but I heard there that ¡®someone who matches your description had gone out in the east direction while also saying that he wouldn¡¯t be needing dinner¡¯.
I assumed that your goal must be this harbor and witnesses reported the same, but I really didn¡¯t expect you would choose this store, of all ces. The situation would have turned into a mess if we entered recklessly so we were waiting outside.¡±
Huh, wow, even the inn was at her beck and call¡ And no shit given about privacy, eh? Well, even in Japan, the strictness about personal information was a recent year thing that was introduced with the advancement of information technology.
I guess even if Iined, nothing woulde out of it. I would just have to move in more secrecy next time.
¡°Alright, I understand the gist of it. By the way, did thoughts like ¡®Wow, is he really that person?¡¯ or ¡®What a pig in wolf¡¯s skin!¡¯ not cross your mind on seeing my actual appearance? I mean, that¡¯s usually how some single brain cell idiots end up picking a fight with me and when I beat them up like how they wanted to beat me up, they sully my reputation by giving me meaningless titles like ¡®Mad Hound¡¯.¡±
I said with evident disgust toward the nickname, but Mimosa simply burst out inughter.
¡°Ahahaha! A fake wouldn¡¯t be talking with that attitude after all. At the end of the day, all I care about is the peace of this town. Who you are is hardly important.
In fact, I would have been thanking the heavens if you were really an imposter. It would be easier to straighten out a pig with force rather than a wolf, right? Anyway, as for your question, you looked like the real deal and not someone average Joe as well. It¡¯s a pity that my appraisal often turns out to be true.¡°
Mimosa raised her hands in surrender as if to say ¡®beats me.¡¯
Oh hoh, she didn¡¯t seem half-baked as a boss. How rare was it to see your local overlord actually working for the betterment of their town?
¡°Now that you get why I¡¯m here, I would like to take some of your time but¡are you currently having dinner? Then we¡¯ll wait outside until then.¡±
Huh, a man¡ª I mean, a woman of principle too?
¡°I just finished it, in fact. What do you want to talk about anyway?¡±
¡°Rx, I am not one for annoying talks. I meant what I said earlier, peace in my town is all that matters to me. I brought a capable explorer along with me, standing outside right now but I don¡¯t think he can win against you at all.
Honestly, I don¡¯t have any ns in my hand to stop you in case you go berserk in this town, so I would like to make a deal with you before that happens. If I am not overstepping my boundaries, I would like to know your ¡ª the star rookie of the kingdom ¡ª reason to visit this town. ¡±
Eh, she¡¯s quite an amusing person. So she took the first step and showed their weakness? Even if that was to show her sincerity, I was amazed by her boldness that she even left behind her bodyguard outside.
Not that I had any other intention, and so I immediately replied,
¡°I had been craving for some good serving of fish. You know right, the Royal Capital is so far away from here that the state of the seafood there¡¯s too nd. Aside from that, I wanted to see if I could purchase a ¡®katana¡¯ for cheap, but that¡¯s just a side objective since I¡¯m already here.¡±
¡°Huh, for someone of your caliber, it¡¯s more about fish than a katana? It almost sounds like you¡¯re here for sightseeing¡¡±
Mimosa squinted her eyes as she tried to gauge my intention, except that there was no hidden meaning behind my words.
¡°Well, to be blunt, yes. Sightseeing, vacation, or however you want to say it. It seems like you and the boss here have some history but don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯m not here to stick my nose into your affairs if you¡¯re worried about that. I¡¯m no white knight, and neither would I be staying here for more than a few days, so anything I do would be futile work either way. That said¡ª¡°
I took a good look at both Mimosa and Gatx and stated.
¡°I have taken a fancy to this old man¡¯s cooking skill¡ª or if that matters, I hold him in high regard for it. I¡¯ll be eating here tomorrow as well, whatever the situation may be. I would sincerely suggest turning a blind eye if ¡®there¡¯s no proof¡¯ and don¡¯t try to be an annoying fly. I¡¯m not short-tempered but I don¡¯t take kindly to annoying pests.¡±
I replied in a in tone.
It was usually the weak who got devoured in a merger. I don¡¯t care since that¡¯s how the world works, but it would be tragic for me if I could no longer eat the seafood served by this old man.
She looks like someone who had a good head on her shoulders so I think the typical ¡®An unknown assant raided the shop so it¡¯ll be closed tomorrow¡¯ shouldn¡¯t happen after this with the warning I gave them.
Gatx apparently wanted to say something but Mimosa stopped and signaled him to refrain from saying anything as her lips curled up and asked.
¡°Sooo, am I right in understanding that you wouldn¡¯t care about the merger of this shop with our Serene Wind Co. as long as you can have your dinner here?¡± (T/N - It was Serene Sea in the previous chapter but that was a typo.)
The old man gave me a piercing re. I nodded in an ¡®understanding¡¯ manner.
¡°If anything, that would be great. There wouldn¡¯t be a shortage of ingredients anymore. Actually, I would be happy to see the boss¡¯s culinary skill in its full glory.¡±
¡°You bastard~! What are you nodding your head for like you understand and then suddenly backstabbing me so casually!? Shouldn¡¯t this be where you shout ¡®Not on my watch¡¯ or something and beat them down after being impressed by my undaunting stance!?¡±
¡°Huh? Well, honestly boss, I don¡¯t see you as someone adept at management¡ª or politics by extension ¡ª and a little bit of conversation is enough to rile you up. It¡¯s clear that it¡¯s just a matter of time before you lose, so might as well throw the hatchet and quietly follow the situation while the game is still on. Win-win for all, no?
I can see you also want to work in your best state and I bet your reason for refusal should be something like ¡®B-But, it¡¯s a shop that¡¯s been passed down for generations¡¯ or something. Or maybe you¡¯re worried about something else. Let¡¯s see¡ Maybe you¡¯re afraid that they¡¯ll take a huge cut from the revenue?¡±
I looked at the boss and Mimosa while asking so.
¡°Pfft, ahahaha! What the heck, I thought we would be facing something like a berserk monster when the branch head said not even a speck of grass is left behind in the area you pass through. But you are smarter than the rumors portray, aren¡¯t you?
¡You know what, I just wanted a good chance so this is just right. Let me bring everything to the table. Gatx, go back to the pavilion and bring the fish and the other stuff. I¡¯m going to get drunk after a long while with liquor and the old man¡¯s cooking!¡°
...¡Not even a speck of grass is left behind?! I swear, once again, that I¡¯m going to beat the hell out of that shiny head one day!!!
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Mimosa was apparently a loose talker once drunk.
¡°You kn¡¯w what, I never wanted to be an overlord or something¡ ugh¡ hic~cup. I just wanted to make ourpany a big one so that I could have a strong as-heck ship and venture into the sea¡ That¡¯s why I left no stone unturned to push the value of thepany and¡ and then they somehow pushed me to the top instead so I had to be careful to not create bad rumors.
Everyone looked at me with such scrutiny that I couldn¡¯t even do one nasty thing! As if that wasn¡¯t enough, I even get called when nerve-wracking individuals like youe to the town¡ no more. I can¡¯t go on like this anymore!¡±
Err, I don¡¯t thinkining here would do anything¡ No wait, forcing this shop to merge into theirpany doesn¡¯t count as nasty? Huh, just what kind of wacky criteria did she have to define something evil¡?
¡°Miss, I think that¡¯s enough liquor¡¡±
Gatx, who had been nearby, held out water to her.
¡°Shut up! Hic-cup. Look, Gatx doesn¡¯t take me seriously as well. Ren~,e, let¡¯s y ! You can do anything to me if I lose.¡±
Mimosa wrapped her arm around mine without hesitation and suggested a mysterious game.
A game huh?¡ But I¡¯ve never heard of it. Haa, rumors are just piling up on their own thanks to that shiny bald man¡
¡°Can you nottch on my right arm? It¡¯s in the way! First of all, I¡¯m drinking to raise the quality of the food, not to get drunk. Hm~! Woah, delicious! What the heck is with this refreshing vor of prawn miso over the sashimi?!¡±
¡°To think there woulde a day where Mimosa who¡¯s usually indifferent to men would be so chummy with one¡ Uh-huh, is this the day when the alias ¡®iron panties¡¯ would finally bid a tearful farewell?¡ Ah, it¡¯s the fruit juice of unripe jigo fruits that has been blended into miso.¡±
Thebination of thick sashimi slices and rich miso along with the tangy taste that was akin to sudachi was creating an exquisite st of vor.
I knew it. This boss justcked ingredients, otherwise, he was definitely a first-ss chef when it came to seafood.
¡°By the way, why does the so-called iron panties want this stubborn old man under her wing?¡±
¡°Who are you calling iron panties!? Shut up!¡ It all happened because no boy could match my spirit. I have an older sister who is a single mother, but she likes to take care of my adorable nephew.
By the way, I¡¯m goingmando today. Lucky, aren¡¯t you? It¡¯s your chance to be hot with ady. Still, you¡¯re a strange fe. You said you fell in love with the old man¡¯s cooking here in just one try so why do you think I wouldn¡¯t want such a ce under mymand?¡°
¡°But you just wanted to stock up on money and build a tough ship, no? I thought you nned to just get the boss and then move him to another grandiose shop, but I guess I was wrong, huh? You just wanted Ginkgo to keep continuing like this¡ The price is a bit on the higher side here but revenue from this little shop would hardly be adding to your big dream, after all.¡±
She was bbering under the effect of alcohol, but when she talked about ¡®the thing she wanted to do¡¯, I could tell from her tone it wasing from her heart.
On the other hand, the boss paused on whatever he was doing. Even the madam was now looking at Mimosa with a serious expression.
However, Mimosa, noticing her negligence, instantly curled her lips into a smile and steered the conversation to another topic.
¡°Who cares, but are you really going to ignore it when ady is so assertively throwing herself at you? Haa, truly a boorish fe. Oh, maybe you¡¯re a virgin?¡±
¡°W-W-W-What does this have anything to do with our discussion? And only an idiot would follow the lead of a girl who purposely got herself drunk when meeting a stranger. As if that¡¯s possible with the mana!
Enough with the roundabout way of talking, just spit out why you want the boss. Or what, do you have some ideas about me as well? I don¡¯t like wasting my breath over useless stuff! If it turns out to be a good idea, I wouldn¡¯t mind helping you out though.¡°
On the side, Madam nodded to herself, seemingly convinced that I was a dead sure virgin.
Mimosa squinted her ash eyes and made a boldugh.
¡°Fufufu, so you noticed, huh? I think it¡¯s the first time that someone has seen through my n. I¡¯ll give you credit for it, but ever heard of tact? Girls do get drunk and like to fawn over guys and they also like to be teased. But they hate a virgin like you who jumps into the core of the matter directly. So, learn to y along with a woman''s teasing, alright?
¡¡A grandiose birthday party for Count Serdos¡¯ son is going to be held at his estate. Marquis Grauksh is going to show up there as well. Given the hierarchy, it typically doesn¡¯t happen¡ I want to slip into that convoy. ¡±
¡°And the reason?¡±
¡°¡I want to directly congratte my adorable nephew on his birthday.¡±
T/N - I guess she wasn¡¯t actually a crazy one then, eh.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 92 - Mimosa (2)
Following my question, Mimosa started exining the order of events.
Her story started around a decade ago.
Mimosa''s elder sister fell in love at first sight with Count Serdos who hade to inspect Solcoast at that time. Her sister was their tour guide and well, the spark of their love was the illegitimate child that was born between them.
The Count, however, already had a legal wife of noble origin and a second de facto wife so he couldn''t bring her to his estate and pass her the child support.
Well, while they might not have been epted, her sister and her nephew, Daniel-kun, were not in the least bit bothered. Her maternal home was already blessed with wealth to some extent as the owner of the Serene Wind Co., and it just so happened that all the kids at that time happened to be girls so the birth of a boy was warmly weed.
Daniel-kun was raised and pampered by everyone--- especially by his doting mother, along with the predecessor of the Serene Wind, and its manservant. Having been raised in a port town with the dockyard being his yground, he aspired to be a sailor in the future and grew up as a little rascal.
On the other hand, his aunt, Mimosa, would often tell him about how he wouldn''t be able to make it as a sessful sailor if he didn''t take his studies seriously. So while pampered, he was also a young man who knew the value of hard work.
But as they say, fate is a fickle mistress. Daniel-kun''s talent far eclipsed others. He would always stand out among his peers in the regional elementary school by a long shot and his talent in magic also blossomed. In short, he apparently could qualify for the ''Royal Academy'' as well.
The Count, who hadn''t seen Daniel-kun except when he was born, flipped his stance when the possibility was all but confirmed. How could he not? The result might be embellished by half a point but his talent was unmistakable. It wouldn''t have been impossible to even adopt a person with such talent, let alone someone with his own blood.
His talent was truly staggering, at leastpared to the legitimate lineage of the Count family. Despite being an influential noble, reality was harsh to them as they could never produce a talent that could enter the Royal Academy.
''It''s the order of the lord'', there was just that phrase given as a reason before the Count''s men took Daniel-kun, whom he had never approved of until then, along with his mother without regard for anyone''s feelings. The Count made Mimosa''s sister his third de facto wife while Daniel-kun gained the title of a legitimate child.
Everything from there was a simple story. Count Serdos gathered the best private tutors within his capability who thoroughly trained Daniel-kun from the age of 10 and three yearster, he achieved the glorified title of Royal Academy student.
So this birthday party was also a celebration of his achievement. However, the only ones invited to the party so far were the Marquis and other influential nobles. Mimosa might be his aunt but it was impossible for her to visit as amoner.
Meanwhile, the Count was seemingly intent on snuffing out any rumors about Daniel-kun being raised as amoner and hence forbade him from meeting anyone he was rted to until then.
Mimosa intended to somehow get the chance to meet Daniel-kun,pliment him for his hard work, and congratte him for the glory he had grasped with his own hands.
The Count had arranged apetition for the main dish of the party and she wanted to somehow win it and get the ticket to enter the estate. Apparently, the Count wanted to take this chance to showcase their specialty, the seafood, to the bigwigs attending the party.
However, she just couldn''t join thepetition with the strict background check at y. In that case, the only option left was to sneak in as a staff member of the winning party.
To begin with, she originally wanted to bring Ginkgo under hermand either way, but unlike before, where she had wanted to take her sweet time showing her ''qualities'' and get the boss to acknowledge her, she could no longer take it easy.
She might or might not get a simr chance ever again and that was uneptable for her. She at least wanted the predecessor of Serene Wind, Gondo --- who hadpletely lost his will after the apple of his eye was taken and thus retired while giving the rope ofmand to Mimosa --- to see his grandchild''s face before he died.
This was where she decided to use some high-handed method to get the Gingko even if that may foil her original n.
This was the long story short of Mimosa.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"......He truly is an idiot. I had been wondering why Gondo hasn''t been showing uptely... What a worthless reason to grieve over."
The boss shook his head in dismay.
"Well, don''t say that. It might look like a luxurious concernpared to suddenly losing a child like you had but, the loneliness of being unable to meet your kid when he''s right beside you hollows you out.
Father (predecessor) isn''t hoping to take back this child after so long. No, he''s actually grateful that the Count has taken him. We are simply not cut out to give that child the wings he deserves. After all, he was smart but no one had ever thought he also had the caliber to enter the Royal Academy. I just... want to meet him one more time, and tell him--- you did your best. You are our pride."
''Please, lend me your strength just this once,'' Mimosa muttered and bowed her head to the boss.
She had been properly dispelling her intoxication with mana after she told her story so she could hold a conversation now.
"Sheesh~. You could have just been honest from the start."
The boss said while scratching his head.
"It''s a secret that Daniel was the illegitimate child of the Count and that he was raised as amoner in this town after all. I wanted to refrain from revealing everything. I did think you might nod along to my request but it isn''t my character to show my weak side and bow head."
"You know, you''re an idiot too... but alright. I have also been helped by Gondo so many times in the past. But keep in mind that I would have no connection with yourpany if I heard you did something unsavory."
It sounded like they had reached an agreement. Nice, I should be able to get my fill of superb dishes tomorrow.
So far, so good. But---
"I am d that the boss would have no more trouble stocking up on materials. So, mind telling me what you want from me? I doubt you''re so casual as to reveal this secret to others at the drop of a hat. Also, tell me what''s in it for me. And before you think I would dly jump on the bandwagon readily, no, I don''t like noble parties either."
Mimosa''s expression dimmed when I asked her.
"Ah, right. I have a request I want you to take on as an explorer. I heard about your archery skills and your fame as a super-rookie in the Royal Capital. I don''t know what the market price is, but you shouldn''t be that expensive to be called for a request, right?
Honestly, I wanted to see if I could seduce you and get you to do the work for cheap. Well, admittedly, it was the rumors about you that made my heart skip a beat, so I thought ''I wouldn''t mind going along with that idea''.
Anyway, your reward would be Ginkgo''s prepared ''Ruby of the Sea'' Deareise. Daniel is a huge fan of this magical fish, which he gets from the Count''s navy once a year.
Its taste is so heavenly you wouldn''t be able to eat normal fish ever again."
...''Ruby of the Sea''?
You know what? Considered me sold. I didn''t care about the money but I definitely wanted to try that.
I nodded without a second thought, but the boss apparently had something else to say.
"......Hold your high horses for a moment. Do you want to fish out a Deareise from that Corrinda Strait with a private ship? Are you sane!? It''s the area infested with swarms of sea falcons!"
"I know the absurdity of my n. However, even if I have to pay a fortune, I just want Ren to take on this request. Now that he''s in the Royal Academy, the path of our life would probably never cross again. This is our final gift to him from us, Serene Wind, before his journey to another height. I won''t be stingy on this matter. Alright, tell me what''s your price. 50,000 rea or maybe 100,000 rea?"
The boss was dumbfounded when he heard Mimosa casually bringing up an absurd amount to the table of negotiation.
Still, hot damn, 100,000 rea...?
I rummaged through my memory and shook my head while recalling some details from the Canardial Monster Encyclopedia. First of all, I''m sure I would lose my sense of money if I took this job.
"I presume you want me to protect the ship from the sea falcons, right? Honestly, it''s an easy matter for me to handle, but I''m on vacation. No amount of money is enough to make me break my bones when I''m nning to take it easy."
Sea Falcon builds their nests on the steep cliffs running alongside the coast and are the natural enemies of sailors. They often destroy the ship''s sails in their charge attacks which pushes sailors into a perilous state.
Mimosa and Gatx opened their mouths to say something but ultimately swallowed their words with vexed expressions.
"But I guess I can''t deny it outright when you bring the boss''s culinary skill to the table. Now I really want to try the ''Ruby of the Sea'' prepared by him. I expect the ship to pay for my arrows."
Mimosa was bbergasted for a moment before breaking into a teary smile.
"Ahaha! Are you sure you are that ''Mad Hound''?! You truly are too... sweet for your own good. But since you don''t want the money, alright, I forfeit my body. Do whatever you want."
Mimosa clobbered on once again under the influence of alcohol, having stopped dispelling her intoxication midway, and opened the top two buttons of her shirt.
"L-L-L-Like hell I would!"
Vol. 1 - Ch. 93 - Trump Card
It was 9 o''clock in the morning of the next day.
The location was Lacanthal, the capital of Count Serdos'' territory located 80km away from Solcoast.
I hade here filled with excitement for the Deareise fishing expedition the next morning, but an unexpected problem popped up in a matter of seconds.
Apparently, a group of white-tailed whales were spotted on what should be our route which put a stop to our voyage.
"Oh damn...... Why would orcas appear at this time, talk about bad luck. There''s one week ''til thepetition so I hope they don''t linger around for that long, but I feel like we can only look for a substitute fish." (Mimosa)
Hey, hey, must be kidding with me, right? You couldn''t imagine how much the Deareise fish had infiltrated my mind after she gave me a brief overview of it as if my life would be a waste if I didn''t try at least once.
If what she said was right, then this Deareise should be like tuna, a supreme filling ingredient for sushi. It seemed like they often weighed above 500 kg and each part offered a different st of vor with the cherry on top being its elegant aroma, acidity, and fat.
I honestly couldn''t get a wink of sleepst night. My head waspletely filled with red sashimi shining in a ruby glow.
Like hell, a substitute would be enough to satisfy my unquenchable desire for the Deareise fish burning within me--- not when she preached to me how there was no second or third substitute for it.
"A-Are you kidding me...?! C''mon, there should be some other way, right, right?"
"......Ugh, no unfortunately. It might have been possible if we just had the monster-repelling magical tool for ships in the Count''s possession but it''s so valuable that money simply can''t rece it..."
......Haa. Of all things, the situation just had to be stuck in that direction, huh? I just wanted to make this trip with only my explorer identity...
I activated my body-strengthening magic to its full potential and rushed to the Count Estate, located simrly in Lacanthal.
Once at the entrance of the estate, I shouted without heed for anything.
"D-A-N-K-U-N! L-E-T-S-P-L-A-Y!!"
Needless to say, that quickly drew in the guards who surrounded me immediately.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Right at the time Allen was racing to the Count Estate, the Count and his family were having a post-meal tea time in the dining hall.
"I, for one, was confident that you would make it into the Academy in the assessment, but I truly didn''t expect that you would surpass even those expectations and get a spot in ss A as a 2nd ranker, right next to Leo Zatsinger!
You truly are the pride of our Count family, Daniel! I guess I also outdid myself by leaving no stone unturned and raising you with all the attention and knowledge amassed by our Serdos family!"
Count Serdos had been on cloud nine ever since Dan --- Daniel Serdos --- scored a meritorious result in the entrance examination of the Royal Academy.
The countess, also the legal wife, nodded along with a face flushed with excitement.
"Indeed, he truly is the pride of our count family, Dear. His future prospects are limitless with a score so magnificent... I can''t even imagine the end of his potential. There has been a dizzying number of tea party invitations from the great Marquis Grauksh and the other nobles, it has truly been exhausting going through them all--- however, it is a weing one.
Veena-san, it must have been a headache for you to participate in the tea party of nobles after living as amoner, so you can leave ''everything'' to me! I''ll support you on this."
"It''s as you said, Brient-sama. It''s impossible for me to get along with people at a noble''s tea party. I''ll leave it in your capable hands."
Dan''s biological mother, Veena, replied while wearing a noh mask-like smile.
Countess Brient''s gauge of delightedness was further fuelled up hearing the submissive response.
"Daniel would surely take the Serdos family to new heights once he assumes a position in this kingdom.
We have paved the path for you to be here by exhausting yourself for your unofficial--- ah, pardon me, you now have been uplifted to official status. So I hope you don''t forget the favor, and support Corday-chan who''ll be leading the Serdos familyter."
"Yes, of course, Brient-sama. I''ll never forget the favor of ''everyone'' who raised me so far."
Dan, too, responded with a simr noh mask-like smile.
"Oi, Daniel! You''re in the knight course, unlike an intellectual major like me! Who knows when you might be sent to the battlefield one day as a member of the army so make sure to make plenty of connections with the students of the civil courses. Better do it now, who knows about the future!"
After having been lifted to a high pedestal, Corday-chan said so to him in an imperious manner. Then, copying after him, the younger siblings followed with sycophantic voices.
"Ah, stealing a march isn''t good, Dear Brother! In fact, don''t you think it sounds like a wonderful idea to tten that sloven bby stomach in the army? As for me, I would like to be introduced to some wonderful friends! It would be great if they were from the same ss as you, Daniel, but someone from Count houses or upper nobility would also be great if that''s impossible!"
"I just want a civil position in the Grauksh territory, a post with minimal effort if possible. And one where I can freely continue my horse-riding hobby, except in the army.
Ah, but introducing me to an adorabledy sounds great as well, possibly from a viscount family. Then I can throw my weight around without care."
"Hahaha, you and yourckadaisical attitude~! As for me---"
They were the so-called step-brothers and sisters of Dan. With the sudden entrance of a new but excellent member, and from themoner rank to boot, they hadn''t left any chance to ridicule him as ''pleb'' or ''baseborn'', as the typical scenario went.
The ridiculing had waned after his result in the mock exam met the ''almost guaranteed admission'' assessment of him and was invited to the high achievers'' rankings gathering back at the Royal Capital, their cold attitude, however, remained the same as ever.
Having been raised amidst a group of craftsmen as a straightforward individual, Dan never took their demeaning attitude to heart but the sickening attitude they had been putting on after his homing had been grating on his nerves.
Just as he was fed up with them, the family''s butler entered the room.
"Pardon my intrusion. We''ve received word that one of Young Master Daniel''s friends is here to see him... Apparently, the reason is ''I''m here to hang out with Dan-kun''..."
The humorous expression of Count Serdos changed into a wrathful one the next instant as he bellowed at the butler.
"Moron! Have your pea brain forgotten that Daniel''s schedule is already full with the greetings to other great nobles!? There''s no time to y around! And who even is that person, amoner!? Haa, an ignorant one who doesn''t know they''re not in the same world anymore! Why do I still have you if I need to tell you such tiny details!"
After blowing his steam at the butler, the Count then switched his re to Dan.
"You, what have I told you about to cut off any connection with those plebeians? Did nothing of what I said get through to your head?"
A slight crack appeared on Dan''s expressionless face as he shook his head.
"I haven''t, father. I certainly followed your order and stopped sending letters, let alone met them."
''I hope so,'' Count muttered in response to Dan''s answer and then bellowed at the butler ''Chase him away!'' as he sipped on the ck tea but---
"This... Err, the person has touted himself to be the friend of Young Master Daniel from the Royal Capital... He introduced himself as Allen Rovenne-sama."
The next words of the butler, who continued in a faltering tone, caused him to spit out the ck tea he had just taken a sip of.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"I have confirmed it, there''s no doubt it''s him. I never heard of his n to visit here so I''m equally surprised. Allen is kind of an unpredictable guy as I had informed you earlier...
Anyway, he apparently had trulye to y around--- something about going out on a hunting trip for 2 to 3 days which is also a sort of training for the uing fall''s Academy field trip, but of course, the young master''s schedulees first. "
The humorous mood of the Count was currently at the mercy of erratic winds.
"What are you saying!? I may have said that Daniel''s schedule is jam-packed but nothinges first before deepening his friendship with excellent ssmates. I''ll see to the schedule somehow, so you can--- no, you should apany and entertain him.
As for the others, haa, once I tell them that ''Unfortunately, we might have to cancel the meeting as ''that'' Allen Rovenne-kun suddenly dropped by to hang out with our Daniel, uh-huh, it''s truly a pinch...'' they''re surely going to bite their handkerchief in jealousy, but there shouldn''t be anyints!
Hmph, it''s just a matter of time before our Count family bes the most enviable target among the nobles of the Royal Capital! Goodness, just thinking about it is making me dizzy!"
"......Understood, then I''ll be out for the next couple of days. Ah, by the way, he wanted to fish in the sea and was looking to borrow the monster-repelling magical tools for safety. Can I borrow one?"
"There shouldn''t be a need to ask! Take it. He truly is as the rumor says, never ignoring danger even for something like ying around. Make sure to prioritize your time with your best friend Allen-kun.
It would be great if you could bring him here on the way back."
"......He said he can''t impose himself on the Count Estate any further after barging in without an appointment, so he is less likely to stop by. I''ll be going then."
The state of the Count as he prattled and one-sidedly called Allen his ''best friend'' in a wheedling tone was soical that Dan had to keep his expression in control fromughing out as he left the dining hall.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After making sure Dan had left.
Corday-chan, who had been holding himself from butting in, asked the Count after seeing his flipping attitude.
"Is disturbing the n to this extent worth it, father? He might be a ss A student, but I don''t see why there''s a need to be so servile against a rude fe who visits at the drop of a hat. Besides, Daniel is ranked 2nd in this year''s exam, so speaking of hierarchy, isn''t that guy below Daniel?"
He asked while throwing his weight on the support of the seat and cockily stretching out his legs. As they say, typically the habits of loved ones easily rubbed off on each other, so he also had the mentality of a ''big boss'' even though the best result he produced was graduating from the Aristocratic School, and that too from the typical group of ''someone whose result would be easier to find if searched from the bottom.''
"You haven''t socialized enough and got out of this countryside territory or else you wouldn''t be saying that. He''s the new rising star who had appeared out of nowhere and beaten down Leo Zatsinger in the knight course''s practical exam ranking and received a unanimously top evaluation from all the examiners.
The rumor is that he has even talked to this kingdom''s hero, ''Godorfun the Buddha'', on equal footing and there''s no noble house in the kingdom who hasn''t been keeping tabs on his movement, even if he''s just going for a harvest request or inviting someone for a barbecue.
In fact, he has already enrolled in the Knight Order under the edict of His Majesty despite only being in the first term of his first year, an unprecedented move. Even Marquis Grauksh has expressed that he wants to hear about Allen Rovenne directly from Dan''s mouth when he visits for Dan''s birthday party."
The dining hall was wrapped in a veil of silence.
"There had been eyes on his summer vacation schedule as well, but no one was able to get a read on his n, or even find out where he disappeared to... There are even rumors that he is--- was out for a knight order''s top-secret mission.
But to think the same burgeoning star would visit our territory just to hang out with Daniel and all by himself is just...... Ughhh."
Finally, the Count found himself overloaded by the unexpected situation and copsed on the spot.
T/N - I gotta prop the author for writing infuriating characters so easily lol. On the other hand, I cracked at MC casually dropping be like ''Let''s y.''
E/N - Well... In hindsight, it should have been obvious that this was Dan''s family as soon as "Daniel" came out of Mimosa''s story. I''m pretty slow sometimes ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 94 - Unfading Tears
"Yo, I didn''t make you wait too long, did I? But man, I was almost stuck with doing boorish greetings even when it''s summer vacation, you know? My ears were about to get calluses from all that so your timing is just perfect.
Anyway, I bet you''re here for something else. ''Fess up now."
Dan spoke with a huge sigh. We were currently on our way to the Solcoast on foot.
The butler that came out of the Count Estate along with Dan did say ''We''ll arrange a Magic Car,'' but I shot down that proposal on the pretext that it would hinder our training.
No joke. Who needs a fanfare-like send-off when out on a whimsical trip, right? Heck, even if I had to take one, there was no way I would get into a Magic Car with a Count''s crest. It''d be like moving into the dark with the shlight on when the n was to sneak around.
"Well, I heard about the quality of seafood in the nearby Solcoast town. You know the seafood in the Royal Capital isn''t that good, so I decided to check this ce out on my solo trip.
I caught wind that there''s an even more delicious fish named Deareise, but the route to the ce where they could be fished is blocked by monsters. I didn''t want to give up the chance so I decided toe here for your family''s magical tool. "
"Woahh!? You''re also a fan of Deareise?... I am too, and so you''re on a gourmet trip then? Compared to that eating lifestyle, it''s like...... You really are unpredictable in your thoughts and actions, huh? Don''t tell me it''s in your character to surprise people?"
...What a rule fe. Has he seen his face in the mirror? It''s like a potato.
Since it was like that, I was going to show him my profound knowledge about seafood and make him swoon over it. What guts he has to belittle my thoroughly refined pte.
"As if. Oh, right. I don''t want some needless fuss over my status as a student of the Royal Academy or even some courtesy call to hamper my journey so I''m traveling as explorer Ren for this trip.
It''ll take a bit of time, but do you mind if we register you as an explorer as well? It''s mainly for us to move freely without attracting attention. Since you''re a local, I believe you can be the guide."
"Ah well, didn''t you announce ''I won''t take anyone on an exploration trip if they''re not actively working as an explorer even if they have a license'' on thest day of the first term?
Everyone in ss A visited the association afterward together and registered themselves as explorers. So I already have a license...... But an incognito trip, huh?
I do have some acquaintances in Solcoast. Do you mind tagging along with meter once we sort out your task?"
...It should definitely be about Mimosa and the Serene Wind. Even a dense-as-rock fe would be able to guess it after all that.
But then again, it was going to be a reverse surprise in this case. Mimosa wouldn''t mind being on the receiving end of the surprise, right?
As for me, I was putting all this effort for my Deareise.
We ran straight to the port town Solcoast from Lacanthal. However, we had to take a detour through the forest since I detected what seemed to be a guard of the Count Estate following after us in my detection magic range.
The guard didn''tst long in his pursuit of us once we --- Dan was one of the best in utilizing body-strengthening magic in the Hill Road Club --- ran with our full might and easily lost him.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
We arrived at Solcoast around lunchtime and headed for the Silver Gingko, where we decided to meet.
"I kept you waiting, huh?"
"You''re earlier than I thought. So did you think of something? I don''t have much hope honestly, so------"
Mimosa was sitting by the counter, chatting with the boss, when she replied and turned around. However, her words were caught in her throat midway.
I looked to my side, at Dan, and his eyes had simrly be wide in surprise and he was rooted on the spot.
...No, I truly didn''t have the habit of surprising people.
"Meet Dan, a fellow explorer that I happened to meet nearby. He coincidentally had a monster-repelling magical tool for the ship as well so I had him bring it over and help out as well while we''re at it."
I introduced him in a in tone.
Mimosa took a deep breath and somehow reigned in her emotion to keep tears from spilling out.
But the Gutx next to her didn''t bother to keep calm as he shouted ''Dan! You''ve be so tall!'' with a teary face and dived in his direction to take him into a hug. Mimosa couldn''t hold back her tears anymore.
"Idiot! Why are you crying first?"
Mimosa decked Gutx on the head while she cried.
I sat down on the counter and ced my order while looking at the thing the boss was handling
"Woah, eel!? Boss, I''ll take unseasoned, grilled eel... The quality of the eel lies in how thoroughly and carefully it''s grilled over time. So make sure to grill it thoroughly and slowly.
Dan, I''ll be waiting for the grilled eel here, so you go on ahead and install that expensive magical tool on the ship of Serene Wind in their dockyard. We''ll be taking their ship to catch some Deareise. There''s nothing to prevent detection magic here so I won''t be able to eat in peace if such an expensive object is lying by my side."
I replied without looking over. The boss shed a grin.
"Yeah, we are meticulous in handling eels. It takes two hours alone to boil and then one hour on a charcoal fire to grill... Well, this is just a garden eel though."
"...Ah, alright. Ren, I''ll be handling that first!"
Dan said and left with Mimosa and Gutx.
......Wow, such a fat eel, and it''s raised by them?
¡ô¡ô¡ô
I spent the time chatting with the boss and the madam and enjoying the seafood that the boss prepared meticulously, showcasing his knife skills, while waiting for the eel to be grilled.
It was around evening when Dan returned to the Gingko with Mimosa, Gutx, and Gond, the predecessor of the Serene Wind Co. He also apparently brought along a detection prevention magical tool.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ren. Also... thanks."
Dan gave words of gratitude to me, seemingly as the representative of all four of them, with the contours of their eyes uniformly reddened.
"I don''t think I''ve done anything to warrant thanks. I just did things for my own convenience, that''s all."
"Tsk, again with that same crap. Truly a ''my pace'' guy. Anyway, gramps... I mean, Gond-san, the predecessor of the Serene Wind, wanted to say his gratitude in person so he came along. Just ept it quietly."
Dan pursued his lips, nevertheless, he introduced the predecessor with a somewhat delighted look.
"You sir must be Ren. I''m Gondo. You probably have no idea what this meant for me and the Serene Wind as a whole but... Truly, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you very much."
Gondo-san bowed his head with no hesitation. His posture was quitecking, but he was bowing from the bottom of his heart for sure. I could only scratch my head from the awkwardness.
I really only did it for the things I wanted. I just didn''t want to give up midway...
"Ah, geez. Fine but are you done with your reunion? I''m really not good with all this sentimental stuff. Right, the grilled... eel is just about to be done. So let''s drink in hopes of a great haul tomorrow."
I said and showed the wasabi and rough skin that I had brought along from the Royal Capital.
"...What''s this?"
Mimosa asked with a quizzical expression.
Fufufu. The boss''s craftsmanship was so amazing yesterday that I forgot to use it. I had expressly brought both wasabi and soy sauce to try with the seafood here.
"This is my favorite spice, a root of a nt called ''wasabi.'' Among the connoisseurs, it is the trend to eat unseasoned grilled food with this."
The wasabi here was much sharper than the one I knew so it had to be used carefully, but when the rough skin was grated, the expanded vor was truly the same one from Japan that I recall.
"Is that so? I haven''t seen that before. And the eel ispletely grilled now. I won''t mindter but give me a bit to taste it."
The boss said. Hmm, as someone pursuing taste, I expected him to say that.
"Of course. In fact, I would rmend it as well. By the way, it also goes well with raw fish. I bet you wouldn''t be able to eat raw fish normally once you tried it with wasabi and soy sauce--- a product of the Baerentz Archipgo Nation."
I said and put a slight amount of wasabi on the salt-sprinkled eel and put it in my mouth. A sharp, pungent taste stimted my nose for a moment before it was all washed over by the eel''s juicy, savory, and oily vor.
The white meat was unbelievably soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside, it was hard to believe the same eel had been thoroughly boiled and then grilled over a charcoal fire for hours.
Kuh~! This was it! The taste I was chasing after!
As I shook my head from the st of vor that I was looking for, everyone else made a gulping sound.
The madam asked me curiously.
"Heh, so you know about soy sauce? I''m from Bearentz Archipgo but this is the first time I''ve heard about ''wasabi.'' Can I try it?"
However, Mimosa suddenly interjected from the sideline.
"Don''t be too hasty, Chloe. Customer first, remember? Ipletely forgot about having food with all the surprises Ren threw at me. I''m starving."
Mimosa crept too close to me and opened her mouth ''ah~n'' while closing her eyes. Since she wanted to try it so much, I also picked up a bit of wasabi and tossed it into her mouth.
"Damn you! Why didn''t you put the eel too?! But, ack, it''s so spicy. Kuh, I am tearing up, and I thought there were no more tears left!"
Mimosa protested along with teary eyes. Gutx, who watched that, broke into a bitter smile.
"Miss, spiciness and tears should have no connection. I guess you''re just more prone to crying today."
Well, if one hasn''t tried it, that was also one way to put it. He probablypared it to the sharp taste of the likes of bell pepper, which wasn''t enough to induce tears as well.
One might say it was spicy, but wasabi''s peculiar sharpness, which even hit the nose, wasn''t something one would understand without trying it.
"Gutx, you... Do you have no faith in my words? Never mind, I forget how much of a spicy eater you are. I seriously think maybe there''s something wrong with your tongue.
I guess you''d be fine with this, so why don''t you bring up that manly spirit and try to eat it once?"
Mimosa urged Gutx with an evil smile. Guts also took it as a challenge and sprinkled plenty of wasabi over the eel before taking a mouthful of it.
"------ggggghhh!?? My nose is ring upppp??!"
And the oue was truly not unexpected. A beefy man at around 190cm in height was now rolling on the floor, pressing on his nose as tears flowed out of his eyes.
The sight immediately caused everyone to break intoughter as the tears they thought to be dried up spilled out once again.
Dan was the only person who had a bitter smile, as he said ''I expected nothing else from a spice Allen has taken a fancy to...''
Hey, hey... I''m just a wandering explorer named ''Ren'' alright? And my pte is as fine as it could be...
Vol. 1 - Ch. 95 - Sail (1)
"Raise the anchor! Open the sail!"
The next morning, at the first crack of dawn, I shouted so in my full voice.
"Hey, Ren! Do you have experience in operating ships?"
Dan approached me with a face full of smiles--- honestly, that smile was so ridiculously big that it made me cringe inside just from watching.
Normally, he would act like some wise man, watching everyone from a step behind. This was the first time I saw him with a childish, age-appropriate expression on his face, though this was also making his potato-like face stand out more than usual.
"Do you even need to ask? I''m a total noob, duh. I just wanted to try saying that once."
His shoulders dropped in dejection when I said that while sticking my chest out. ''Don''t do that again once the ship sails to avoid confusion...'' he said. Well, I don''t know any other line except those so I couldn''t do it again either way even if I wanted to.
The ship we were currently on was something secretly built by Serene Wind using all their resources which they were going to present to the Count family once Dan turned 12 when he advanced to a higher study.
However, the n waster postponed when Dan instead managed to break through and enter the Royal Academy.
The ship was the fore-and-aft sail archetype capable of sailing against the wind. I kind of imagined it was going to be the tailwind type that relied on the wind pushing it from behind for propulsion. You know, the type of ship that you acquired in thete stage of a certain famous RPG.
Overall, it looked like a yacht but bigger.
By the way, most military ships were essentially galleys, where numerous rowers propelled the vessel forward by rowing with oars protruding from the sides, although they typically also had auxiliary sails for assistance.
In coastal and ind river areas designated for naval battles, where wind direction and speed were often unstable, these types of ships, while limited by the stamina of their rowers, excelled in maneuverability such as eleration, deceleration, and turningpared to sailing ships.
...I didn''t like that one bit though. I mean, what was romantic about relying only on body-strengthening magic to push the ship through?
Though it seemed like some great nobles had ships equipped with propulsion engines, they had not been adopted for military ships because they couldn''t achieve high speed.
The monster-repelling tool had already been installed on the ship overnight. We then set sail from the dockside harbor of the Serene Wind while bathing in the morning''s cool, invigorating breeze.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The wind was blowing in our direction as the ship exited the harbor and entered into the sea.
The fore-and-aft might have been capable of traversing through the headwind but the same couldn''t be said when the headwind was blowing at it head-on.
The ship typically sailed 45 degrees to the left or right of the wind direction --- a zig-zag pattern to be precise --- when the destination happened to align with the direction of the wind.
It depended on a ship''s capabilities of course, but an angle any smaller than that would make the sailing difficult for even vertical sails.
Dan was standing at the helm cockpit located at the rear of the ship, steering this nearly 20m ship alone. Gutx, who had been standing beside him ready to assist, said in a dumbfounded tone.
"All the lines have been routed to the helm cockpit so a single helmsman can effectively control the entire ship single-handedly... but I never expected someone to actually handle that perversely heavy primary sail with just one hand with ease. Even less so to expertly handle the ship in this wind on their first try... I''ve seen something unbelievable."
The primary sail was the biggest sail on the ship and the lines were the ropes to raise or lower those sails to control the ship in the direction the wind was blowing.
The lines manipted the ship while the speed and direction of the ship were controlled by the shafts called tillers.
Dan had apparently been ying around with small-scale ships since the age of 8 when his mana organ manifested so he more or less had the know-how in his head.
Aside from Gutx, there were also the other members of the Serene Wind as crewmates onboard. Thepany seemed to have just as many sailors and fishermen among their employees. They elected to not take the help of outsiders to prevent word from reaching the Count and to give Dan space to hunt Deareise without any concern.
"Then you have yet to widen your horizon, Gutx. The Royal Academy is crawling with even more absurd monsters."
Dan said and shed a smile my way.
In the end, I ultimately told Mimosa and the others that I was his ssmate from the Royal Academy. Well, I was expecting too much for them to quietly believe we just happened to be acquainted at the Royal Capital. Not when I brought him out from the Count Estate and even got to borrow their priceless magical tool.
I had already learned my lesson. It was better to exin now than let the rumors make a mountain out of a molehill and I also asked them to keep it a secret.
At least, I was sure Mimosa and Gutx wouldn''t spill the beans to the others.
"But it sure sounds fun, Dan! I also want to try it. Let me take over!"
He looked incredibly happy --- and, even more importantly, cool --- steering the ship and sailing against the wind so I requested to take his ce.
"Ohh! Are you interested? Come here, I''ll teach you the basics."
I learned about the fundamentals of sailing and its key points from him for a while before switching spots.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Starboard - Tuck!"
Dan instructed me with a hand signal from atop the pole put up at the bow of the ship.
"Starboard! Tacking!"
At the signal, I unhurriedly cut the tiller and changed the route from the port side to the starboard side (basically turning the bow of the ship to the left side to avoid the wind).
Tacking referred to turning the bow of the ship into the wind and then across it. Of course, the direction in which the wind hit the sail reversed when the route of course was changed from 45 degrees to the right to 45 degrees to the left of the wind direction.
As the primary sail expanded with the wind and rotated clockwise around the mast to prevent it from thrashing about during the maneuver, I swiftly pulled in the lines to tighten the sail in sync.
"Close-hauled!"
Next, Dan passed the order to halt the ship''s turning at the angle where it could just about cut upwind--- also called ''close-hauled.''
"I''m surprised how he can maintain his position atop that pole despite the three-dimensional shaking of the ship......."
I muttered dumbfounded. Was this how he trained his sense of bnce from childhood...? Honestly, I had always been amazed by his strong core bnce. If anything, ''amazing'' was hardly enough to describe his sense of bnce.
In the practical sses of the Royal Academy, we were made to train in areas with peculiar footing likenky trees or ropes set up at a high ce and stepping stones in ponds, among others.
It was like an athletic event with a high level of difficulty. And Dan alone was the undisputable high-ranking achiever in that ss. There was no other person who could match his speed to skip and jump around.
"It''s the optimal ce to take note of the wind and waves after all. He has already been on it since like, the age of 9? No amount of warning managed to stop him from going there. ''It''s alright,'' were his usual words.
But since the ship never toppled even if there was some error in handling, we eventually gave up. Well, you''re also not bad if you ask me. This level of handling just from hearing it once is ster... To the point that I want to open your head and see how your brain is structured."
Gutx told me with a twitching expression. Well, it was hardly a secret.
"I am simply acting based on Dan''s instructions. I''m sure any of our ssmates would be able to pull this level of operation with just one briefing. It''s frustrating but the way Dan cut through the wind and waves with smooth movements was something out of my league."
It was only after holding the lines and rudders with my hands that I realized that handling them was a lot harder than it appeared.
It was clear from the speed of the ship. The intensity of wind hadn''t changed but the ship''s current speed was only 80% of what Dan was bringing on. The 20% wasn''t a gap that could be easily filled for sure.
"Any amateur would have been shaking from nervousness when tasked with operating a ship but... I guess I now understand why the Royal Academy is called a den of monsters."
Gutx shook his head in exasperation after saying that and continued.
"Dan... was someone capable of doing anything you throw at him. He was like a little bundle of liveliness when he mingled with us adults, but he never seemed to fit among the kids of the same age...
He did integrate himself seamlessly between them, but if you ask me, his demeanor gave off a lonely vibe. On top of that, he was then pulled into the stiff world of nobility, I couldn''t help but feel sorry for him.
...But my perspective changed after seeing him so carefreely talking with you. He has finally encountered the friends that he can go all out with, a ce where he can fit in... Thank you, Ren. He is finally out of his shell."
...Ah, I guess things like this do happen often, huh?
The difference between individual abilities could have never been so distinct without the influence of magic in this world, and this ability was a source of bitterness for both the ones who possessed it and the ones whocked it.
I had experienced the same out-of-ce feeling in the elementary school I attended, and I was sure everyone must have experienced something simr.
''I came to this academy to train together with simrly talented friends and aim for even greater heights,'' Leo did say this, didn''t he? I bet he was the epitome of the ''the peak is often solitary'' trope.
Honestly, even though he often shed that punchable, fearless grin, his mismatched puppy-like expectant gaze looked so annoying that I usually lose my steam to be mean to him. I guess this was also one of the reasons why my elder sister doted on me to an abnormal degree. She was an all-out bundle of talent, so there must have been no way she was able to adapt back at our ce when even I couldn''t.
Well, having someone like Furie-senpai talking to her on equal footing seemed to have given more colors to her life so it was all turning for the better. Now I just hope her loneliness gets cured to the point that I am no longer in her mind.
We continued to chat with such silly topics as I operated the ship, changing between tacking and close-haul, when Dan returned to the cockpit.
"Corrinda strait is the region between this ind and continent. We''re going to fold the sail and lower the speed."
Dan released the hold on the sail with precise movement and turned off the monster-repelling magical tool.
Right now, it was just the small auxiliary sail and the spanker--- the sail at the stern of the ship used to control the ship''s drift caused by the wind.
At the same time, I caught the screeching sound of sea falcons in my detection magic range.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 96 - Sail (2)
"Yay, I caught another!"
Cheers --- this marked the 4th time today --- erupted from the stern (ship''s tail). The cause of the cheers was the apparently small-sized mana squid hooked to the huge feed at the tip of the wire, which was further connected to the drifting rope. The used wire was the product of several threads --- made from a mineral called Greyphite --- bundled together.
The greyphite-made wires were exceptionally resistant to rust and had excellent tensile strength. Though their price was also just as exceptional, they have often been used for fishing big hauls like this.
It seemed --- though I didn''t know what the hell was happening precisely --- like crewmates had gained another haul. My back was currently facing toward the direction the cheers wereing from as I shot down the flock of Sea Falcons one after another from the center of the ship. A small mountain of arrows was arranged beside me. Sea Falcons were currently targeting our ship from all directions while folding their wings at shallow angles and diving down.
Oh, right. The said crewmates were the staff of the Serene Wind Co and Dan was operating the ship.
It was my first time shooting arrows from a special terrain that wobbled my aim, initially I mainly lost my aim midway or at the time of shooting the arrow when the ship rocked due to the movement of the waves. After a while, I got quite used to the rhythm of the waves so everything was now panning out in my favour.
However, a huge credit was still due to Dan''s excellent assistance. I honestly admired his skills even more after I tried controlling the ship by myself. He would synchronize my aim and the rhythm of the boat and then create a window of opportunity by minimizing the swaying of the ship with expert maneuvering, so I didn''t face too many hups like sudden jolting and the like.
Then, he would also give me signals with his eyes when he was going tacking or jibing (turning the ship downwind).
I was honestly dying to see what was happening behind the cockpit and what they were fishing up, but it was just that this damned potato face kept blocking the view. And he was even giving me a thumbs up with a broad smile for some mystified reason...... Does he know he wasmitting a crime by blocking my view?
I think I had shot down 300 Sea Falcons already --- I wasn''t sure since I was shooting down more than I could count --- while keeping an eye on the surroundings. Soon, Gutx, who had gone to take a look at the celebration of the crewmates, returned and said while replenishing the arrows in the quiver I was carrying.
"...Man, you really got some sick skills. I have been watching all this while and except for the starting 2 or 3 arrows, the rest have hit the bull''s eye. I was honestly surprised when the Young Miss was ready to dish out a 1 million rea reward... but now that I''m seeing this with my own eyes, the world of the top is really unbelievable for an ordinary person like me.
Oh, and the rest of the bunch have just caught their fourth haul. Honestly, fishing probably was never this easy with Dan''s skill. He maneuvered the ship to weaken the momentum of the Deareise while the others winded up the rope.
Anyway, it would be impossible to take back anymore, so once they''re done reeling back the current target, we''ll stop fishing. "
Kuh, damn you, Dan...
So he was even supporting the fishing crewmates alongside assisting me in my aim? Ipletely didn''t notice since I couldn''t see what was happening at the back. There really was a world of difference between doing something for fun and doing it as a passion.
"I''m honestly no top ss---"
''The rope has been cut?'' A stir rose from behind before I couldplete my words.
"Huh, what? The greyphit-made wire was actually cut off?"
Gutx had just expressed his surprise when the stern of the ship was suddenly lifted. It stayed in the air for a moment before stern once again fell onto the sea surface. At the same time, the yells of the members from the stern echoed.
""I-It''s a White-tailed Orca!!""
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The ship was nearly tilted to a dangerous level, and honestly, it would have capsized if Dan hadn''t momentarily corrected the ship''s angle and opened the sail while jibing in the direction of Solcoast.
Gutx''s face was twisted in a ghastly pale expression.
"Ack, so that was it! It smelled the bloody scent of the Sea Falcons Ren shot down! Shit! I underestimated its nose!"
"Dan! Your orders?!
...And Gutx, no need to waste time in thinking what caused what. Is the monster-repelling tool useless against that thing?"
I asked Dan for the follow-up order while asking Gutx about the situation.
"Ren, keep shooting down the Sea Falcons until we''re in the Corrinda Strait! A hole in the sail would be thest thing we need! I''ll see what I can do about that White-tailed Orca!
Uncle Con! I need your help with the tiller! Focus on the line! And the rest of you, bring the Deareises inside,y them down on the floor, and avoid getting into Ren''s firing range! Maintain your center of gravity!"
Immediately, Dan pitched his instructions while Gutx hurriedly helped the others in transporting the haul they captured beforeying them on the floor. From there, he answered my question with a shivering voice.
"That magical tool mainly releases a sort of noise that sea monsters especially hate and that keeps them away. I heard that once a White-tailed Orca is hot on your trail, switching on the tool would just fuel their fury instead of repel them."
The sea was aplex terrain even for the Canardial Monster Encyclopedia to cover, but it specifically did mention the White-tailed Orca. With a white tail, a maximum length of 10m, and a weight reaching 12 tons, it was a monster simr to a ''whale''.
It had an extremely belligerent attitude and liked to hunt in groups. They were the nemesis of sailors since the said orcas would obstinately chase after a ship once they targeted it. If I remember correctly, their average cruising speed was 15 km/h while they could also reach 80 km/h, albeit for a few seconds.
It should be impossible to shake it off once we have it on our trail with this ship. I shrank my detection magic range and focused on the sounds in the range. On the other hand, the Sea Falcons had increased their attacking frequency, seeing the White-tailed Orca''s attack on us as an opportunity.
I shot down every single Sea Falcon that tried to attack, their lifeless husks drizzling down toward the sea surface. They didn''t hit the sea surface though as the White-tailed Orca appeared while opening its giant mount and swallowing all of them. It also didn''t forget to ram itself on our ship.
The ship looked robust enough so I didn''t think we would need to worry about it suddenly having a hole, but the bad news was it wouldn''t matter if the ship was ultimately upturned.
But Dan became the barrier to keep that from happening, immediately adjusting the angle and direction of the ship. Honestly, I was really impressed since it felt like the ship was floating in the air.
It seemed like he was adjusting the angle on which the White-tailed Orca would ram itself against the ship to prevent it from capsizing. In the meantime, I also confirmed our enemies in the short exchange: we had 6 White-tailed Orcas on our trail ranging from 6m~10m.
"Dan! We most likely have 6 chasing after us! Did you get it?!"
Dan gave a thumbs up while operating the lines with a stern expression...... I didn''t really mind that, but did he forget he had a mouth? He could, and I really hope he does, at least reply normally.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
I also tried shooting an iron arrow at a White-tailed Orca that appeared to swallow the dropping Sea Falcons but with the distance and their skin having strong sticity due to the viscous liquid on it, my arrow failed to prate it.
After requesting Mimosa, I had plenty of iron arrows in stock but I only had 5 MacAquate arrows. I didn''t want to waste my trump card while my means were still limited.
I calcted the timing and jumped above the cockpit to secure a better angle for my aim. The first part of my n was to draw the Sea Falcons to their limit and shoot them down. Next, I withdrew two arrows from the quiver and pierced the head of a White-tailed Orca, who had appeared to prey on them as usual, from close range.
Alright, one down! I leaped back to my central position again. I had no doubt Dan would be able to bnce me over the top of the ship but I would fall if it suddenly took a sharp turn.
"Match my timing! I''ll handle them!"
Dan understood my aim in a heartbeat and gave me a thumbs up...... Argh, how did he even have the time for that when he should be handling line work!?
The rest of the White-tailed Orca circled the White-tailed Orca I shot down, as if mourning its death, for a short while and then went back to chasing us.
I tried to re-enact the same scene to at least take down one more and shot down the Sea Falcons, but no White-tailed Orca appeared anymore... They were quite intelligent.
I think they were most likelymunicating with each other through sound, like dolphins or killer whales on Earth. Hmm, the situation was more dangerous than I thought.
Soon, we left the Corrinda Strait, and simultaneously, the Sea Falcons also stoppeding after us. On the other hand, the White-tailed Orcas were still chasing us in obstinacy, but they changed their strategy to stay inside the water as much as possible and rammed onto the ship from there.
They do appear back on the sea surface to breathe but at a distance from the ship which rendered the arrows ineffective due to the distance. It was too risky to use the MacAquate arrows as well. Besides, my detection range was a bit ineffective under the sea so I had been contracting the range and focusing on the nearby signs over the sea surface.
The ship was somehow hanging on for now, but honestly, we were treading on thin ice, just one mistake and we might be the next titanic of this world.
I calcted the timing and jumped over to the cockpit again.
"I really don''t want to take that route, but should we throw the Deareises? They weigh around 1.5 tonsbined I believe."
I asked Dan, who shook his head.
"I also had the same idea. We might be able to speed up but that wouldn''t be enough to shake off the Orcas from our trail. If anything, I would rather wish for more weight to stabilize the ship and prevent it from capsizing."
...Oh, so he had already thought of it and was even using them as bast? I guess I still underestimated his skills.
"Alright. But we''re going to lose all our options at this rate. I have 5 high-performance arrows, I''ll try to reduce their number. Handle the starboard!"
I exined my n and jumped over the starboard rear deck. I knew Dan would understand my target without putting much into words.
I had trained in archery using both hands, but speaking of preference, I find it easier to nock an arrow with my right hand.
I nocked an arrow while straining my ears to capture any sound and shouted as soon as I noticed a presence. Since the sound from underwater was virtually impossible to pick up with detection magic, I was concentrating my senses on capturing the disturbance on the water''s surface or the rise of bubbles to determine the target.
"Star---Board---Jib!"
Almost instantly reacting to my voice, the helm sharply cut to the left just as a looming shadow from the right appeared on the water''s surface. I released the MacAcquate arrow targeting the area our ship was just a moment ago.
The next instant, a screen of bright red spread in the water. I believe the arrow must have pierced the head of the White-tailed Orca given the timing.
Alright, 4 more to go.
E/N - Quite an action-packed chapter. Also, lol at Dan''s potato face blocking Allen''s view. I wanna ask though, can''t he see what''s going on with his detection magic?
Vol. 1 - Ch. 97 - Sail (3)
They were really like hounds who didn''t know when to stop... So I thought as I saw them circling their second deadrade once again.
No, it was like the death of theirrade just fueled their obstinacy even more.
"Dan! Turn on the magical tools now."
I passed my instruction. If they were going to be mad either way, might as well turn on the sound that grated on their nerves to make them lose their cool. They used sounds formunication, so I was betting on the possibility that the sound from the magical tool would break theirmunication and cause them to act more recklessly.
It really did work out in my favor. A seemingly juvenile White-tailed Orca, which was around 6m in length, went straight for the rear deck. Its fin part breaking out of the water was proof it was losing its calm.
Once it was close to the ship and showed its head out of the water''s surface, I fired three iron arrows and put an end to its life.
Three more to go.
From there, the White-tailed Orcas seemingly gave up on tackling our ship, but they also didn''t show signs of letting up, constantly keeping a certain distance.
There were also moments when their leader, the biggest of them all, would spray water on us using water magic to irritate us. Fortunately, it perhaps couldn''t use the magic in session which gave Gutx and the others time to drain the water.
I discussed with Dan to see if he had any ideas as to what they were up to.
"...What''re they trying to do?... Or is it just simple harassment now?"
"Hmm, it''s hard to say if they''ve given up. Are they eyeing an opportunity to go all out, or maybe there''s something up ahead that would help---"
Dan spoke his guess but the answer showed itself before he couldplete his words.
What should have been--- at least, that was what it looked like --- the only water-element Orca nearly 10m in length suddenly increased to four. They surrounded the ship from a distance from all four directions and sted their water spray at once.
......Now we were truly in a perilous situation. The rest of the crew wouldn''t be able to drain the ship fast enough if the Orcas continued to spray water at this pace and this would lead to the sinking of the ship.
However, we had a bigger problem before we could even worry about that. The water that the Orcas were spraying from left and right was seriously hindering the operation of the sails.
The sails lose the wind current when a vertical ship suddenly changes course abruptly, resulting in a drop in speed. Dan was correcting the ship''s direction whenever the main sail turned in the opposite direction after being struck by water magic. But it was only for now, even Dan would be unable to stop the speed from dropping if he kept readjusting our direction.
On the other hand, the attribute-less variant of the Orcas had started to jump a bit away from the ship, seemingly boasting of their victory.
This might be the time... I thought of using my MacAquate arrows to shoot them now, but I then shook my head. There was a whole swarm of 17 Orcas after us, aside from that huge leader. I could shoot down the four but that would hardly relieve us from this predicament, and we didn''t have much time.
"---A leap of faith then. I''m going to use wing magic! Match with my timing!"
I wasn''t sure how it would work but I was going to try if I could use wind magic to elerate the ship.
But the wind was alreadying from the rear-diagonal direction, so I was using the best of my mana operating skills to blow the wind at 15m/s--- or 54 km/h when converted.
Even if I could create a stronger wind current, it would be impossible to circte all the mana released outside back to my body. I think my mana reserve would dry up in 3 minutes if I increase the wind speed to, for example, 30 m/s while doing my best to reserve mana. (T/N - Just exining in case of doubt - MC can use manapression during activities to absorb mana even when using magic for any purpose, which means he can keep his mana bar infinitely ''til his stamina runs out or unless he uses some technique that consumes more mana than what he could take in.)
But we''re still being checkmated.
We absolutely were in dire need of a n to somehow break through this siege and enter the ind region.
I wracked my mind for a solution while turning the direction of my wind magic at the sail.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
I guess there really was no such thing as a surefire n.
The sail started to show erratic movements the instant the sails were filled with wind which resulted in an adverse effect--- the ship''s speed dropped down.
Dan instantly pulled on the line and adjusted the sail while calling out in protest.
"Hey!"
"I''m thinking!"
......It was indeed a gamble but I didn''t expect the n to actually backfire.
Right, what was the principle at which a yacht moves?... Hrg, I for sure had seen it somewhere but I couldn''t recall it exactly. Damn, why were you so idiot, earthling-me? My current self could easily remember thousands of books!
My back was drenched in cold sweat but my mind was still clear. It looked like my training until now has bore fruit. Oh, right. My fingers were all steady when I was shooting arrows despite the do-or-die situation.
I could still recall how nervous I was back when we encountered the Greateus Snake.
I was surprised at myself too. To think I still had the mental capacity in a corner of my mind to run through these monologues while wracking my brain for an idea.
To feel the flow of wind, I tried circting wind magic at about 15 m/s, as if I wanted to be one with the wind that pushed the sails. It was this moment that suddenly sparked my memory.
"Ah, so that''s it! Bernoulli''s theorem!"
"Huh?! Berno--- what?!"
Dan raised a bewildered voice in response to my shout. Unfortunately, there was no time to answer.
I controlled my mana and slowly weakened the wind going past the ship''s interior.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The ship suddenly picked up speed in that instant. Meanwhile, I continued to further rein in the speed of the wind.
Honestly, the ship had actually sped up to aical level. Then Dan''s yell followed.
"Hey, hey, hey Ren! The heel is getting too hard to control! We''re going to go capsize! Gutx! Immediately move all the Deareise to the port side. Put as much weight as you can on the left!"
The heel referred to when a ship was moving inclined in a headwind direction.
Ships with engines could advance in a straight line but vertical ships moved diagonally, in the direction the sail was turning.
Dan meant theteral recovery force was unable to catch up with the ship''s pace, strongly focused on the diagonal direction.
Gutx and the others hurriedly moved the cargo to the left side, where the ship was almost lifted into the air, and centered the weight on that side as much as possible to keep the ship''s advancement straight.
After seeing that, I further weakened the wind passing the ship slightly and increased our speed.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Bernoulli''s theorem--- the principle behind how nes could fly in the sky or yachts could head in an upwind direction.
The wind bes faster than the opposite side when passing over the top of the main wings of an airne--- or curved part in the case of a yacht.
What happens then is that the pressure on the faster side decreases, creating a lifting force that pulls in that direction.
The lifting force generated due to the difference in atmospheric pressure was far stronger than the wind''s suppressive force--- after all, that was how those huge passenger nes could take off.
Simrly, yachts were able to cross the upwind direction utilizing the same lifting force.
Cutting my rambling short, what I did was weaken the wind current passing by the sails, creating a contrast with the wind flowing outside which resulted in the increased lifting force.
The key point here was ''de-eleration.''
Bernoulli''s theorem, which is based on the conservation of energy principle, however, was unable to be carried out when energy acted fluidly from the outside.
That said, I wouldn''t know if the de-eleration of the wind with magic meant converting kic energy into pressure (density), or maybe it would stop due to the outside energy.
I had taken the mana conversion theory and fundamentalws of motion into ount to reach this conclusion but it was an armchair interpretation at best.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
All I did was lower the speed of the wind current, which in turn increased the influence of the wind current working outside the ship. That was all I knew. I really needed to experiment more if I wanted to get to the details.
But that said, it also finally clicked on why I failed earlier. The reason why the sails had fluttered violently was because I had done the opposite.
In fact, this technique was our silver bullet in this situation. I didn''t strain my mana much and as long as the wind flowed like this, we could semi-permanently keep this speed up. ording to my guess, our current speed was 30 km/h.
White-tailed Orca''s cruising speed was 15 km/h so I bet they must have been desperate now. The fact that they weren''t using water magic again while chasing after us was the best proof.
Honestly, I was surprised. The White-tailed Orcas were like some kind of mavericks on a mission as they kept their chase with no intention of stopping.
It was then that Dan raised his voice from the cockpit with an anxious expression.
"Oi, Ren! We need to somehow make a turn now or we would crash intond! You can do it again, right...? You will, right!?"
With my best smug face, I gave a thumbs up to Dan.
T/N - ......This chapter was truly fitting of fantasy and academia title. Remember guys, be sure to focus on your ss, who know when you might isekaid. On the side note, MC at the end must be like ''payback time.''
E/N - I''ll be honest with you, I have no clue if the stuff the author wrote about the Bernoulli principle is correct or not. So take it with a grain of salt and do your own research on it if you''re interested. I tried to google it but Physics was like my worst subject in school and I understood jack shi--- well you get what I''m saying. ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 98 - At the end of the Fishing (1)
After our breakthrough, the White-tailed Orcas tried to go for another round of ramming attacks in desperation but none of them could touch the ship again with Dan''s skill.
The only tough part was moving those darn heavy Deareise, along with the rest of the crewmates, to shift the center of gravity when turning the ship. We arrived at the Solcoast''s port sometime in the afternoon where Mimosa, Gondo, and the rest of the Serene Wind staff were waiting with expectant eyes at the pier.
"Wee back. You''re much earlier than expected. So I guess you must have gotten a big haul, eh?"
Mimosa turned to Dan and me and asked while smiling.
"Ah, we somehow managed to catch 3. We were supposed to have one more but that was snatched away by the White-tailed Orcas."
Everyone''s face scrunched up when I answered. Gondo stepped up on behalf of his bewildered people to ask.
"White-tailed Orcas?! What in the world happened!? And oh god! What happened to your hands, Dan!?"
The skin on Dan''s palm wasing off along with a streak of blood trickling down after his constant maneuvering of the ship.
We had indeed managed to shake the White-tailed Orcas off but we didn''t slow down ''til we were just a bit away from the port in case they hadn''t given up. So he didn''t get the time to apply first aid on his hands.
"Hahaha. I guess it''s been a while since I tookmand of a ship, so I couldn''t handle her precisely. There was really not a moment of respite whening back to use the winch, and I had to pull on the line directly.
......I''m sorry, gramps, but I think I''ll rest for now. The trip has exhausted me. The others should tell you the details. Ren,e with me. Just standing on a ship takes its toll when you''re not used to it. I bet you must be tired as well."
...He was right, I also felt tired, though different from the feeling I experienced from training.
I guess recoil was bound to happen, huh? Facing the brunt of the wind for half a day on a ship while constantly worrying about bnce, the rocking of the ship, and the death struggle where a wrong step would have sent us to the underworld...... Now that I think about it, it was really one hell of a trip.
My body was now heavy as lead, and I wanted nothing more than to throw myself onto a fluffy bed.
"You''re right. I didn''t... expect this. Mimosa, I''lle to the Silver Gingko tonight. Tell the boss I''m ''looking forward to it''."
I said and left for the inn with Dan.
I thought Dan would sleep at the main building of the Serene Wind where he was raised, but he said ''he wanted to try the lodging at the inn'' and had been staying in the same inn as me.
Maybe it was his spirit of self-reliance, or perhaps he had some hesitations due to the Count Family. Though it was just my guess, I didn''t n on snooping around.
"Wait, Dan. Take the medicine and sandwich. I prepared them just in case, you both probably haven''t eaten anything yet, right?"
Mimosa stopped us suddenly and handed us a basket.
"Ah, now that you mention it, my stomach is rumbling. Thanks, Sis. Bye then, see youter."
Dan and I returned to our inn while chewing on sandwiches.
"......Haha, he truly has grown up to show a cool side of himself... Even though he''s just 12..."
Mimosa bit her lips, feeling a mixture ofplex emotions brewing inside her chest as she looked at the retreating figure of the two. She didn''t even know if she was feeling joy or mncholy.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
We woke up at 6 in the evening from our nap and left for Gingko soon after.
We did have sandwiches before sleeping but that was hardly enough to satiate our hunger.
"Man, that was rough, no...?"
Dan muttered as if reflecting on the event. The little bit of rest should have calmed his nerves down so now he could recall the experience more vividly.
I nodded in agreement.
"It was. Honestly, it was your sailing skill and luck that saved our wool there. I don''t want to go through the same situation ever again."
Dan put up a bitter smile hearing that.
"Look, who''s talking?... What the heck was that thing in the end? It would have been a bitter struggle without you."
...Ugh, how do I exin it?
I knew that if I exined it as a phenomenon when the concept of atmospheric pressure was only faintly perceived in this world, Dan would surely ask for a detailed record. There was no way I could tell him the source.
It might bete, but I wasn''t going to reveal my reincarnation. I could kiss my peaceful life goodbye if someone got wind that I had unheard scientific principles of this world. Who knows, I might be theb rat equivalent of this world to coerce me to reveal everything... That would be another disaster.
Cough Jokes aside, the possibility of being kidnapped by some radical organization and then being whipped for the life of me to get all my secrets couldn''t be ignored at all.
I decided to pose it as a discovery rather than knowledge I read somewhere.
"It was something I noticed when I was analyzing the flow of air created by wind magic. The main point is the difference in the speed of the wind blowing inside and outside of the ship... or something along that line.
......The following exnation is strictly intuitive, alright?...
Basically, I felt that the air outside the ship, where the flow of wind is high, was thin. It was like converting the pressure of wind into propulsion force. When there was a difference in the density of air, I felt the ship was pulled toward an outward direction --- basically where the air was thin --- and this increased the speed of the ship.
Then, I tried a bit of my idea by slightly slowing down the wind blowing inside the ship--- which in turn increased the density of the air. This further weakened the air outside and resulted in an even faster speed.
Well, it was just a chance discovery and many things need to be verified, but this phenomenon can definitely be replicated." (T/N - Long story short, it''s the difference in air pressure that gives rise to suction. Recall any space scene where a hole in the spaceship results in items inside (where air is present) getting sucked toward the destroyed part (toward space where there''s no air)? It''s the same concept.)
Dan fell silent listening to my exnation. Physics was his strong point so I guess he must be simting it in his mind. Oh wait, he was rubbing his finger over the bridge of his nose, so he was definitely thinking hard.
It was his habit whenever he got lost in thought. I didn''t speak any further and let him do his homework.
In the end, Dan kept thinking about it until we reached Gingko.
"...We''re here, Dan."
"Hm? We are?...... No, wait. Do you realize you just discovered something groundbreaking, Allen?
There was no exnation but it has always been said that a vertical ship travels faster when the wind is blowing from a straight horizontal direction (abeam) than a tailwind (vertical). Maybe, it''s this difference in air density that kept that force at y... No, I need to verify it more."
Even though we were here for seafood cuisine, Dan looked more interested in getting a pen and paper now.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Good evening~."
We greeted while entering the Gingko. The shop was filled with the same members we had at the port, along with the crewmates who were aboard the ship.
"Yo, finally awake? We were just talking about how you might not wake up ''til tomorrow morning after pulling that impossible stunt."
Old man Con said. He was assisting Dan at the cockpit on our return trip.
He was a sailor on a merchant ship for 40 years, and he joined Serene Wind after he retired. Apparently, he was a member of the ship design group.
"Impossible stunt? Aw c''mon, that was hardly bone-breakingpared to our usual training. My word, that wasn''t even lukewarm in contrast to the hellish regimen our club''s fiendish coach has devised, followed by our no-less-of-a-devil ss teacher''s physical teacher. You would be exhausted to death trying that.
...It was the ordeal that sucked our mental spirit. I guess that''s to be expected after our close brush with death. But you look full of spirit, gramps."
Dan then gave a fleeting nce at me after saying that and smiled.
The nerve he has to call me fiendish... I''m innocent, alright? I just taught them the efficient way to train, only... at least I didn''t remember cornering Dan who had always been in group 1 in training.
Everyone gasped when they heard Dan.
"...Goodness... I have been in this line of work for 40 years and I have never felt the same level of astonishment as I had felt today, and you say this is...... everyday stuff in the Academy? The fame of ''the Royal Academy'' is truly not without basis huh?
I only pulled the tiller following your orders after all, so I wasn''t that tired. And with my age, death is just a matter of time. Honestly, there were many times I lost all hope. It was just you and Ren-kun who didn''t give up ''til the end." (Con)
Gutx followed the conversation with an excited appearance.
"What''re you saying? That was incredible! You immediately saw the situation, gave urate orders, and took control while we old coots could only shiver in fear! We''re all impressed, honestly. You''ve really be a big man, Dan!"
The rest of the crewmates who were mainly in charge of fishing were about to open their mouths in agreement as well but Mimosa jumped into the conversation and her thundering wrath fell on Gutx.
"You, don''t get impressed at that time for darn sake! Why the heck do you think we sent you big fools together with them?! There''s no way it must have been easy for these two kids as well.
I''m not saying you should have done something when you couldn''t, but couldn''t you have at least tried to be their support and increase their morale!? They might be talented but you adults shouldn''t forget they''re still 12 years old!"
...Wow, she''s just like my mom.
Mom would also often scold my father whenever he mistook the line between parenting and being a bystander just because me and my sister were capable of taking care of ourselves better than the other kids.
"Cough, I had him beside me so I was sure we would somehow manage to make a breakthrough."
Dan jabbed at me with an elbow while saying that to soften the awkward air.
"My, I didn''t know that Daniel Solcoast, the second ranker in the Royal Academy, is capable of joking around, despite his potato-like face.
Anyway, I just was sure Dan would somehow take care of the situation even if I failed."
My words brought a wave of surprise over the member of the Serene Wind. It seemed like he hadn''t told them his rank in the Royal Academy.
Well, given he wasn''t the boastful type, I guess that wasn''t strange.
"Po-Potato face?! Then I guess someone hasn''t seen their face in the mirror in his life, Mr. Mob Face!"
"Who''re you calling mob face!? This is what you call a refined look, you button-eyed fool!"
Seeing the squabbling of us mobs, everyone burst intoughter.
"Ahaha! Aw, you know you canpete with more than just your face so you don''t really have to care about your looks. Pfft.
But 2nd ranker in the Royal Capital? Now that''s astonishing. By the way, you know having a friend you can leave your back to is ultimately what attracts a great woman?
Anyway, let''s get to the food. Chief, is preparation ready?"
......Did I just hear a ''pfft'' in between that?
Boss showed a fearless grin when Mimosa asked.
"You bet I have! Been long done. Get ready to taste the best craftsmanship of the 7th generation of the Gingko!"
Vol. 1 - Ch. 99 - At the end of the Fishing (2)
The Deareise on the menu was apparently the biggest one among the haul, nearly 700 kg in weight, which we could have all to ourselves through the good word of Mimosa.
The Deareise actually shared the same trait as the bluefin tuna--- its size corrted to the fish''s taste. Even the boss gave his stamp of approval that this was definitely the best among the others.
It seemed like they did have the concept of fermenting and ripening, but no set rule said that fermenting would raise a magic fish''s taste.
Mimosa''s reasoning was such which was followed by peals ofughter.
The first dish served was the soup stock made from the Deareise''s bony parts. Once again, the boss didn''t fail to impress us with his exquisite skills. There was also the boiled Deareise''s soft skin ented with leafy greens resembling trefoil.
That was truly the best starter to have after waking up.
Next was sashimi. This was served in eight pieces, from the cheek meat with a slightly metallic scent to the tail-like part with a firm texture. In my case, I thoroughly enjoyed the lightness of that glossy red flesh with wasabi and soy sauce.
The dishes kept piling up one after another starting with the crunchy salt-roasted heart, intestines lightly pickled in vinegar, salt-boiled fin with rich fat, spiced deep-fried ribs, and the roasted back meat. And finally, thest main course to sum up this feast was the sashimi rice bowl.
The rice of the Baerentz Archipgo was apparently amonmodity in this trade point. I asked the boss how I would love to eat sashimi along with rice and he sure saw it through to the end.
"Then as you wanted, here is the freshly cooked rice, mixed with the seasoning of vinegar, sugar, and salt. But that said, I had no time to verify the end result with the time restraint, so I''m not sure if the taste will suit your pte.
Serving a haphazardly made dish honestly is something I wouldn''t normally do, but given it''s your request, I made it an exception. This one''s on the house, so please share your feedback."
The boss said in an irritated tone.
I guess he was resistant to serving an unverified dish to his customers. It was probably my persistent request that made him consider it.
I spread some soy sauce over the sashimi, garnished it with wasabi, and took a bite.
"......Delish! It''s truly great, though I prefer a bit less sweetness in my rice. I would say adding some spices and kelp would also contribute to changing the taste and aroma. Then again, a professional like the boss would know better than my half-baked exnation."
The sweetness of the rice was slightly above the level for my liking but the boss had perfectly replicated sushi rice. At the end of the day, he also tried his best to put a presentable dish in this short time so this deserved a full score from me.
"Man, it was really a feast. No, seriously. How long had I been seeking this taste? You know, I seriously thought I would have to give up, but finding your shop is really the best thing that could have happened to me.
Boss, thank you very much!"
I lowered my head at a perfect 45 degrees from the counter to show my respect. He looked slightly bewildered at my sudden gratitude but brushed it off with augh, seemingly embarrassed.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"There''s something I want to say--- or more like give you. We would be delighted if you could ept it. We are truly thankful for what you have done. We would have no face to show if we really let you go empty-handed after all that."
Mimosa held out a ck katana --- a nce was enough to tell it was a marvel forged by a skilled craftsman --- toward me.
"This is the work of the 14th generation Zenstate, The Ningrose, and the finest one among the swords handled by our subsidiary tradingpany."
Mimosa exined as she and Gond nced at me with an uneasy expression.
I had already turned down their reward once, but I guess they truly wanted me to ept this.
I was d they considered me worthy of this but... I shook my head.
"......So not even this could interest you..."
A sorrowful expression clouded the faces of Mimosa and Gond.
"I don''t mean that. I''m just saying this marvel is beyond an amateur like me to have."
"Then, you really don''t have to hold yourself back!"
"That isn''t the point. You know, thedy here had said ''Our price is set the same for regrs and first-timers alike. No service charge, but also no discount'' when I first visited this store. The same went for the boss when he said he wasn''t satisfied with the seafood bowl and that it was on the house.
I mean the same thing. I arrived here only to enjoy my holidays, and everything I did was all for that. Maybe my actions were a saving grace for someone else, but epting a high-grade item just for this clearly isn''t my style."
I seriously feared that my financial senses would go out of wack if I epted this. Hell, it might even change my perspective as well. It would have been another matter if it pertained to survival but there was no reason, for now at least, to take it.
My father also often preached to us the motto of humble and steady, and to choose our tools based on our experience and strength. epting this would just give rise to, you know, doubts like ''Was I really worthy of this?''.
"You really are a strange fe with a strange value of stubbornness. Sis, he''s just that kind of person, so you don''t have to mind him."
Dan said from the sideline while leisurely sipping his tea.
"Anyway. I have a business deal... Is yourpany interested in sponsoring the Royal Academy''s Sailing Club?"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Dan, who had been sipping his tea without a care in the world, suddenly stiffened up and yelled.
"Hey-hey, hold your horses for a damn minute, Ren. Do we even have a Sailing Club? I''ve never heard of it."
Uh-huh, of course, you haven''t heard of it when even I haven''t, duh! Actually, this was something I came up with a while ago.
"Well of course, because we''re going to establish it after summer vacation. As for the practice field, we have the Great Rune River in the south of the Royal Capital so it''spletely viable. And the president of the brand new club would be Daniel Solcoast--- the pride of the Count Solcoast Family."
Dan cradled his head in his arms.
"I hate myself that my hunch turned out to be correct! Kuh, do you really think anyone from that Royal Academy would even be interested in sailing to fish or transport stuff!? Maybe it would have been fine if it was something like a galley ship from the Navy, but anyway. There are rumors that the transport ships are soon going to be equipped with magic machinery."
I sighed at his talk.
"Good grief. Why is everyone from that academy so hard-headed? Who cares if no one joins the club, we''re not doing it for the clout. And a galley ship... Are you so desperate to join the rowing club and paddle your heart out?
Listen here, the first thing that you should always consider is whether it''s something you want to do or not. I''m sure you would be delighted to join though. Anyway, your answer?"
"Huh, ah, well I do like sailing but this is just like extra ytime. Besides, I''m also the vice president of the Hill Road Club. And putting aside everything else, do you think they would permit you to establish a club like that? Researching the pressure thing you were talking about certainly has merit, but wouldn''t a Dynamic Research Club be better?"
Kukuku. So he was hooked on the story at least, huh? I would have done it alone if he had shown rejection for once. But it was clear he was just looking for an excuse so I just gotta do my usual stuff in this case--- give a forceful push. I really wanted to learn more about sailing from him after all.
"It''s not ''Would the academy grant permission'' but that they will for sure. The Hill Road Club would be changed from a first-year club to a club epassing all years from the second half of the term.
We can always have Leo and Ste be the president and vice president. Ah, but that doesn''t mean I''m disregarding your effort as the vice president. It''s just that I''m now sure after seeing your sailing skills. The thing you ought to spend your youth on is--- sailing!
I don''t know what would be the result of our research, but doing that in the name of Dynamic Research Club or whatever would be underselling our dream. In the end, what we want to do is know more about sailing a ship and that''s why this is our club name. Besides, what''s wrong with ying around? Your school life will onlyst for three years. This is the most youthful time of your life, so hesitate no further, Dan!"
Dan''s mouth opened and closed like goldfish when I nonchntly, and so confidently, announced that it was indeed for ying around and that was why we were going to do it. I turned to Mimosa.
"You heard it. So, what do you think about sponsoring us?"
"...What do you mean you heard it?... Hah. We can''t give a reply before knowing all the conditions in the business, you know."
Mimosa asked with scrutiny, wearing the mask of a merchant after knowing the details. Heh, no wonder she managed to wrap the area around her fingers.
"True enough. Dan and I discovered a new possibility of sailing. We need a ship with a specific design to match our ideas. It''s just my guess but aside froming up with the design itself, the construction time should be no different than that of a regr ship.
Thepensation for sponsoring us would be the advertisement of the Serene Wind Co. A ship chasing after a new philosophy would have the banner of yourpany and if our research actually bore fruit, I can assure you that the effect would be world-shaking. But of course, there''s no guarantee we will seed, which may negatively impact yourpany.
In short, your call is to see if Dan and I are worthy of that investment."
Once I was done with my words, Mimosa red at me while putting her hands on her waist.
"Whether you and Dan have that value or not... Are you seriously asking the obvious?"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
For the two days after that, we cooperated with the folks of the Serene Wind to experiment more about the newly discovered driving force in the Solcoast sea region and shared our design concept with them.
The core point, first of all, was altering the shape of the vertical ship''s forefoot to make it withstand the propulsion force, which was traditionally made thinner to reduce water resistance, as well as making the center of gravity adjustable and devising ways to enhance the stability and the strong restoring force that tries to keep the ship upright.
The rest of the design was focused on the premise that the ship would be operated by students of the Royal Academy whose expertise in body-strengthening magic was a notch or two above the standard level.
For the immediate terms, we decided that the Serene Wind would remodel the ship we used for fishing following our design as much as possible and have it delivered by the end of summer vacation. Afterward, any further requests would be concluded by the President of the Sailing Club and the Serene Wind Co at periodically arranged meetings.
On a rted note, Dan also became a member of the Emission Magic Research Club. Well, he initially had a fierce mental struggle like ''Should I really do that when I can''t even find a girlfriend...''. Actually, the reputation of the students joining the Emission Magic Research Club, especially those of the knight course, was a bit dicey as girls often kept them at a ten-foot distance. But anyway, Dan also knew that the practice of wind magic was a vital part of our research.
Later on, the boss of Ginkgo participated in thepetition for Dan''s birthday party, but unfortunately, he was eliminated--- or more like hepletely failed in it.
Apparently, the creative dish made using Ginkgo''s special wasabi sauce, supervised as well by Dan, who had taken a liking to wasabi and soy sauce, was rejected before it could even appear in front of him in the taste-testing round.
The situation, which Iter heard from Mimosa in the Royal capital, seemingly went like this---
Taste Tester - ''It stung the nose!''
Boss - ''But that was the intention''
Taste Tester - ''Apprehend him!''
"Well, I can meet Dan often now in the guise of being business partners so maybe it all went well in the end..." were her words.
As for me, I returned to the Royal Capital after spending my first otherworld vacation to my heart''s content.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The summer vacation of that year became the precursor for the establishment of the Royal Academy''s Sailing Club.
For a short time, the appraisal of Daniel Solcoast fell in the eyes of society.
ording to some, he had simply lost his sense of responsibility after getting removed from the position of the Hill Roads Club''s vice president and spent his time on useless stuff.
ording to some, he had be short-sighted after getting fascinated by an antique ship.
ording to some, he had be a stone-headed fool who even turned away from the sound advice of Count Solcoast, his father and his guide to an upright life.
As for the person himself, he could only ept all the criticism silently with a bitter smile. But then again, it wasn''t long before he shut everyone''s mouth with his achievement.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 100 - Chief Advisor
On my return journey to the Royal Capital, I decided to stop by the explorer association branch of Lacanthal, the capital of Count Serdos'' territory.
I was hoping for a fun development--- like the typical escort request that just happened to coincide with my travel goal, chatting with fellow explorers, extra pocket money to cover my travel expenses, and so on.
I tried my luck with one of the receptionists, an amicable looking uncle, to see if there was any such handy request.
"Hello~. I''m on my way back to the Royal Capital, so I was wondering if there''s any escort requests that are in need of an explorer. It''d be great if they were traveling to Cosrael, which has a direct train to the Royal Capital, or if not, then maybe to another city near Cosrael?"
At my words, the receptionist shed me a kind smile and asked amicably.
"Oh, well, hello there, sonnie. We do have a few escort requests, but may I ask what your rank is? Escort requests typically fall under the D-rank category, so you should be at least E-rank, ya see?"
Unless otherwise stated, an explorer could only ept a request one rank below or above of their own. It worked as a limiter to stop a bunch of inexperienced folks from stepping into a lion''s den they couldn''t handle while also preventing the truly strong people from snatching work from the rookies. Though the request did open up for higher ranked explorers in case there wasn''t enough application from lower rank explorers.
Then again, the reward didn''t change so anyone of a particr level ofpetence wouldn''t even bother to take requests two ranks below them. It might be another world, but society operated on more or less the same rule: the higher you go in the hierarchy, the less human resources you would find, and it would increase the price as a result.
I showed my license to him, and upon seeing that, the receptionist''s eyebrows shot upward in astonishment.
"Wee to our humble Serdos branch. I''m Traut, the chief advisor of this branch. The neighboring branches had been notified about your arrival by the Solcoast branch. We have been instructed to kindly guide you to the Branch President office should you happen to drop by. If you have no other questions, kindly follow me."
By definition, it was the Lacanthal branch, but they were often called by their capital branch''s name.
I somehow resisted the urge to facepalm and followed after him with a smile. "Understood, Traut-san. It''d be great if you could rx your tone like earlier."
I had more or less given up on resisting the special treatment.
As they say, a rumor about someonested for only 75 days. It hadn''t been that long since my rank suddenly skyrocketed, so there was no fighting the spotlight I was getting, but this was like one of those buzz-talks which I hoped would die down as long as Iid low.
Right, all I needed to do was avoid quarrelling with others and improve my image...
We arrived at the branch president''s office while I was busy with my mental monologue where a corpulent man was waiting for us. A nce was enough to tell that he didn''t have a clue as to the reality of the explorer profession.
The branch president started with his mild ttery while also slyly mentioning how he was actually a graduate of the Serdos Advanced School with an excellent record, and asked, or more like suggested, if I was free to be a guard for thevish party that was going to be held at Lacanthal.
Apparently, while there were people like Uncle Shell who were the representatives of the explorer association and had wed their way up to the top from the bottom of the barrel, people like this man with a civil course background were often more numerous.
He just started prattling on his own, and I wasn''t keen to hear the obvious survival of fittest sermon from him.
But the party? Nope. I was sure this was about Dan''s birthday party which, if I remembered correctly, would be held ten dayster. I wasn''t bored enough to stay until then, so I politely turned it down.
Dan had told me how Count Serdos wanted to greet me, which was thest thing I wanted, so I immediately ran away from the ce!
"I can''t reveal the details, but the party would be attended by great figures too, so I figured this honorable request would definitely suit you, Ren-kun... But you already seem to have some othermitments. Of course, having the rookie star Ren-kun working with our Serdos branch is already greatly appreciated. Traut, is there any escort request that matches Ren-kun''s requirement?"
"Yes sir. We have two escort requests that I can rmend. The first is the escort request by the merchant caravan who is returning to Cosrael, the capital of Marquis Grauksh''s territory. The reward is eight thousand rea.
Their nned route isn''t anything out of ordinary, and since they''re traveling in a caravan, it would be a slower journey than a shared carriage so expected it tost 6 days in the absence of any mishap. The request is designated C-rank, so the maximum quota is two and can only be applied for by C-rank or above explorers.
We have no report of any bandit activity or the like and since the client is from arge-size merchant firm, they should have guards already to deal with ordinary monsters. Well, they must be in search of an explorer just in case something happened."
Heh, Chief Advisor wasn''t just some fancy title, huh? It truly felt like a request tailored for me.
It was an instant okay from me, but out of curiosity, I decided to ask about the other request.
"The next request is also a C-rank designated request. The client is a certain Viscount who hade to Serdos for sightseeing along with his daughter. The name is only to be revealed if you''re intent on epting the request and the task is to support them as their escort. The reward is 5 thousand rea and only one candidate would be selected.
They''re going to take a slightly different path from the shortest route to Cosrael, but it''s not too different from it. If everything goes without a hitch, it would be over in four days and from there, it''s a two-day trip to Cosrael with enough leeway.
This is also a low-risk requestpared to the typical escort requests, though the reward is equally cheap but being a noble''s escort often ends up with additional rewards as they tend to tip more at the scene, so this sort of request is more popr. In fact, we already have many applications for it despite the lowpensation."
Ar~gh, it''s so hard to choose!
Both requests followed their own temtes, so they have their own merits, and both sounded fun, too. I really couldn''t decide on one. Just as I was fretting over the choice, Truat further added some details that he seemed to have just remembered.
"By the way, the youngdy, the daughter of the said viscount, is just slightly older than you, Ren-san. She oftenes to Serdos to hang out, so I happened to have seen her. And I must say, she''s ady of modest demeanor with pleasing beauty."
?!?!
A-As expected of another world''s information holder! What''s with that information, the words were falling like music to my ears, whispering ''Go ahead, and take the flight to your fateful encounter''!
My heart was honestly already leaning on the second request, but there was something I was curious about, so I asked.
"You said there are two requests that you rmend... which means there are more requests than just these two? Oh, I''m just asking out of curiosity, I did appreciate and like your rmended requests."
Truant-san didn''t seem to mind my words as he exined the details of the third request with a kind smile.
"Thest request pertained to a D-rank difficulty request. It shouldn''t have been avable for Ren-kun to take originally but due to theck of application, the rank restriction for it has been lifted.
The request''s destination is Kirika instead of Cosrael, a stop along the magical train route, closer to the Royal Capital. The main objective is to defend against the attack of monsters. The reward is 5000 rea, which is just fitting for a D-rank request.
It isn''t that rare of an urrence to take another road to Kirika which doesn''t coincide with Cosrael since often the clients have an article they can''t carry in the train, but..."
Traut-san paused there as his expression became clouded.
"The client hasn''t mentioned the route they''re going to take. A request with an uncertain element means that the client must have something they don''t want to exin, which doesn''t break the rule for requests of the association per se.
However, the main problem is the route. Ren-san seems to be oblivious to the nearby terrain, so let me exin. It takes 7 days to reach Kirika via the western highway, but that''s when you take a detour around the Ament Volcano, which seems unlikely in this case. So it''s to be believed that they have intentionally concealed the details.
Furthermore, they want to leave the instant the request has been epted. They could take the western highway quietly if it was a matter of simple urgency and arrive at Kirika in no time. Yet, revealing no details, and even not withdrawing the request despite it being unpopr only means that their goal is the deserted vige halfway up the Ament Volcano. Rumors are that the vige has be the hang out of ruffians where you wouldn''t see even a single tourist.
If that''s their real goal, then the request should be rated C-rank and the reward needs to be at least 30,000 rea. Incidentally, it takes two days to arrive at the Ment Vige and Kirika is around one and a half day''s journey from there. The journey to Kirika via this route is only 4 days long. But the train that runs from Kirika to the Royal Capital is a slower model, so the end result would still be 6 days to the Royal Capital, no different from the earlier requests. So, what do you think about, Ren-san?"
Heh, I think it''s my third time being impressed by the Chief Advisor''s information. It was easier to guess the situation when he puts the information together this way. Well, that might just be his guess, but only a fool would disregard his information.
"Ahaha! Surely you jest, I won''t even consider thest request. You have my admiration; the information was easier to understand due to your exnation. So, when are the departing times for the earlier two requests?"
Hearing my reply, Truat-san replied with a beaming face.
"It''s my honor. The n is to depart three dayster, so there''s plenty of time to prepare yourself! If you leave it to me, I can also rmend you a better inn!"
......What the heck was that earlier build up!? You could have told that first!
I wasn''t idle enough to stay in the city for three days, but then again, the third request was absolutely andmine. At this point, taking the shared carriage back was still the sound option.
"My words, whoever said rumors don''t make a man is so true. I was a bit worried when I had heard that Ren-san is a young, hot-blooded person but your decisiveness clearly matches your B-rank, and it''s not something you acquire through the grapevine.
...It''s just a pity that Ment Vige is but a shadow of its former self after a strong monster decided to im it as its own territory. It used to be the kingdom''s foremost Hot Spring Resort hub, and was always bustling with tourists and all. Haa, truly a pity.
Anyway, which request has Ren-san decided on?"
The kingdom''s foremost H-Hot Spring Resort?! C-Chief Advisor!!
E/N - It was obvious that the MC was going to take the 3rd request as soon as I read it. I just didn''t know it was the hot springs that would push him to do it. Japanese and their obsession with hot springs, I don''t really understand it.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 101 - Hot Spring (1)
There was a bit of a mental debate going on inside my head but in the end I decided to choose thendmine quest.
There were a few reasons. The danger level was designated C-rank, and even if the situation turned south, the trouble would at best be on B-rank, the same level as a Greateus Snake. I was sure my current strength was enough to muscle through the situation if it really turned out to be trouble.
Truat-san had also confirmed the monsters that might appear, and he didn''t spot anything wrong.
Besides, considering the fact that they needed a guard or else they couldn''t depart, the stakes seemed to lower further since it meant the client was just some small riffraff.
Well, explorers also had the right to refuse a request and terminate the contract should the client deliberately cause harm or coerce them into doing something illegal or outside the scope of assignment. Like, the request said ''Travel to Kirika via the western road,'' so any change in the route without reason would fall into the uneptable range.
Though the client hasn''t mentioned their route except for the general direction, so god knows which route we would be taking.
Another reason was I wanted to get away from Lacanthal as soon as possible. Dan''s father seemed intent on greeting his son''s ssmates, which was nothing but a pain in the butt for me. Dan also told me about the heavyweight nobles like Marquis Grauksh who were gathering in this city for his birthday.
The actual birthday was 10 dayster, but his schedule was apparently already stuffed with greeting rounds with the other nobles. The only reason so many nobles were gathering ahead of the party should be to form connections. Dan was basically the No.2 in the Royal Academy, after all.
I was explorer Ren right now and thest thing I wanted was to run into them. I would have no tears left to cry if even this sce was taken away from me.
And thest reason was that I definitely wanted to try out the hot springs of the kingdom''s foremost Hot Spring Resort. Well, this was the actual reason. I didn''t care much about the rest. I just couldn''t ignore the chance as a bath enthusiast, which was also why I insisted on a hot water device and sauna in the dormitory.
To live freely the way I wanted in this life, this was what I had decided to do.
I did think of traveling alone, but I had no idea about the terrain and I heard it would be impossible to cross the mountain in a short time, so camping would be necessary. In that case, I might as well be stuck with a client as a guide.
If only I had a map, but that was asking for too much, I guess... And to be honest, I didn''t believe in my sense of direction. Heck, I doubt any modern person would be capable of reaching their destination without a map and not get lost.
For the journey, I decided to stock up on my MacAquate arrow that had a high piercing trait, but apparently they weren''t sold here in Serdos, so I decided to buy ten mithril arrows enchanted with ice element following Truat-san''s advice.
Mithril was a special type of metal that could be enchanted with elements by a specialist at the expense of mana stones. Considering the ce I was headed to, a ce raging with fire element, it should be able to show an immediate effect.
One arrow cost 500 rea, but that was actually cheaper than in the Royal Capital by 50%.
Once I had everything ready, I headed for the location I was supposed to meet the client.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The meeting ce was at the outskirts west of Lacanthal where I met the client--- or I guess I should say clients as they happened to be two men. They''re outright giving off the ''I''m a viin'' aura.
I also decided to wear my ouw mask--- the only proven method that actually worked against people of their level.
"Yo, so ye folks are the clients, eh? I''m the explorer Ren who had taken yer reques''. Let''s get goin''."
The men noticing my arrival turned to nce at me, but their faces turned red in rage when they confirmed my appearance.
"Hey-hey-hey, what''re they expecting sending a runt here? Ain''t no way we gonna put a brat to use!"
One of the two men, a small-moustache man, said. Then another man, sporting a goat-like beard, followed.
"Tsk, rats like him aren''t rare. I bet he''s here fer some easy money thinking it''s a safe request, but would cower when the timees. Listen ye runt, if ya ever so try to desert in front of monsters, ya will being out of their poop next thing ya know!"
I unsheathed my dagger from the scabbard that was fastened to my leather belt at my waist the instant that goat-beard extended his hand toward me and shed one cm length of his beard in a sh before sheathing the dagger.
Shin
A sharp metallic noise echoed faintly.
I could yap all day long, but nothing would go through these shitheads. Speaking from experience, the best way was to give them a lively greeting before they start opening their stinky mouths at any given moment.
Goat-beard man''s eyes widened in bewilderment, unable to catch my movement, and ran his hand over the beard and neck in fluster.
"Y-Y-Y-You bastard! Do you think you can get away with that inside the town!"
The small-moustache man hollered with a pale face.
"Come now, ''twas just a shaver. It was sullying the majestic beard. Wait, now that I look at ya, don''t ya think yer moustache needs some care? That would just hinder yer movement."
The small-moustache man froze like a statue when I put my hand on my dagger''s hilt again and broke into cold sweat.
"......Just joking, tehe~. Anyway, we''re short on time and wasn''t the n to cross the Ament Volcano? Then stop dilly-dallying and get your ass moving."
Hmm, I hope they learned their lesson with this.
Afterward, we met with a middle-aged man who came to the town from Ment vige for supplies and departed from Lacanthal.
It was a carriage ride. Most of the harmless or puny monsters were kept at bay by my wind magic, while I put an end to any daredevil monster that came near with my dagger.
There was no telling when I might need my arrows in Ment vige, so I was focusing on saving them.
On the way, I curiously asked questions regarding the carriage driving skill from the middle-aged coachman as I sat next to him.
The coachman was a mild-mannered guy named Tonny who came here to purchase necessary supplies for Ment Vige. The vige had hot springs, but that was as far as their specialty went so they hardly had any money to hire explorers for each trip.
It seemed like inviting explorers by offering them guidance and a ride in exchange for taking care of the monsters they might encounter on the trail to Ament Volcano had be a custom.
There were hardly any normal people visiting the vige, but there were at least some good-for-nothing folk who fortunately(?) frequently visited the vige that they were somehow able to stay afloat in their current situation.
"...I don''t understand. I feel like you would be able to make this trip alone, old man. You''re at least stronger than the two fes behind..."
After my involvement in the Hill Road Club, explorer activities, and the knight order, I could more or less discern a person''s expertise in body-strengthening magic. It was especially after dabbling into detection magic that I could notice more subtleties as well.
"Heh. Well, certainly, treading alone is also an option if there isn''t anyone willing to go along. But then again, it wouldn''t hurt to have some insurance, and it''s best to avoid taking risks unless necessary. It''s hard to get a wink of sleep as well when you''re alone. How did you figure that out?"
"Hmm? Ah, it didn''t take much to figure out with the way you carry yourself. Maybe call it experience? I can''t exin it in words though."
The coachman burst out inughter.
"Hahaha. It''s not much of an achievement, but I''m also a C-rank explorer and yet, you managed to figure that out in just a short time. But I guess you don''t reach B-rank just with strength alone at your age. Just how much experience have you piled up? Goodness..."
...As long as you had experience, the key point here, it was easy to guess a person''s expertise and control over body-strengthening magic.
As a coach of the Hill Road Club, I would go through each member''s report --- visualized through the manager''s expertise and magic tool --- each day, so my experience wasn''t in the conventional way, but my gaze had been trained enough to discern that much at least.
"Well, just happened to...... Ya think I can''t hear you, eh?"
I said while turning toward the wooden partition that kept us and the inside of the carriage apart.
The two men were whispering in faint voices like ''I really thought we would be stuck here after spending our travel expenses in the red-light district, but god must be looking after us to send a handy doll our day. Though a moron at that'' or ''Let''s leave him on his own if we encounter a strong opponent. He''ll be our decoy.''
It was a must to take an escort request seriously, but their words made it clear why the request was missing important details. These bastards must have been looking for some bait for monsters since the beginning, huh? Let''s see what they''ll do after I tell this to the association.
Just then, my detection magic picked up a sign of a monster attack.
"......Slow down, Tonny. We''re surrounded... The opponent is threerge-size bipedal monsters. Most like me Gongs."
Tonny''s face scrunched up at my report.
"What? How can you tell?! I thought we were lucky since we didn''t run into that many monsters. I truly didn''t expect the monkeys to be behind this.
Shit, they''re exceptional at working together and can also use long-range fire magic. I don''t care if the two behind turns to cinder, but it would be a disaster if the supplies can''t be saved. I''ll stop the carriage and lure them away somehow. I''ll handle one."
The coachman suggested, but I denied him.
"There''s no need. I''ll take a shot at them."
I nocked the ice element mithril arrow from the passenger seat while saying that. Before long, three me Gongs appeared from both the front, the rear, and the slope to the left.
My three arrows urately met their targets and shot them dead before they had the chance to use their magic.
"Wait here. I''ll harvest their mana stones."
There wasn''t much space in the carriage so the least I could do was secure their elemental mana stones.
A momentter, I returned to my seat with the mana stones. Though Tonny was still wearing his bewildered expression.
I guess he must have been impressed by my archery. Then again, this was the first time I used my bow on this trip. His reaction was simr to what I would get from bystanders whenever I hunted around the areas near the Royal Capital, so it didn''t bother me at this point.
The trip after that was uneventful, and I also didn''t encounter any monsters where I needed to use my bow again. We pitched our tents in a safe spot for that night and arrived at our destination --- Ment vige --- in the afternoon the next day.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 102 - Hot Spring (2)
The path to Ment vige started by taking the northern mountain road of the Ament Volcano, and then a 120 degree anti-clockwise turn around the middle section of where the volcano was located.
Thendscape of Ment vige was filled with white walls and close-knit buildings of peculiar architecture built with reddish-brown, round bricks running parallel to the gentle slopes. It faintly resembled the white city, a famous tourist attraction in Europe.
Tonny-san raised his hand toward a man, seemingly a guard, from the gap of the stone walls surrounding the vige as we entered.
Estimating from the vige''s area, its poption should be around 2,000 at best.
I felt my heart throbbing when I breathed in the smell of sulfur--- though the smell was closer to rusted iron than hydrogen sulphide.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"We n to meet with someone, so we''re taking our leave for a period of time. Let''s meet at 9 in the morning at the vige''s entrance, then we''ll leave for Kirika afterward. You better remember not to keep us waiting."
The short, goat-bearded man said in a rough manner as he disappeared into the maze-like alleys with a viin-like expression.
...Just what I wanted. Thest thing I needed was to be embroiled in their turf war or gang fights just because we were in the same inn. After all, the request didn''t say I needed to escort them anywhere else except in the monster-infested general route.
It was also why I refrained from using detection magic. I did want to believe that they were using the detection magic prevention tool but just in case they weren''t, and I happened to overhear their deal of some illegal stuff, I wouldn''t be able to ignore it anymore. It might be temporary, but I was still a member of the knight order.
"It''s a beautiful vige, Tonny. Honestly, it''s only now that I understand why you''re so adamant on saving this vige despite where it''s located."
I muttered my truthful opinion to Tonny-san, who was also left behind along with me.
"A beauty, isn''t it? The white paint on the wall is a blend of powdered white stone and water meant to keep monsters at bay. The only thing this vige doesn''tck are those stones from the Ament Volcano. Though the monsters are a nuisance and the profit doesn''t match up with the effort, so the stone''s effect is not widely publicized......
But then again, it''s not a surefire method. This vige had adopted this method long before the monsters even made this volcano their nest, wisdom of life I guess? Anyway, what''re you going to do about the inn?"
Tony steered the conversation to me, and since there was a chance, I also tried asking if he had any hot spring inn to rmend.
"Of course, I have a lot of inns in this vige stored in my head. And to answer your question, every inn here actually has a hot spring, so do you have any other criteria aside from that? Like delicious food or beautiful scenery?"
"Oh, in that case...... I guess it would be the quality of the hot spring. I like my water to be on a bit hotter side, but maybe I''ll be dipping in for longer today so that''s not necessary. Ah, just make sure the inn is different from those two, definitely."
Well, I wasn''t expecting much from the food of this secluded vige. I didn''t mind the scenery, so it wasn''t a must-have either.
"...That''s quite an old man-like hobby despite having such young bones... I have the perfect inn in mind to suit your taste. It''s the oldest inn in this vige, the name''s ''Tsukiya''. What do you think?
It''s small and old, run only by an elderly couple, so the reception may not be up to the mark, but they are the only one with a natural hot spring here, so you should be able to experience a revitalizing, hot bath as you wanted. Well, the temperature does fluctuate depending on the day, but it would still be warmer than any other hot spring.
Nowadays, only a handful of visitors that happen to drop by visit it since this inncks a huge open-air bath with splendid scenery that''s popr nowadays."
A natural hot spring......
I like it. Or more like, I liked any words brimming with a sense of romance and adventurous spirit.
I decided to stay in Tonny''s rmended inn, ''Tsukiya.''
¡ô¡ô¡ô
I opened the door to the bath from the snug dressing room. Apparently, there was one visitor already.
It was a man seemingly 70 years old sporting long gray hair with a streak of white. He was already in the water but not to the extent of submerging into the hot springs and his forelocks were draped over his ears. It was rare to see a man with such unusually long hair.
He was soaking in the bath, his gray eyes staring into the night sky. He should have heard the sound of my entry but didn''t bother turning my way.
The bath was without a dedicated cleaning spot, except a narrow, stone-built bathroom along with a simrly stone-built bathtub.
The bathtub was quite huge even by the standard I know, around 2 meter x 4 meter in size, though it had a in design.
The light brown, milk-like hot water was constantly but quietly pouring out of the hole on the stone wall.
Staring down, the sediment from overflowing hot water had formedyers like multi-level fields. The area near the bathtub was of the same color as the hot water, light brown, which gradually turned bluer the more you move away from there and nearer the entrance, it became near-translucent with a jewel-like blue hue.
I turned to nce at that man once again, but he was like a statue, not buzzing even once all this time.
......I guess he must have been quite a hot spring lover to select Tsukiya of all ces.
Following my bathing etiquette, I squatted at the furthest side of the bathtub, basically from where the hot water wasing out, quietly but carefully sshed water over myself and then eased myself into the bathtub.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
It should have been around 15 minutes after I entered the bath when that man, thoroughly enjoying the stimting hot water, raised his voice.
"Are you alone, little boy? You''re quite well-mannered for your age when ites to bathing."
I was a bit surprised when he suddenly called out, more so because of the air of quietness he was exuding earlier, but I nodded nheless.
His tone was also quite calm, just as I had imagined.
"Yea, I just arrived earlier following an escort request. The client is lodging in another inn; this one was rmended to me by our guide when I asked him for the best hot spring this vige has."
The man burst intoughter at my exnation.
"Haha! You''re quite a precocious kid for your age, eh? But you''re even more courageous to ept an escort request to this vige.
By the way, I''m Gin, a tourist who came here for the vige''s hot bath. Would you mind telling me your name?"
"Right, I''m explorer Ren. I was also on my vacation trip to Solcoast from the Royal Capital and decided to take on this request since I was on my way back as well."
Gin-san''s brows shot up when I introduced myself.
"Quite a coincidence, huh~? I''m also from the Royal Capital. Well, it was around half a year ago that I came here to experience the hot water cure and have been staying here ever since, though I often hear about outside affairs from my henchmen who asionally show up to look for me.
Little boy--- right, that would be rude. Ren, seeing as you''re also a fellow bath enthusiast, do you mind listening to a request from this old man?"
Gin-san turned toward me and lowered his head.
"Actually, my old wounds started aching when I least expected, and now I can''t stand up... It''s a bit deplorable to rely on my henchmen, so it would be great if you could lend me a hand here."
......Huh, so that was the reason all along? Truth was never as it appeared, huh?
I nodded immediately after.
"Of course I don''t mind. Where are you hurting?...... Don''t tell me you''ve been enduring the pain all this time?"
Gin-san shed a bitter smile and said.
"Pitiful as it might be, but yes. I couldn''t call my henchmen since that would mean going against the manners of the public bath house that I keep preaching to them.
You''re also minding your manners, and calling you out for my convenience would also go against my code of conduct, so I had been enduring... But I hit my limit, unfortunately. I haven''t seen a kid like you before, so it''s embarrassing, but please help me out."
...He was an even bigger bath enthusiast than I expected. But that was just to my liking!
With a wry smile, I lent him a shoulder and gently got him to his feet.
"The shackles increase the more you climb up in thedder of life, doesn''t it?"
"My words, it''s really like a pebble in my shoes. T-T-Take it slow, right, like that. My head is all dizzy from the pain, I would have copsed without your help."
I pulled Gin-san from the bathtub using body-strengthening magic --- though he did refuse once but that was the efficient way to not exert the pressure on his leg --- and then took him to the dressing room where Iid him on a chair.
"Shall I call your people?"
I asked, but Gin-san refused with a smile.
"Ah, leave it. The pain will subside after a short rest, so there''s no need. It would just disturb those who''re enjoying their bath. Take it easy."
I handed him a water pouch, told him ''It''s water you can drink'' and returned to the bathroom.
The empty bathtub was almost like a reserved ce where I soaked myself to my heart''s content for the next hour, until the moon was visible from the sole window of the ce.
When I returned to the dressing room, Gin-san had already left.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 103 - Hot Spring (3)
"It''s quite a long bath, huh, boss? I was just about to check on you...... Back to the topic, Sis Shuri has arrived from the Royal Capital."
Ousa, the attendant of Gin, said while opening the door to the room where a chestnut-haired girl was waiting.
"It''s been a while, Shuri. Let me guess, something happened?"
"Yes. There are rumors that the group that left the umbre of our Crane-Dragon Union has now taken shelter under the Rose Family but...... You''re in an awfully good mood, did something happen?"
Shuri was about to report the situation when she saw a huge grin over Gin''s face and couldn''t help but ask in curiosity.
"Fufu, did my face give me away?...... Anyway, since they wanted to leave, so be it. The world is already changing after all.
It''s in human nature to constantly strive for an advantageous position, and if they''ve found a ce they think they can use freely and strike it rich, then anything else is useless. Especially when we''re talking about those sly foxes with sharp noses. Did you dig something up about the Rose Family?"
"The Rose Firm was a normal general contact based firm in the past that operated on the western front of the Royal Capital. However, now the samepany is the patron of many organizations, and we have no clue as to how it managed to reach that phase in the mere span of ten years.
The affiliated corporations and mutual aid societies are using quite reckless ways to amass money, but otherwise they''re living their lives in luxury. What''s strange is that they''re not trying to pool up the money, yet it doesn''t seem like they''re going to run out of funds anytime soon either."
Gin squinted his eyes.
"There''s no smoke without fire...... Remind me again, I believe it was also around ten years ago when the president of the Divine Silver organization, who had been managing the western part of the capital, died in an ident, right?"
"It''s as you say, Boss. We even ran a search to dig up the past graves, but they''ve done quite a clean work, making it harder to proceed.
Nevertheless, this just points out that the attack on the Boss and the top echelon of another organization --- the ruler of the Royal Capital''s underworld --- was truly due to their instigation......"
Shuri muttered her guess with a look of disgust on her face.
"Thest thing that should being out of one''s mouth in this line of work is a guess, Shuri, especially from a person of your caliber. Know that even the walls have ears.
You can''t perform a clean execution when your heart is burdened with something and that gap is fatal when the tables are turned on you."
Shuri pursued her lips with a vexed expression and lowered her head.
"Is the knight order not going to make a move...?"
The young man Ousa, who had been quietly listening to the discussion, interjected.
"Because it''s not worth it. We''re mere outcasts, after all. At the very least, they''re not going to make a move openly in this battle of dominion over the underworld. They hardly even had any free hands with the stuff they need to handle.
And most of all, the day you, a human who makes a living in the shadows, develops a reliance on their hammer of justice means it''s over for you. Cultivate that heart of yours starting today."
Seeing that Gin had seen through his intention, Ousa felt tongue tied and in the end bowed his head.
"Anyway, even the shadows need the sun to survive. My wounds have healed to a certain extent, so I''m more or less ready to return to the capital."
Shuri''s eyes sparkled when she heard Gin''s words.
"For real? This is surely going to excite everyone! None of them looked calm enough ever since you came here, Boss."
Gin had a bitter smile when he heard Shuri''s words and then, as if recalling something, he asked.
"Speaking of which, the roughneck that you told me about from Lynd''s society, what was it, that ''Mad Hound''--- his name is ''Ren'' right?"
Shuri found it a bit strange when Gin asked this, since thest time she had talked about this topic, Gin had shown no interest. But surprise aside, she answered,
"Yes, the name''s ''Ren'' indeed. Apple has gained a huge foothold in the capital''s eastern front recently, but... That boneheaded Lynd just refused to affiliate with us. We even tried to invite him when they were short on helping hands, but he kept abiding to his self-dependency motto..."
"Haha. It''s fine, I don''t want to force Apple to join us. Lynd must have his own n. I have the feeling we''re going to see a change soon."
Gin said as he broke into a broad smile.
The unusually delighted mood of their leader caught Ousa and Shuri by surprise as they looked at each other in confusion.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After enjoying the hot spring fully right after dinner --- it was a simple meal made using edible nts --- and before morning, I was now at the entrance of the vige at the appointed time.
However, Tonny, who was supposed to guide me to the vige while shopping, was nowhere to be found and instead, another carriage and two armed guards, a man and a woman, were waiting.
Apparently they were the personal guards of the two bearded men''s big brothers and were going to travel with us to Kirika.
It didn''t take long before small-moustache and goat-beard also arrived. However, there was another man with them shing a suspicious-as-hell smile and with eyes squinted to the level of beingpletely closed.
"Hey, sorry to make you wait. I''m Red, somewhat of a rtive to these two dunces behind me. I was really worried when they didn''te back on the appointed time. Apparently they dropped their travel expenses which caused you some trouble. Man, you''re really a lifesaver as they managed to travel safely due to your protection. You have my gratitude, truly."
The person said while kicking the butt of the small-moustached man.
Heh, so that was their excuse, huh? Whatever, not my circus, not my problem.
"Nah, that was hardly a bother. I only epted the request because I wanted to drop by here for the hot spring."
I shrugged.
Red --- though I bet it was an alias given his red hair --- slightly opened his squinted eyes and asked me in a testing tone. Though that shit-eating grin was still stered on his face.
"Oh? So just like these two said, you knew the request would go through the Ament Volcano yet still decided to take it on despite the paltry reward of 5,000 rea? And if they''re right, you''re a man of a certain caliber too..."
He prefaced with these words and then deepened that shady smile, saying with a threatening tone,
"Whatever, so tell me brat. Whose errand boy are you, and what''s your goal?"
I sighed. That type of petty viin could only make a baby cry...... What should I say, huh? It would suck to navigate the route to Kirika alone without guidance, but it seemed like that was what I was about to do. Good grief.
An iplete request also affected an explorer''s rank, so normally, the procedure would have been to go along with the bullshit even if you want to spit. But being shackled into such a spot just because of some sort of obligation was thest thing I wanted to happen to me.
Besides, my B-rank was bing a thorn in my path. Honestly, anyone who heard my rank would react with temtes ''A brat of your age at B-rank? Don''t make meugh,'' ''Kids shouldn''t lie, go back to your mama,'' ''Who the hell made you the boss, punk,'' or ''Greetings, chief!'' among others.
So I didn''t really like to do rank dropping.
"Listen here, I''m Ren from the Apple Familia, and I''ve been working around the eastern side of the Royal Capital. I already told those two fools my goal. I was just on my way from Solcoast after my vacation trip when I heard about the hot springs and decided to take the request. Nothing more, nothing less. I don''t care about what shit you''re on. But---"
I sucked in a deep breath after exining that and dered.
"Don''t think I am the type to hide behind my mama''s skirt while crying, so pick a quarrel at your own risk. There''s a limit to nuisance I tolerate, for god''s sake."
The two guards put their hands on the hilt of their swords.
Red, however, wore that shit-eating grin again and kicked that goat-bearded fe this time.
"Oh heavens, so you''re the ''Mad Hound'' of Apple? My, that was really uncalled-for then. I often move around in the Royal Capital, so I have heard of your exploits.
It''s just that when I heard that an unknown brat epted their almost volunteer-like request, I really couldn''t help but find it suspicious. I even kept a lookout outside Tsukiya fromst night but didn''t see anything suspicious......
I just wanted to see if there''s something more hidden. Man, I would have alreadye to greet you if I knew it was the acimed Mad Hound... Seriously, such good-for-nothing fes are an embarrassment. It''s no surprise you''re a talent. I''m also traveling to Kirika, so I would be relying on your good graces."
......Wow, I truly dodged that bullet of ''Greetings, Aniki'' setting, huh? No, it was really great that you have such dumb people under you, cherish them more...
"Well, if you get it then that solves the hassle. But let me be clear first. I only epted the request to guard those two. I hope you understand that their safety would take precedence in case of an emergency."
Red showed a slightly disappointed expression when I said that but swiftly readjusted.
"Absolutely. The reward is already paltry, so I already expected asking for anything more is impossible. Besides, it''s their safety that is important to me."
"One more thing. I use detection magic to search for signs of a monster attack, so my ears are quite sharp, you see. Either be careful of what you say or keep a magical tool to prevent me from hearing you guys.
As I said earlier, I don''t give a shit about what you do, but I would be forced to take action if it meant jeopardizing my peace."
I warned them in a crystal clear tone. Red, who heard that, finally broke that annoying expression and showed a cheerful smile.
"Hahaha. No wonder you''re a professional. I was really worried for a moment there to be honest after hearing rumors like you being short-tempered or getting into your nerves meant a beating and so on... Now I can truly be worry-free... You''re interesting, Mad Hound."
Red said and ced his hand over my shoulder in an over familiar manner. I swear he was just a bit short of making those viin-like licking lips gestures.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After the initial hup, we departed for Kirika.
On the way, Red often asked me to enter the carriage for a talk, but I turned them all down in light of any monster attack. Though I didn''t see any noteworthy monsters, at least for me, crossing our path.
It was around the morning of the next day that we arrived at Kirika safely.
When it was time to split up, Red handed me a business card of sorts where the name of a bar, located in the slum area of the western area of the capital, was written while saying ''Come visit me when you have free time in the capital. Say it''s an introduction from ''Red'' of the Rose Family''.
I immediately crumpled the card and tossed it away once they were out of sight. It was clear that they were doing anything but white business.
I took that day to do some sightseeing around Kirika city and then boarded the train to the capital the next day.
Apparently, the city of Kirika was famous for its masks which were sold in heaps at the street-level stalls. So I purchased plenty of masks from peculiar ones to in ones. They were just right in case I needed a disguise and some also didn''t have holes where the eyes should be, so I could also train my mind''s eye (acute vision) using them.
Well, now that vacation was over, I also need to visit the knight station first thing tomorrow...
There was no obligation to notify the knight order that I would be taking my leave beforehand, but that said, it probably fell into the irresponsible category to not even say a word before quietly slipping out of the Royal Capital.
In fact, I could already envision the Master gritting his teeth in rage......
E/N - You know, I find it ironic that the MC joined Apple for the Yakuza-lile feel, but now the MC is avoiding Yakuza-like temtes that he so eagerly did to the members of Apple before.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 104 - A Glimpse of Knight Orders Affairs
It was the day after I came back to the Royal Capital. Today, I decided to drop by at the Knight Order''s central garrison since it had been a while.
"You''re finally here, huh, smelly brat!? Sure, you''re just a temporary member, but why''d you go missing without even notifying, for damn''s sake!? What do you take us for, a rest house!? All the preparation I had made to make good use of you ended up for naught!"
I was immediately spotted by Master Dew whose eyes were red like a hell demon''s. Don''t tell me he was drinking again, or maybe it''s sleep deficiency? But man, look at his audacity to brazenly dere his intention to make me work like a bull. See, I totally saw thating and that was why I ran away. So, I ignored him.
"Oh heavens no, master! May thunder strike the audacious one who dares to disturb everyone, no way would Imit the same folly. That''s why I decided to take my exit quietly...... Ah, could it be some unnecessary concern from my side? Pardon me, but I have to visit Kiana-san for archery practice---"
"Did I say you can leave, huh?"
I tried to retreat, but the Master''s w dug into my skull.
"Masking your whereabouts so cleverly is quite a way to show your concern, must I say. Dew-san even asked the intelligence department to look for you after running out of patience, but even they gave up. The only thing they knew was that you went to Robles with your friends for explorer stuff, but there was nothing after that. Where in the world did you go?"
The cleft-chinned Dante-san asked from the sideline with a bitter smile.
Fufufu.
That day aftering back to our dormitory in the evening, I changed into civilian clothes, put on a hat, and left the dormitory under the darkness of night, boarding a direct train to Cosrael that same day.
I bet no one would have thought in their wildest dreams that I would leave for another journey right after finishing one on the same day. My intuition was rming me continuously that ''I would be in trouble in a lot of ways'' once the news of me returning spread out.
Thest thing I wanted was a caravan of guests at my tail on my trip to Solcoast. Well, once you''ve seen the other side of society, being careful bes a habit.
"Of course, I was on vacation! I wanted to eat seafood at any coast, so it was a long trip to Count Serdos'' territory but oh boy, I can still recall the taste of my wish! After that, I happened to hear about the hot springs, and since it was on the way, I thought why not and then---"
Just as I was exining, I felt the grip of my Master over my head increasing with each word of mine.
"......And then, that was a joke. I was actually on a quest to broaden my horizon--- ack, it hurts, Master. My head is seriously going to get crushed at this rate!!"
"For crying out loud! Now if I don''t see any improvement after your so-called training, believe me when I say I will crack open that skull!
Your first task is to check out the police reshuffling program, followed by meeting with the R&D folks about the magic tool ?Spreadsheet? or whatever. After that, check out the mountain of documents at my desk, sheesh they really don''t know to give my poor bones some break, and then follow Dante at night for a 3-day expedition! The 6th legion requested backup.
The main goal of the expedition is the extermination of a pack of Dark Wolves; it won''t take more than half a day with your support."
......You know what, why don''t you change the name of this ce to Hell''s Workspace?!
¡ô¡ô¡ô
As a condition for him to ept me as his pupil, I appealed that I could also take some of the workload off of him in exchange.
But at some point, the little help had transitioned from minor tasks to almost bing his proxy. It was no less than torture to go through the pre-modern era''s desk work, so in the end I took some liberty and taught the others just a bit of modern business secrets on how to get things done swiftly.
It was almost the norm for capable people to be swamped with work, but when the same work became the blindfold that prevented them from performing their duties, they should have realized their error then.
Master during that time was honestly a pain in ass, and it was nigh impossible for me to waste my precious hours in the mountain of never-ending work.
I categorize the whole lot of work into---
-
Routine or non-routine work.
-
Whether they needed Master''s attention
-
If the same documents could be approved by another member''s authority
This also decreased Master''s workload, making his situation better, though if you ask me, each and every one had be so dependent on the fast working Master that it gradually became the distorted norm for him and his surroundings. If anything, I just undid that distortion.
Well, that mighte out rich from someone who wasbelled as ipetent with tasks or an abandoned tool. But thinking back, my brain was socking that I couldn''t even do average level stuff.
If I have tobel why, then it was because there wasn''t a single thing that I wanted to do. Second, I guess I also lost faith in myself somewhere along the way. Then again, what else did I expect when I put the entrance ceremony or employment as my end-goal instead of a procedure that only took my time.
Anyway, there''s no point talking about a dead man''s past.
I was astonished that that was enough for my Master to leap in joy, saying something like ''now I can sleep every day''. He must have really low expectations of his life to be content with only that, which was, on the contrary, a far cry from something I would be content with.
The more free time he had, the more he could open his schedule to teach me about wind (detection) magic, my foremost desire in this world, and the more beneficial it would be for me.
Unfortunately, even categorizing had its limits, so the next step in the n was to reform the sub-organization or police force. By arranging police boxes inside the city, the area needed to be covered by the 3rd legion in patrol was further reduced for the moment.
This reformation n not only cut the workload of Master but also showed some concrete results and received quite a warm reception.
There was no telling when the kingdom would go to war with the other nations, so stabilizing and securing public safety along with reducing the workload of the kingdom''s trump card was an important matter... or so I was told.
Well, just because it was important didn''t mean we could immediately implement it, so we were currently in the testing period. We created several trial sites and gathered data from them and used that data to develop an efficient strategy to achieve our goals.
However, putting that aside, I felt that we sorely needed a spreadsheet program which couldpile the data to give us a glimpse of what was going well and what needed improvement.
The norm so far whenever something big happened was to form a mixed troop with a Marquis family''s private chivalric order, which was to be led by the Kingdom''s Knight Order. But that also meant an increased burden and workloadpared to peacetime.
That said, I doubt any Japanese sryman would expect to drop into another world where people would still update their management sheets manually.
I hadn''t seen a magical tool that was remotely simr to a PC in this world, so poprizing the spreadsheet program was a tough nut to crack in itself. But something like a monitor or a pocket calctor was possible in the capital.
So I thought that if it was the knight order that has both an abundant budget and excellent human resources, they should be able to create at least a specific tool if they work a bit harder... right?
If it could be achieved, I wasn''t one to brag, but it would definitely improve the efficiency of desk jobs by a hundred-fold.
Well, I guess I was also quite riled up during that time and gave a passionate presentation. It was received so well that they allocated an absurd amount of budget without batting an eye, and even going as far as to rope in external organizations, shifting from mere small projects torge-scale projects.
Even Emmy-sensei from the Royal Academy --- our Magical Tool Research Club advisor as well as magical tool researcher and a mage mentor --- was participating in it. As for her reason, ''It''s a brilliant idea, but you''ll only see overlyplicated items if everything was left to those stone-headed old-timers...''
So what was originally a mere idea conceived to reduce Master''s burden spread like wildfire among the entirety of the Knight Order, and even the entire kingdom following the eagerness of the whole bureaucratic bunch. And as the originator of this reformation idea, I was often summoned in meetings despite being no more than a provisional member of the Knight Order.
As if that wasn''t enough, I was often made to run errands on missions where my detection magic was useful as a recement for Master who couldn''t distance himself from the capital. Good grief, did they forget I was just a temporary member?
Apparently my detection magic was one of the best in the Knight Order, though it was far cry from Master''s, but anyway, the other legions who heard of the rumors also started making requests, asking me if I was free to join them on wide area subjugation missions.
Those missions were hardly befitting of the status of my Master, themander of the 3rd legion, so instead they directed their attention to me since I was an easy fish to summon as a temporary recruit and a student.
It wasn''t hard to imagine that my summer vacation would be ruined for good if I stayed idle withouting up with a strategy. I was here to learn from my Master, not to be his seconding!
"Oh my, the hot springs of the Serdos territory, huh? Do you mean Ment Vige?"
I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn''t notice the arrival of Justin-san who inquired about my vacation with a grinning face.
"Woah, when did you get here, Justin-san? Speaking of, I didn''t see Parch-san anywhere either, is he out patrolling? Otherwise, it''s hard to think that that person would waste the chance to tease me.
Ah, right. So you know Ment Vige? Man, that was quite a beautiful vige, they had the best bath I have visited in my life!"
In response to my carefree reply, Master and Dante-san reflexively stared at each other, which was followed by silence.
"Parch-san is out to cull the number of monsters with third-years in tow. It''s the time for the third-years of the Royal Academy toe and join the Knight Order temporarily for first-hand experience. We might be the 3rd legion, but even we have as many as eight interns. Well, they''re guests in the end for now.
It''s also the best time to give them a radiant demonstration and experience and show the brilliance of the Knight Order.
By the way, considering it''s you, I bet you must have visited the vige as a civilian rather than a member of the Knight Order, eh? Did you find yourself bing acquainted with someone or hearing some weird rumors?"
Justin-san asked with his usual grinning mask.
No wait, did he just say those third-years were guests? Recalling my initial time here, they went too gung-ho though......
"Nah, it was just a simple trip. All I did was take an escort request, dip into the hot spring, and then make my way home. I didn''t hear anything of particr concern.
Ah, but my client happened to be ruffians, seemingly members of the Rose Family... I don''t know why, but he was acting quite chummy and even asked to visit him when I had free time in the capital. Of course, he smells trouble and looks like an outright viin, so there''s no chance!"
When I gave a clear-cut exnation, Justin-san genuinely burst out inughter.
"Ahahaha! You really are amusing, Allen. That''s one heck of an interesting vacation you had.
Perhaps it''s only you who would jump to take on a shady request voluntarily to Ment Vige after the sightseeing in the Serdos territory. Indeed, your pattern is as enigmatic as you are. I do wonder just how far you had seen through the charade while wearing that dumb expression, huh?
......It''s quite a situation now, isn''t it, Dew-san? Rose has finally shown its Achilles heel with Allen''s action."
In response to Justin-san, Master sighed, scratched his head with an ''argh, what a pain'' expression, and crossed his arms as he said.
"......Give me all the details, smelly brat."
Vol. 1 - Ch. 105 - Dark Wolf (1)
"......Give me all the details, smelly brat."
I summarized the whole event as it was while under Master''s re.
How I went out on a trip to fulfil my craving for seafood, how I spent my time on Solcoast enjoying the oceanic scenery, and how coincidentally --- it was important to emphasize this here for me --- I happened to ept that escort request. Though Justine-san didn''t seem to believe it at all, as he muttered something iprehensible like ''They''ll surely collect information, which is just perfect''.
Just as I feared another troublesome work was about to be pushed onto me, Master unexpectedly came to my rescue.
"It would be disgraceful to give a temporary member, a student on top of that, with an infiltration mission. Though my words mean nothing considering it''s the brat. Anyway, it''s a no. You just do your work as an explorer like usual and report back to me if you get in touch with them again. That''s all."
I was relieved to hear this conclusion, meanwhile Justin-san shrugged.
"Anyway, first is the reformation of the police force. I need you to check and decide whether to set up the police booths with three shifts or two. Then next is the function of the spreadsheets. Emi imed that ''We should focus more on augmentation than just focusing on one aspect since the so-called spreadsheet would surely be a cornerstone in other ces than just our Knight Order'', and opinion is split on this, so you need to attend the meeting and see that it reaches a conclusion. I damn hate those boorishly long meetings.
Come back to my office when you''re done with that. I need extra hands to take care of some things, and I''ll also check your progress in enhanced vision magic. Then at 8 p.m., head out with Dante''s leading team. You must have had quite a good vacation, huh? Now it''s time to sweat it out, you brat."
Master exined my next tasks with a grinning face.
"What, that''s cruel! I''m just a student who just joined the Knight Order temporarily! Wait I know, my dear Justin-senpai would surely hel---"
I protested and hurriedly turned around to rope in Justin-san in helping out, but that person had long disappeared.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The Knight Order that Yuglia Kingdom boasted of had seven legions, with each legion sporting 120 members and an Imperial legion made up of 60 knights.
Each legion undertook specific duties, and the way to identify them was by the color of their uniform''s mantle. In detail---
Imperial Legion: Their main task was to guard the royal family and defend the royal capital (Silver).
1st Legion: The kingdom''s Monster Cmity Relief Initiative (White).
2nd Legion: In charge of the navy around the Baerentz Sea and the Rune Great River, located in the eastern part of the kingdom, and safeguarding the sea border (Cyan).
3rd Legion: Controlling and managing the forces overlooking the entire kingdom, protecting the kingdom and the rune ins (ck).
4th Legion: Supervising the kingdom''s northern forces, along with guarding the border with the Rosemieur Empire (Red).
5th Legion: Supervising the kingdom''s northwestern forces, along with guarding the border with the Starlight Theocracy and the Ci Municipal Federation (Yellow).
6th Legion: Supervising the kingdom''s southwestern forces, along with guarding the border with Justeria (Green).
7th Legion: Supervising the kingdom''s southeastern forces, along with guarding the border with the Kuwaal Republic and the Futoura Kingdom (Blue).
There were also rumors that the underworld organization also had their own color, Magenta (purplish red), but there was no proof of their existence. I mean, could you imagine a force from the dark side sporting such a royal color? That must be some kind of joke for sure.
Anyway, while the duties and areas were quite clearly defined for the Knight Order, that wasn''t aplete top-to-bottom view of it.
For example, legions would cooperate with each other to reduce several risky incidents like a stampede, or a new kind of gue --- of the level of a disaster --- or like how the 6th legion had requested the 3rd legion''s help for the current request. Apparently, a dangerous monster has appeared in the area managed by the 6th legion that they couldn''t handle alone, and the 1st legion was busy due to various reasons hence they requested help from the 3rd legion who were adjacent to them, with the Western Rune Mountain Belt sandwiched between.
In this way, the coordination and cooperation between legions would increase in peace times.
The mission we --- a four-person squad --- were tasked with was the extermination of a Dark Wolf pack that had been sighted in a certain baron''s territory at the West Rune Mountain Belt with Dante-san as the leader.
It was a non-stop march for three days. The sole silver lining was that we were allowed to use a magic car with a resplendent interior--- the Knight Order''s exclusive vehicle.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Alright, what''s with that mask?"
Dante-san asked while pointing at my mask --- which had the portrait of a grinning middle-aged man with drooping eyes --- that I had been wearing inside the magic car.
"This? I bought it in Kirika when I stopped by there during my vacation. It hid my identity and also blocked lightpletely, a perfect item to train active sonar. Though I don''t know just whose fetish it caters to, but it looked nice, so I bought it.
But I really would like to ask the creator why in the world they decided to go along with this design if I ever meet them. It''s even hard and fits perfectly on my face!"
Dante-san made a wry smile at my exnation. Well, I could roughly deduce that he was someone with a great sense of aesthetics.
"......I just thought that maybe there''s some kind of grave reason, but it seems like there''s none. Well, I think that maybe you should be a bit more mindful about your getup? Leaving that aside, how much do you know about Dark Wolves?"
ording to the Canardial Encyclopedia, a Dark Wolf was an animal capable of fostering a mana organ over time. They were unlike the monster-ification of a Rune Sheep as those wolf-type monsters carried the essence of a mana organ inside them from birth.
They were nocturnal beasts with obsidian-like ck fur that allowed them to hide within the veil of the night. They hunted in packs and excelled in surprise attacks. They would often attack campsites of explorers or merchant caravans or target domesticated pets in human settlements, which in all put them into the dangerous monster category.
They were individually ranked between D to B-rank, and some stronger variants were even ssified as high as A-rank. But facing their pack was another matter. In terms of explorer rank, a request to subjugate a Dark Wolf pack would surely be designated as S-rank.
S-rank designations basically meant a single A-rank explorer couldn''t take them down and so these requests were typically passed on to the Knight Order.
Well, it should be possible for a band of high-ranking explorers to chase them out of the territory if requested, but that was why the mission was assigned to us. The goal this time was to ''eliminate them all''. Even if they were to be chased away, they might group together in another region and wreak havoc after all.
Besides, it should be hard for a baron family to dish out the funds to personally request high-ranking explorers to do such a task. That was where Marquis Endemion''s troops (one of the many forces in the southwest), the patron of the aforementioned baron family, and the 6th legion that supervised them had a discussion where they decided to call out for our support in order to minimize the trouble at the Justeria border. Justeria was no stranger, but it was also not an acquaintance.
"They''re good at surprise attacks and are cunning and intelligent monsters. They can also sense strong enemies and flee at a moment''s notice. And their special trait is to regroup with each other even when they''re 100 kilometers apart.
The best way to cull thempletely is by spreading a of people over 50 kilometers, and trap them into a ring as much as possible in daytime by closing in. Well, it would be great if we can somehow lure them out of their den, which is safer and more practical, but that requires a lot of time and human resources."
Dante-san nodded at my exnation.
"Heh, it''s great that you have a strong curiosity to learn on your own... We would have followed the same n when their concealment ability was at their lowest, but it''s hard to request for more backup given the kingdom''s internal affairs.
The 6th legion will be the sword in this campaign with us, the 3rd legion squad, joining them as support. We''ll take them out all at once at night when they''re most active. It''s going to be a tough ride, so always be on your guard."
Dante-san exined with a tense expression. I also nodded with a simr serious expression.
"Also...... I know that''s not your actual intent but that grinning old man face mask might appear annoying..."
E/N - I was thinking MC''s mask was a V mask, but it described the mask with ''drooping eyes''. ???¡á?
Vol. 1 - Ch. 106 - Dark Wolf (2)
"Knight Dante Segran, court rank 5th in the Yuglia Kingdom''s Knight Order 3rd Legion, reporting with his three subordinates! Inpliance with Captain Olina''s order, we shall nowmence the extermination of the Dark Wolves in Baron Brier''s territory under the leadership of the 6th legionmander Suzunami!"
It was around 1 pm the next day from our departure when we arrived at Baron Brier''s territory. We got off from our magic car at the nearest town and arrived at the campsite after walking through the rugged street for around an hour.
The first step we took was to visit themander right away at the ridiculously huge green tent of the 6th legion. It was located at the corner of an elevated teau. It was a ce with lush nature, so livestock naturally prospered here in great numbers.
And speaking of court rank, it was conferred to high-ranking officials in this kingdom to distinguish their ss, with a total of eight ssifications.
In the case of the Knight Order, Captains were obviously the 1st, vice-captains and advisors like Godorfun-sensei in the past were 2nd, themanders took the 3rd to 7th positions, and the novice knights had the 8th rank. Provisional members receive no court rank.
As for Dante-san, his rank was an example of his strength. Back on Earth, he would have been a so-called division leader, someone whomanded a force of tens of thousands in times of emergency.
Hmm, why did I know? Well, I might not have an interest in ranks or positions, but I had to learn to fill in the gaps in my knowledge.
"Ahaha, disciplined as ever eh, Dante? You should know only members of the Knight Order are allowed to enter this tent, so take it easy man. Too much stiffness isn''t good for your health. Oh, I guess that young''un is the star of Godorfun and Dew''s eyes, huh?"
Inside the tent, around 15 knights, seemingly members of the 6th legion, were sitting in a circle discussing their strategy. A bob-cut woman --- I guess she must be the captain of the 6th legion --- was sitting at the center cross-legged. She tapped her shoulder with a pointing stick while staring at me.
I wonder if it was the influence of mana, most of the people I had encountered happened to be young looking. From the facial features, she was quite a charming woman of 40 something, though she was apparently over 50 ording to Dante-san.
But how should I say this...... she looked more like the typical uncle from her actions.
On the other hand, "To think even Captain Suzunami would be here as well. I assume you''re here to take a look at him as well?", Dante-san asked with a wry expression while urging me to greet her.
"I''m Allen Rovenne, a provisional member of the 3rd legion. I''m still a fledgling more than anything else though, so I hope to learn from all of you."
I politely bowed my head in introduction. However, as if she had seen something unexpected, she squinted her eyes and closed the distance from her position. After taking a look at me from up close --- the gap was so small that I could feel her breathing on my skin --- she said,
"Oh my, is this really the same troublemaker that gave both Sir Godorfun and Dew headaches in the rumors? He looked more mellow than anything else. Fufu, is the sheep''s skin you''re wearing supposed to impress me? But you know, actual wolves are more of my type."
Captain Suzunami said in a teasing tone. Her eyes wereced with a hint of curiosity, like those of a child who suddenly found a new toy.
"I am not sure how rumors that I don''t even remember an atom of have spread out, but I want to make it clear. I revered both Godorfun-sensei and Master. Though we did have a few debates, I believe there was nothing so aggressive as to warrant me the title of troublemaker."
I said with a smile. After hearing my reply, Suzunami-san giggled.
"Hoho~? You have guts. The more the merrier, so I''ll be counting on you!"
She said while suddenly squatting down and started running her fingers over my thighs.
"W-W-W-What in the world are you doing!?"
I was wary of some sort of rough greeting that I might not know of in this other world, but her movements were all so natural that I wasn''t able to react properly while she continued to rub my thigh and butt.
"Oho, I see. I''ve heard about your talent in body-strengthening magic but given your trained muscles, you''re not simply letting your talent carry you, eh? Now I''m looking forward to your performance.
...Hmm? That''s enough to get your face red... Don''t tell me you''re a virgin? Uh-huh, you should get some experience before you get caught up in their trap. I know many talented people who couldn''t properly handle themselves and got their bodies ruined. I don''t mind if you want me to be your first though, hahaha!"
My motto in this life was to live freely, avoiding affairs of the folks at the top but... I would definitely set up aw against sexual harassment for real if I happened to be in a position of power......
Just as I was cursing this wild woman in my mind, an exceedingly beautiful female knight entered, parting the curtains hanging at the entrance of the tent.
"Rosetta reporting in. The deployment of Marquis Endemion''s forces has beenpleted...... Wait, what''re you doing, Captain Suzunami?"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The female knight introduced herself as Rosetta Rolleard.
It seemed like she was an acquaintance of Dante-san, so she dropped by to say hello to him. Though seeing the 150 cm tall Rosetta-san standing next to the 2 m tall hulking figure that was Dante-san was ringing some kind of bells inside my mind.
Apparently, Dante-san had taught her a great deal of things when she hade to the 3rd legion as an intern five years ago from the Royal Academy. She apparently also knew Mamon-san and Langsha-san--- the other two members of the 3rd legion dispatched alongside Dante-san and me. I also gave her my greetings.
"I''m Rosetta, one of the aides of Captain Suzunami. I would like to extend my gratitude for epting our request. We hope to have a happy cooperation with you."
Rosetta-san, despite being a member of the army, was a woman with refined features exuding a prim and gentle aura which, to be honest, was my ideal type.
Well, she was cute, but she must be someone with amazing talent if she was given the post of an aide to a legion captain (something like giving a promising candidate a secretary-like position).
Just as I expected, she had concisely but clearly made clear the important details in the meeting to brief us about their strategy at the urging of her Captain Suzunami. Well, that was to be expected.
Alright, I guess I am a bit more motivated with her appearance. It would be a shame if I fumbled here.
"With that, I hope the 3rd legion team takes care of the pursuit and elimination of the Dark Wolves inside the encirclement. I think I don''t need to say this, but please make sure that the Dark Wolves doesn''t escape the encirclement, and prioritize cornering it at the Clover Valley, where Captain Suzunami and three other knights would be waiting in ambush."
"Alright, Rose. Let''s do our best."
Dante-san said with a wink.
So envious...... I also wanted to try calling her by her nickname.
"Thank you for the briefing. Now, let''s start, shall we?"
''Heave-ho,'' Captain Suzunami uttered as she stood up.
The other members of the 6th legion also stood up at once following her and wore their green mantle.
The gentle atmosphere inside the tent suddenly tensed with their action. Even the stiff-shouldered, old-man-at-heart Captain Suzunami was giving off the aura of a leader.
"March on."
""Yes, Ma''am!!"
I also put on my drooping-eyed old-man mask --- I had taken it off before entering the tent --- and followed after the folks of the 6th legion to the outside.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Outside, 20 somethingmanders of the Marquis Endemion army --- veteran knights in their prime --- were standing there.
None of them held court ranks as only the Knight Order serving the nation (royal family) possessed them. To put them into a hierarchy, their position was far lower than even themon unit of the Knight Order.
In this strategy, they and their 2000 subordinates would be carrying the torches and put up an encirclement surrounding the Dark Wolves.
Rosetta-san did not falter once as she swiftly passed hermands to the seniormanders.
"I appreciate all of your cooperation. We will start our operation at 5 p.m., two hours from now, which is when the Dark Wolves prepare themselves to leave their den.
The extermination of the Dark Wolves would be handled by the Knight Order. Just make sure the encirclement doesn''t get broken even if a Dark Wolf tries to target you and immediately blow the whistle in such a case to call in the nearby Knight Order members. Aside from that, make sure to avoid a battle with a Dark Wolf as much as possible.
That''s all. Do you have any other instructions, Captain?"
With Rosetta-san turning around, Captain Suzunami stepped up.
"The pack of Dark Wolves, our extermination target, is estimated to have more than 90 of them at the very least. The leader of the pack is a specimen nicknamed ?ck Lightning? and ording to the information gathered, the pack has targeted a total of 148 citizens. I''m sure you''re aware that among them are also your brethren from the Endemion army. So it''s time to pay them back!
In lieu of that, we have also invited ?Clear Cut? Dante Segran and--- pfft!!............ ?Comedic Codger? from the capital''s 3rd legion to thoroughly eradicate this evil. Give it your all! Pfft!"
Captain Suzunami was encouraging the gathered troops with a dignified expression --- it was hard to believe she was the same old-man-at-heartdy --- when she suddenly burst out inughter noticing my mask.
The rest of the oldmanders gave me uneasy nces. Rosetta-san also desperately endured the urge tough out loud with a red face, her shoulder intermittently shaking and tears faintly glistening in her eyes, as she signaled the beginning of the operation.
"E-E-Everyone, take your... spot~!!"
How should I say this... Sorry. I didn''t mean to do that.
E/N - So the MC is also a man of culture, I see ??
Also I just realized that they were dealing with a pack and not just one Dark Wolf. I''ll edit the previous chapterster to correct that ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 107 - Dark Wolf (3)
The subjugation of the Dark Wolf pack began at precisely 7 p.m. when the soldiers forming the encirclement hoisted up their torches in unison.
The was spread as wide as 50 kilometers, though it was also due to the huge distance that it was impossible for them to surround and eliminate all the Dark Wolves with the people present.
Fortunately, the 6th legion had already scouted the pack¡¯s movement, though it was a challenging task with the Dark Wolves digging their dens at different ces at a specific distance away from each other, while making sure to avoid alerting them.
The scouts of the Knight Order weren¡¯t some soft persimmons and could confront them, however the task at hand was to eliminate all of them. Alerting them would just give them a chance to run away, pouring water on their efforts so far.
Well, it was primarily the team Rosetta-san led that not only managed to grasp the Dark Wolves¡¯ location without alerting them, and they even got the details like where they could be found, the terrain of the area, and the difference in battle power in just 2 to 3 days of exploration.
¡°I¡¯m just following what I¡¯ve been taught, there¡¯s still a long road ahead for me,¡± was the reply I got from the person herself when I made an amazed ¡®Woah, that¡¯s incredible!¡¯ remark. Her desire to improve herself is quite admirable, eh?
¡®Hol,¡¯ the howling of Dark Wolves reverberated in the air as they came out of the mountain at the same time as the encirclement group hoisted their torches.
Dante-san, while carrying a two-handed great sword on his shoulder, much like an exemry knight, said¡ª
¡°So it has begun, huh? We should also get going. Dark Wolves abhor mes and light, so they should be moving in the direction of Clover Valley instead of confronting the torches, but the intelligent specimen might prove troublesome. Our task is to lure out such Wolves hiding in the pack!¡±
The knights were divided into three teams, with the following tasks¡ª
-
The subjugation squad of Captain Suzunami who''d reap the soul of every Dark Wolf once they appeared in Clover Valley.
-
The hunting squad who took care of the intelligent wolves trying to escape the encirclement.
-
Our raid squad who acted inside the encirclement.
ording to Rosetta-san, the Dark Wolves who were rankedst in the hierarchy would try to escape into Clover Valley while the smarter ones would try to cooperate and see if they could break through the siege.
So it was our 3rd legion''s role to chase them into the direction of Clover Valley before they could consider fleeing, and the situation fell into a stalemate.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Rosetta was panicking.
It had been 30 minutes since the start of their operation to drive the Dark Wolf pack toward Clover Valley, however they didn¡¯t even have 10 of the Dark Wolves heading their way¡ª less than a third of the number that she had expected.
Yet, the strange part was she also didn¡¯t hear any whistle to call the nearby knights in case the Dark Wolves were trying to sneak out of the encirclement.
Then what had baffled her even more was theck of presence of the Dark Wolves appearing in the valley. There was only deafening silence surrounding the valley after whatever drizzle of Dark Wolves had appeared within the starting 30 minutes.
Did they make a mistake in the area and left the majority of the Dark Wolves outside the siege? Or maybe something had happened inside the siege?
Just as all sorts of thoughts were running amok inside Rosetta''s head as she contemted the possibilities, Suzunami crossed her arms and called out to her.
¡°Well, then. Our opponent is an irregr variant, so it¡¯s to be expected for the development to take a different route. What we need to focus on is how to deal with that irregrity, Rose. Hmm, should we charge in with everyone present here?¡±
There was clearly apse in their judgement. Or perhaps not? They were certainly not wrong in deploying their manpower in the valley, where they had expected for the enemies to be cornered to.
Rosetta shook her head with a vexed expression.
¡°I can¡¯t apologize enough, Captain. I made a blunder in my judgement. Romambo-san and the two others should be sufficient to hold the fort here. Captain, and I should charge into the siege.¡±
Suzunami chuckled hearing Rosetta¡¯s words.
¡°There¡¯s nothing to apologize for, Rose. Naturally, we ept nothing less than a sort of wless n as we bear the safety of the kingdom and its citizens on our shoulders.
At the very least, I believe deployment of forces was correct. Well, there was a mishap in the conclusion, but the opening act of the operation made it clear that our strategy wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. However, what matters now is, as I said earlier, how do we deal with that irregrity? Alright, let¡¯s go. Romambo, take care of things here.¡°
¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am!¡±
Romambo, an old knight, promptly replied. He must have figured that this was bound to happen when the enemies stopped showing up following Rosetta¡¯sx deployment.
¡°Take a nted formation from the left in the order of Fuga, Washi and Sekumoto!¡± Romambo swiftly gave his orders.
Rosetta¡¯s face warped in distress again as she heard thosemands from behind.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Rosetta, as a user of detection magic, took the lead in their charge.
The sun had already hidden itself in the mountain¡¯s shadow with the surrounding area already sufficiently sumbing to the darkness.
They had just arrived near the central region of the encirclement when a faint sound of battle was heard by Rosetta.
Arriving at the location while following the sound, Rosetta witnessed the scene of the support members ¡ª the members of the 3rd legion including Dante-san whom she respected ¡ª being surrounded by a group of Dark Wolves in an open, depressed area.
The number of Dark Wolves was as much as a hundred by a rough nce, almost as if every single Dark Wolf had gathered here. However, the fact that surprised her was that a knight bearing a wound on his body was kneeling at the center, while the three other knights were standing in a triangle position to protect him.
It was an unbelievable scene for Rosetta. She hadn¡¯t expected a member of the Knight Order tog behind the Dark Wolves when Dante-san was with them¡ and the thing that startled her even more was that they weren¡¯t showing signs of running away.
Rosetta¡¯s mind stopped working for a moment as if she was struck by a deluge at encountering a situation so wild she hadn¡¯t expected to see it even in her dreams, and right at that moment, that ridiculously-masked young man suddenly nocked an arrow with mesmerizing movements and fired in her direction.
The arrow was aimed slightly to her left and seeing that, Rosetta bent her body in the opposite direction to avoid it. But if that wasn¡¯t enough, she was further left bewildered by what happened next.
Suzunami suddenly released her bloodlust and charged in the direction of Rosetta, closing the distance between them as swiftly as possible, while performing a stabbing motion with her spear.
¡°Gaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrg!¡±
Though her exact aim was at the spot slightly above Rosetta¡¯s right shoulder. Suzunami¡¯s spear slipped past Rosetta¡¯s side and stabbed the variant called ¡®ck Lightning,¡¯ the boss of the Dark Wolves, who was about to attack Rosetta from her blind spot.
The sharp sound of its howl ¡ª its death throes ¡ª echoed in the darkness of the night.
¡°It¡¯s our chance!!¡±
Dante-san shouted without any hesitation as he jumped out and swung his great sword which hacked apart the surrounding Dark Wolves like paper.
In the heat of the moment, Suzunami also moved behind the Dark Wolf pack and skewered any Dark Wolf that tried to escape the depression.
Though that masked young man, however, didn¡¯t budge even a bit as his handsnguidly hung down.
¡®A-Ack, I can¡¯t catch up with all that''s happening! What should I do!?¡¯
Rosetta was frozen stiff when Suzunami gave her instruction.
¡°Rose, take the spot of the injured Manon and support Allen in searching for the enemy! Rangra, you focus on eliminating the small fries! And Allen, do you know how many are left!?¡±
¡°There¡¯s one more female wolf, seemingly that boss¡¯s mate! Most likely, that''s all of them!"
Rosetta took a hold of herself following Suzunami¡¯s order and ran down toward Manon, who had been kneeling beside Allen, and concentrated on her spirit and ear.
Rosetta knew of Allen¡¯s exceptional detection magic, as he was trained by the ?Efficient Operator? Dew Owiel ¡ª themander of the 3rd legion and someone who was touted as a freak when it came to detection magic. However, she also had her pride as one of the top 5 in the 6th legion¡¯s list of detection magic users.
She got bested earlier due to an unexpected situation but as long as she could concentrate¡ª Rosetta was just thinking that when Allen suddenly drew his dagger from his belt and flung it behind him.
Cluck
His dagger was stopped by a Dark Wolf¡¯s fang.
Impossible!? I didn¡¯t even notice it¡¡
¡°Rose-san!¡±
Just as Rosetta yelped inside her heart from astonishment, she heard Allen¡¯s voice. Her body acted on its own in response to his voice as she shed the forefoot of the female wolf with her long sword, followed by another swing of her second sword, a short-sword, that lopped off its head.
As soon as Suzunami confirmed that, she shouted¡ª
¡°Don¡¯t let a single one escape. Keep driving them toward the hunting ground! Allen, keep your focus on searching for the enemy just in case! Rose, guard Manon in the meanwhile and call the others in with the flute. Thene after us once you¡¯re done! Let¡¯s go!¡°
Everyone had just started chasing the Dark Wolves following Suzunami¡¯s instructions when Rosetta called out to Allen.
¡°Wait! How did you notice the attack of that Dark Wolf? I want to use it as a reference for my mission!¡±
Allen momentarily stopped and turned around to answer.
¡°¡¡The wind whispered to me.¡±
Wind whispered?! Is this boy sane?¡¡
Rosetta was stupefied on hearing the answer of the kid wearing aughing codger mask.
The operation might not end at a wless note, but she didn¡¯t expect even a student would tease her like this.
Rosetta, having her pride shattered to a million pieces, red at the back of Allen with a vexed expression as he left.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
¡°Wait! How did you notice the attack of that Dark Wolf? I want to use it as a reference for my mission!¡±
Here ites!
¡°¡¡The wind whispered to me.¡±
Turning my head 30 degrees ¡ª the best angle I had discovered where my in face shined the most ¡ª I replied.
It was the fruit of the research I had done with Dan and Dol on a certain day in the dressing room of the dorm¡¯s bathroom. The three of us stood before a mirror stark naked and seriously studied our poses. Though it had taken me as much as 30 minutes toe back to my senses, it was excusable. If I could have a girlfriend, any amount of time was worth it!
My angle was perfect 30 degrees as I turned to nce at her ¡ª though Ipletely forgot I was wearing a mask at that time ¡ª with an almost nihilistic expression while answering. And then, like the graceful wind, I briskly walked away from that ce quietly.
I nailed it!
I could confidently say that that was my best shot!
I faintly chuckled to myself while feeling the fervent gaze of Rosetta-san. I think the surrounding wind had just opened up to the clich¨¦d lovey-dovey route.
T/N - Rip, poor MC. I almost didn¡¯tugh out like a maniac reading thest part. And on another note, the author finally learned to drop in some foreshadowing.
E/N - That was too good. Well, if he really wanted a girlfriend, all he has to do is to look at his ssmates. Unfortunately, the girls who''re into him aren''t exactly right in the head and he''s also too dense to notice.
E/N 2 - edited the past few chapters so the wolves are consistently called "Dark Wolves". Sorry for the confusion. 4/22/24
Vol. 1 - Ch. 108 - After-action Review Meeting
Having lost their leader, the pack tried to flee, but knights were more thanpetent enough to prevent that from happening. A majority was hacked by Suzunami-san, Dante-san, and Rangra-san while the remaining Dark Wolves who escaped into Clover Valley were exterminated by Romambo-san that had been lying in wait there.
Thus, the Dark Wolf pack subjugation battle in Baron Brier''s territory ended on a safe note, albeit with one injureding out of it.
After the battle, a review session was held with everyone.
Rosetta-san said they were required to create a report, so she asked for a detailed retelling of what had happened at the scene when we were surrounded by the Dark Wolves.
Amidst this, I noticed her gaze was a bit... prickly whenever she nced at me. Was this what they called tsundere? Though I didn''t sense any ''dere-dere'' element from her business-like gaze. Hmm, maybe that was how a tsundere reacted in reality...?
Anyway, going back to the details of the report--- it happened when we were trying to flush out the pack of Dark Wolves toward the designated ce inside the siege when their leader, ''ck Lightning,'' mounted an attack on us.
It was just my guess, but he was apparently disgruntled by my detection range, which was actually quite wide due to my wind magic.
The ck Lightning and its mate were different from their peers, as they were capable of neutralizing passive sonar (Enhanced Hearing Magic) by disturbing the mana around themselves, which created a ''zzz'' like sound from detection magic tools.
I narrowly managed to avoid the attack when I noticed the disruption of mana, jumping forward with my active sonar skill (Enhanced Vision Magic). However, Manon-san couldn''t and received a w strike from the mate of ck Lightning.
I swiftly informed Dante-san about the enemy''s specialty and that the Dark Wolves had been gathering here from other ces in session.
Dante-san''s judgement was to hold the stalemate as it was.
There was a chance that the Dark Wolves might run away once I stopped using my active sonar that was getting on their nerves, but there was an even bigger danger of further assault.
However, as long as we knew there would be following attacks, it wasn''t actually that tough to defend against their them with my magic and Dante-san and other''s abilities.
Besides, if ck Lightning that led the pack decided to target a section of the siege by chance to make their escape, I was sure that the siege wouldn''t be able to hold them back.
We concluded that it was best for us to keep them stuck here and, if possible, take down that boss. Besides, even if we couldn''t finish the boss, Captain Suzunami and Rosetta-san would surelye to check as long as we held them down here.
With Captain Suzunami''s strength, it should be possible to mow down a great majority of the Dark Wolves even if notpletely.
In light of Manon-san''s injury, the group''s safety, and the sess of the mission, Dante-san''s decision couldn''t have been any better.
In the meantime, the small fries among the Dark Wolves jumped around here and there to create a diversion. However, the boss and his mate didn''te to attack us again after the initial surprise attack.
"And well, just as we were stuck in a stalemate, Captain Suzunami and Rose jumped into the fray. You guys were really lifesavers. Rose, too, thank you."
Dante-san conveyed his appreciation with his usual gentle smile. It was quite hard to imagine he was the same person who had been going wild with a demon-like expression in the battle earlier.
Though Rosetta-san shook her head in response to his gratitude.
"No, you shouldn''t be saying this to me. If anything, we should have arrived earlier, and it was a w in my n to split much of the manpower toward the valley.
I can''t apologize enough for the trouble my hindsight has caused you all. Manon-san even got injured."
Manon-san waved his hand in fluster.
He just finished receiving healing from holy magic by the medic apanying us. The wounds had been healed, but his face was still pale from the blood loss.
The possibility of damage to the bone couldn''t be denied, so only first-aid measures were taken for now.
"I only got injured because of my weakness! There is really nothing for you to apologize for. I don''t think I could have dodged that even with Suzunami-san in the team. Besides, injuries like this are everyday matters for knights like us."
Yet, the self-reproaching look didn''t vanish from Rosetta-san''s facepletely.
I did want to somehow console her, but I just couldn''t think of anything. Well, if anything, I didn''t really have experience with it, even taking both of my lives into ount.
Just as I was wracking my brain for an adequate line, Captain Suzunami crossed her arms with aplex expression and said,
"The Dark Wolves were not only capable of changing their colors, but they even knew how to use magic to interfere with enhanced senses... It''s honestly a startling fact taking into ount their concealment characteristic. I thought it was just a unique species... We need to put in a detailed report about its existence."
After saying that, she put her hand over Rosetta-san.
"Well, even if I don''t say it out loud, I can guess Rose must be ming herself for the mishap. The ability to make quick decisions and swiftness is something that will automatically tag along with experience. Take today''s ordeal as a lesson and strive to be stronger."
With tears pooling in her round eyes, Rosetta-san nodded quietly.
"By the way---"
After clearing away the serious air drifting between us, Suzunami-san then circled her arm over my shoulder.
"I was really surprised you can use enhanced vision magic. Heck, what even is your detection range? I couldn''t have skewered that ck Lightning without your arrow... I''m sure the distance should have been around 30m."
Ah, that reminds me, even Master Dew was surprised by my range. In fact, even master''s active sonar range was only 15m. Though my detection uracy was quite rough as you would expectpared to him.
"My master has also praised (?) me, saying that I was an ''out of the norm fe''. Actually, I''m researching wind magic which utilizes the outer mana cirction trick. I think I can roughly grasp the area of around 45m from my location by circting mana and causing wind to move at a speed of 5m/s. I can more or less get a rough idea within that range.
Well, I also lose precision therger the range is and expanding any further requires more effort and concentration."
It was just like my archery training. It was easy to grasp the basics, but it required much more effort and time to reach the next stage of its mastery, like climbing up an endless stairway.
Just like how it was tougher for a guy with a record of 100 meters in 10 seconds to reduce his time by 0.01 second than for a guy with a record of 100 meters in 15 seconds to reduce that time to 14 second. The former was much more difficult.
Besides, my control over the wind speed dropped therger the range was, and simrly, the might of the magic and the precision of the detection followed the same rule.
Hmm, there were honestly many more walls I needed to break through before I could achieve my ideal wind magic. I had been expanding my creativity and repeating my training to reach that stage one day. Aside from that, it was a bit sluggish to keep going though.
"Woah, 45?! Pfft-hahaha. Oh boy, hold on for a second, there should be a limit to absurdity! I myself can''t use it but from what I''ve heard, enhanced vision magic works by perceiving the flowing mana with your eyes, right? Then what''s with that mask?"
"Well... how should I exin, I don''t think I can put it in words well. The general gist is that I basically use Wind Eye Expansion magic, think of it like focusing entirely on feeling the wind, instead of looking at the flowing mana with my eyes. I kind of felt it would do more good to close my eyes physically, which will sharpen my senses to perceive the wind hence this mask."
It wasn''t a lie per se, or if anything, it was indeed the truth. Though I actually don''t need to close my eyes.
This was also my first time using a mask on a mission, so I just brought it thinking it would help in training to lessen my reliance on my vision.
Well, the fact that it was a night mission and everything was so dim without the usage of magic was another matter. It was just that physically blocking my eyes with a mask gave me a deeper impression of using my ''Mind''s Eye'' and it also tickled my chunni heart, so I just kept it on.
I mean, the main reason was I felt it was cooler that way.
Of course, I would have to be an idiot to say this when Rosetta-san was crying, so I just said the right exnation with false motive.
I took a quick nce at Rosetta-san. She was looking at me with a wide-eyed expression.
"Wind magic... So that''s what you mean. I thought that ''The wind whispered to me'' was just to tease me."
......Ack, it seemed like my best signature phrase did nothing but to invite some serious misunderstanding.
Now that I think about it, I was an idiot to care about face angle with the mask over my face.
But at the very least, that prickly sensation hadpletely disappeared from Rosetta-san''s gaze.
"Heavens, no! I just didn''t have enough time at that moment, so I tried to put it in the shortest way possible...... Though I guess it just made things harder to understand. Of course, I had no intention to mock you either!"
I hurriedly rectified my meaning and brushed off my pick-up line like it didn''t matter.
Or at least, that was what I intended, but Suzunami-san''s lips curved into a huge grin while chiming in---
"Oh-ho? ''The wind whispered to me'', huh? For a random line, it''s quite poetic, no? Say, you just didn''t happen to prepare that cool pickup line beforehand and used it to score some brownie points with my adorable Rose in that tense situation, right?"
Immediately, everyone looked at me with their teasing or skeptical gazes.
My face turned scarlet after having my motive seen through.
I gingerly turned to nce at Rosetta-san who muttered ''Cool line?...... What was cool about it?'' in puzzlement while looking at me with a crystal-clear gaze.
""Pfft!""
A suddenughter escaped many throats on hearing that.
Kah, I wanted to lock myself in the restroom right away, but Suzunami-san didn''t release her grasp over my shoulder.
Since all my paths to retreat were closed off, I slid down theughing old man mask, which I had put on my head, over my face.
The sound of everyone''sughter echoed into the mountains that night.
E/N - Yep, totally expected that after his attempted flirting. Poor guy... Not ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 109 - Founding Festival (1)
Founding Festival.
It was the 1198th year since the founding of the Yuglia Kingdom. And in celebration of that monumental day, a festival was held around this season in the Royal Capital each year.
As the oldest nation on this continent, and also because it was the most grandiose festival that would take ce every year, the stream of people that came to take part in it was never few.
The inns and other simr establishments even got advanced bookings several years earlier. The festival has a lot of programs as its centerpiece and has a crowd of touristsing from both the other regions and outside the kingdom. It was a huge event that was held for 5 days.
That said, it wasn''t like this festival was an absolute as if it must be held even if it poured rain or hail, and there had been past precedent of the duration of the festival being shortened due to war or even terminated in the middle. The festival this year, however, was going to be held with great pomp as usual.
Well, the world had been quietly shimmering with an invisible tension but with the conflict happening only in the background, it was a weak reason to cancel the festival this year.
Unfortunately, while Yuglia''s confrontation with the Rosemieur Empire and Justeria had almost be public news, canceling the festival over it would just hamper rtions with both nations. Furthermore, there was also the potential economic loss with the other nations, so not going through with the festival this year was something they couldn''t do.
On the other hand, the hectic vibe in the capital also meant the 3rd legion of Kingdom''s Knight Order, who were in charge of the capital''s safety, had no time to care about sleep.
Honestly, as much as I wanted to y around in my first ever youthful summer vacation, this was the only reason I was in the Royal Capital at this moment after being repeatedly told ''I don''t care for other times BUT, you should be here to shoulder some responsibilities during festival season'' to the point that I almost got calluses on my ears.
An event of such a scale would never be missed by good-for-nothing fes. This was almost a buffet-like situation for them to cause trouble after all.
Frankly, I myself don''t know anything about the festival, so I wanted to experience it to my heart''s content, but Master has helped me out in many things, so... I put my n in the backseat this time.
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For the duration of the founding festival, it was decided I would be operating from the capital''s central military post at all times.
Well, to be more specific, it''s about helping Master with his desk work. After the request for additional backup for the city''s police force from the nearby regions, the number of staff had been temporarily inted. My task was to screen through their submitted reports and mention problematic ones to Master.
My days during the festival basically went into sorting out the reports while Master formted the policies ordingly. Heck, today marked the third day of the festival.
A depressed sigh escaped my mouth.
"Haa... Please spare me from more of your absurdity, Master. You are once again hoarding so much work. I''ll be clear here, you wouldn''t have been able to finish all of them even after 100 years without my help, you know. How in the world were you nning to go through all of this?"
Master on the other replied without showing any bit of remorse--- his face was missing his usual bloodshot eyes with the huge ck circles ''touch''.
"Of course, you''re here so that''s why I''m going through all of this. I would have done this along with my two aides originally, but with a gem like you helping with desk work, I changed the schedule.
Well, those two aides are now helping out in interrogating foreign criminals and writing the reports that should have been my task. And you know, I can now sleep for two whooping hours even in this busy season. No wait, with the current pace, I can sleep for... three hours at least? Hihihi."
Alright, this person is gone for good... It was the typical behavior of a workaholic to consider being swamped with work as natural. He had set his standard too low.
"If there''s so much work, hire someone who can handle the desk work for god''s sake. I don''t really get why you never thought of improving your legion''s work structure."
"You think I haven''t thought of that?! The stuff here is something that can''t be seen by just anyone. Hell, only a small fraction of personnel are even allowed to enter this post, alright? I''ve been so busy every day that I never had the time to improve my work station here."
......Well, I did faintly expect that reason and sure enough that was the excuse he gave me, but this ce definitely needed a reformation.
To be frank, this was what you get from hiring only graduates of Royal Academy, and when the power scale is tipped to one side with the presence of elite bureaucrats, such stubbornness was bound to ur.
As I used to say, responsibility was the other side of the coin in the face of power. Yet, the number of people capable of shouldering that responsibility in this kingdompared to its size was abysmal.
Changes were inevitable, and for this kingdom that now boasted a history of almost 1200 years, it was really due to theck of perspective that they had been keeping this outdated system as the base when the kingdom itself had been expanding all this time. Now, hindsight created this ve factory-like situation.
Civil war... was the inevitable end should the strain at any given time turn into literal bone-breaking work, and Earth had literally shown that in history.
A drastic revolution of the system, huh?...
Honestly, I think it was doable if it was grappled seriously, but...
As much as I wanted to reduce Master''s workload for my own benefit as well, I would be digging my own grave by shouldering the stacked work... Can''t put the cart before the horse, eh?
It reminded me of the pet phrase of my boss, ''Take the rope ofmand and change the system if you don''t like certain things''... It was always easier to speak from a high moral standpoint, after all. I didn''t see why I must work like a horse in the Knight Order or the bureaucracy to advance in life, and I despise the thought of sacrificing myself for the kingdom for no reason even more.
Hmm-mm, at this point, my experience here has just been proving how right I was in my ''life n''. All this work could go to hell. I should look for a suitable time and follow my original n to live an unfettered and amusing life.
Anyway, for now, I needed to do something about my current situation. I didn''t know about the others, but I think I was going to recall even the memories of my past life if I continued to listen to faint voices of the festival''s hustle and bustle while I was working my ass off here.
"Master! I might be receiving an hourly wage for working here, but don''t you think this is going overboard for a student? I''m saying now, once we reach a good point in our work to call a break, we''re going to move to patrolling work at lunchtime, and you''re going to buy me treats from the nearby stalls!"
"H-Hey, calm down brat! Look, there''s a mountain of your favorite in vored portable rations right ther---"
Master tried to deflect the topic, but I ignored him and moved on to the next document. And this was about---
?Report about the spies of another nation who were beaten ck and blue by the female students affiliated to the Advanced Magic Research Institute.
Outline of Incident -
The two female students of our nation were asked for guidance by some scoundrels of a foreign nation, who had arrived here to take a look at the founding festival, but it was apparently their ploy to bring the girls to an uninhabited alley. In light of what seemed to be a premeditated kidnapping scene, the two female students took a shot at them in self-defense and the skirmish ended with eight of those scoundrels bearing injuries.
After delving into the background of the said scoundrels and would-be abductors, it hade to light that they were spies who arrived here after receiving the request of the exploration association of the Rosemieur Empire to gather intelligence.
Their treatment has been decided via the diplomatic route alongside a strong objection from our side.
Furthermore, about the victims, when the police inquired one of the female students, who had both of her hands dyed in bright red, about herself, she instead appealed for a search request saying ''My little brother hasn''te home'' with a ghastly expression. After inquiring the other female student, it has been confirmed she has no past criminal record of---?
Umu, I closed the document, tossed it into the ''require no mediation'' box and got up from my seat.
"Oi, hold on! Geez, alright! We''re going to have lunch outside! Huh, where are you going?! It''s still 9 in the morning, smelly brat~!"
T/N - Thest one cracked me up lol. It reminds me of those horror stories like ''searching for someone'' in the darkness of alleyway troupe.
E/N - I can rte to the MC here. Wanting to improve the system but not wanting to bother with the hassle. It''s a lot easier to just quit and just go somewhere else. In fact, I also want to live an unfettered and amusing life, but unfortunately I have to eat ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 110 - Founding Festival (2)
I left the central station of the capital while putting on the guffawing plump uncle mask.
My actual favorite mask was thatughing drooping eyes uncle mask but now, whenever I look at those amicable eyes, full of satisfaction, all it did was unearth bitter memories of my ordeal during the Dark Wolves subjugation, sending a dull pain to my chest each time. So I would seal it for a good while until I was back on my feet again.
In fact, this mask was also made by the same creator ofughing uncle mask and including another one, I have total of three masks from the uncle series---ughing drooping eyes uncle, guffawing plump uncle, and thest one being aughing with a deadpan expression uncle like he was looking at nothingness while suppressing his lips. You know, it was the face of someone who had been forced to work overtime without receiving additional pay for eternity.
I kinda felt that being stared at by those empty, souless eyes would spur a nameless fire that was not suitable for the festival''s vibe, so I decided to go with the ''plump face'' mask today after eliminating the other options.
Well, I wouldn''t call any of them trendy, but I liked how they stuck to my face almost perfectly as if they were custom-made for me.
I never heard anyone mentioning the word ''fate'' in this world, but if it did exist here, then I was sure that my thread of fate brought me and these artistic pieces --- the old man series masks --- that appealed to my heart vehemently together.
Yeah, to cut to the chase, I waspletely smitten by the masks.
The summer of the Royal Capital was riddled with high temperatures, but it wasn''t to the level of unbearable.
The pompous people were using this festival as an excuse to hold a meeting with the influential figures of the other nations, meanwhile themon popce were genuinely enjoying the event.
For the people with money, there was a grandiose looking auction, and there was the flea market for normal folks nearby. There was also a coliseum with all sorts of people appearing to take a look, and the church was offering recovery magic aid free of charge.
There were also magical tool exhibitions, musical performances, fashion shows, and many more attractions.
As for me, I was walking through the decorated streets of the capital while being lured by the drifting aroma of various food.
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Speaking of festivals, you couldn''t really say you enjoyed the festival without experiencing the various assortments of food it offered, no?
I followed my original n, to eat out, and moved to the 5th avenue, the trade route.
The food stalls started from the midsection where the street prating the capital from east to west direction intersected with the 4th central street that went through from the north to the south of the capital, and expanded up to 20 km from there, where any iing vehicle was banned for the asion.
A variety of shops from both the capital and the other regions were going all out with their prided cooking, especially the folks of the other regions who were pitching their specialities, trying to lure in customers with tempting words and aromas. There were also shops from foreign nations.
The trade route was big enough for four small-size magic cars to run in parallel. I guess that would trante to 8ne roads, with 4nes on each side in the Japanese road system. Just from a rough nce and what I had heard, there were apparently around 5000 thousand shops here currently.
The appetite of the people in this world was much bigger than the people of Earth, but not even a glutton would be able to taste the vor of every shop in just five days.
Still, it sure was easy to get infected with the festive air, huh?
With the ck mantle of the 3rd legion trailing at my back, I mainly charted the eastmerce street starting from the central station.
I decided to check out the shops within the range of 10 km for one hour and take note of which shop seemed appealing. I guess by the afternoon I would return to the office after having my fill when Master''s anger should have dropped to an eptable degree.
I immediately started my pilgrimage to the delicious looking shops, jotting them down on the notepad in my mind while walking to the eastern end of the street when I spotted a lost boy, whom I presume to be younger than I by two years at least.
I bet if there was a big-sister type person nearby, they wouldn''t have been able to stop themselves from approaching him given his pitiable expression, which looked like drops of tears would roll down from his eyes at any time, yet he was clenching his hands hard to stop himself from breaking down into a teary mess.
Hmm, judging from his foreign dress, he seemed to be the son of a wealthy, distinguished family of Justeria.
I bet he must havee here following his father and suddenly lost his way while his attention was focused on the lively scenery of the festival.
I decided to call out to him.
"You there, are you lost? Do you want to look for your family together?"
''Waaahh,'' the boy turned around with an almost cheerful expression, as if he found a source of light in the endless tunnel of darkness, but that didn''tst long as an ''Eeeek'' scream escaped his mouth, and even the tears he had been holding back poured out when he saw me.
Crap, I forgot to take off the mask......
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"Cough, I''m not a bad person. It''s a famous mask from this festival that I forgot to take off. Right, look at my mantle! It''s proof that I''m a member of the Knight Order, so I''m definitely not a weird old fogey!"
I hurriedly removed the plump face old man mask and tried to cate him, somehow stopping him from letting out a loud cry that would have attracted the attention of bystanders. The evil look of the old man''s eyes, as if he had just seeded in chasing away his rival merchant to the depths of hell, must have scared him.
The boy''s name was Yuukas. Apparently, he was sightseeing with his elder sister who was four years older than him when he got separated from her.
I tried to ask him his surname or the general direction of his house, but he was hesitant to answer. I guess he couldn''t make up his mind on what information to reveal.
I decided to put a stop to my questioning for now.
"Fear not! Let''s start with searching for your big sister who has light green hair like yours. But can you give me more details if we still can''t spot your elder sister?"
He hasn''tpletely dropped his anxiety but at least he looked less nervous than before as he nodded.
I activated my enhanced hearing detection magic and took Yuukas along with me to start looking for his sister around the central eastern region.
Though I heard him swallowing his saliva during our search when we were near a bakery shop that was selling huge croissant-like bread, so I decided to stop by the shop.
"Uncle, can I have two of those double-baked butter croissants?"
"Wee-wee! It''s our honor to have an honored knight grace our shop! We typically sell many variants, all filled with the taste simr to our parent shop back in Justeria, but the sales have been quite subpar due to the, you know, recent hups. I''ll put on toppings as a bonus, so it would be great if the Good Sir could advertise our shop!"
I asked Yuukas for his choice of topping. He hesitated for a while but with sparkling eyes he replied.
"Ricotta cheese and roll-berry jam."
"Oh dear, what a grand choice! Would Good Knight prefer the same?"
"Hmm, yes, please. By the way, this kid is lost, so if you happen to notice a light green haired girl like him but four years older, then can you tell her to visit the police booth at the intersection of 4th street and 5th avenue?"
"Police booth? Ah, you mean those small box-like buildings for the police that I''ve recently seen around? Roger~! I''ll make sure to keep an eye out! And you too, kid, you''re quite strong to remain calm! Thank you for your patronage!"
Phew, thanks to the cheerful shopkeeper, the tense expression of Yuukas had mellowed down. It was worthwhile to stop by here.
I also dug into the huge croissant with toppings stuffed in the middle.
"Hn~, delicious! I see, grand choice indeed! Oh, what happened, aren''t you going to eat?"
Yuukas for some reason had a surprise look, so I asked him.
"......Are we going to eat here... while standing?"
So that was it, huh? He must have been raised well with prim and proper manners.
I grinned and answered.
"We''re not going to eat while standing, but while walking. Aren''t you a boy? It''s not a shame then! Just be careful not to bump into others."
Yuukas seemed taken aback at my line but seeing me walking away, he also made up his mind and took a bite out of his croissant.
"How is it? Delicious?"
Yuukas nodded in a lively manner.
Fumu, I know right. Imagine not eating while walking in this festive vibe. That was almost half the fun taken away!
I had to say, I think I had the knack of teaching the right way to have fun.
"It''s delicious! It''s even more delicious than any ice cream I''ve eaten so far!"
Yuukas nodded with a moved expression. The local specialities during the journey sure brings a smile to everyone''s faces, didn''t they?
The uneasy expression from his face had disappeared to quite an extent, so I also expanded the topic we talked about. Much of it was just silly banter as we looked for his sister while eating ice cream next.
Frankly, I was also quite happy with this encounter. I was an only child in myst lifetime and even here, I was the youngest kid, so dealing with Yuukas made me feel like a big brother.
We waited for a while at the police booth when a girl suddenly rushed in with a flustered appearance. With hair color matching Yuukas'', I was sure she was the person we were waiting for.
"Isn''t it great we stopped by the bakery, eh, Yuukas? It seemed like that uncle informed your sister."
T/N - Did MC ever think...maybe his red thread of fate was actually got corrupted due to his weird ideas lol?
Vol. 1 - Ch. 111 - Founding Festival (3)
"I really have no words to express how thankful I am for your help! Thank you very much!! I hope you''ll pardon any inconvenience we may have caused you!"
Olivia-san, Yuukas'' elder sister, repeatedly bowed her head.
I was a bit surprised when I saw her. As far as I had seen, the order of beauty in this world was a notch higher, which could put my previous world''s standard to shame. However, Olivia-san wasn''t a beauty of that caliber... probably.
She had light green hair just like Yuukas, but I could see some freckles over her healthy, fair skin.
Anyway, returning to the topic, stopping by that shop to purchase Yuukas'' favorite croissant paid off. She probably thought that he might be hovering around one such shop, and was carefully examining the food stalls when she reached that croissant shop and suddenly heard about us.
"As I said, you don''t have to be sorry. What are we knights for if not to help out the people, no?"
"You''re too humble, even I know how impossible it is for a Knight Order member to look after a lost child, and even more so to search for their guardian together. The bakery uncle, too, was surprised when he heard the gist of the situation. It typically ends with people leaving the situation to the police, I know that much."
"Well, I was just sightseeing and happened to have free time in my hands. And if you ask me, it was fun for me to meet someone from another nation and enjoy the festival together while eating. Am I right, Yuukas?"
I said while lightly tapping Yuukas'' head. Olivia-san puffed her cheeks and red at Yuukas.
"Good grief. Here I had my heart heavy with impatience, thinking what if you couldn''t find a way home and might be distressed in a corner or some good for nothing fe took you away. And what do I see here? You, happily eating ice cream. Return all my feelings!"
Olivia-san took the ice cream from Yuukas and ate it with a snapping action.
"Woahhh~ what''s with this ice cream? So delicious~!!"
Ahaha, I guess she was someone who wore her heart on her sleeve like a child. Though she was slightly older than me.
"Anyway, since you''re now together, you should continue your tour. I have work to attend to, so I must take my leave here. Bye, Yuukas, until fate brings us together again."
''Ah, wait...'' I was just about to stand up when Yuukas stopped me. Then he turned to nce at his older sister and asked nervously.
"Say, esteemed sister. Do you mind if I give my name here? I mean, it''s such a coincidence we happened to meet and be friends, so...... Also, if you don''t mind, would you tell me your name too, Sir Knight?"
Olivia looked exasperated.
"Yu, you haven''t told your benefactor your name? There''s nothing to be suspicious about, so you should do that uprightly. And Sir Knight too, I can''t believe you''re going without leaving your name....... How would we be able to thank you otherwise?"
Olivia said and gave a slight push to Yuukas'' back.
"Err, thank you very much for your help. I''m Yuukas Rudeon, from Justeria. It would be great if we can continue to be friends!"
Eh, really? Now that was what I call truly unexpected. After all, Rudeon of Justeria''s ancestry could be traced back to the Roldeon family, one of the ''Original Five'', and they have strong blood ties. They were so famous that even normal citizens of foreign nations like me had heard of their name.
Until around 400 years ago, the Roldeon family ruled the Roldeon Kingdom, now Justeria. However, the Roldeon family was a biased and oppressive ruler who advocated noble supremacy and their favoring the nobles ultimately became the catalyst for an uprising as the kingdom was then democratized, and they adopted a parliamentary system.
So the current Justeria didn''t have noble hierarchies or titles, but the Rudeons were as famous as this kingdom''s dukes.
The actual Roldeon family was forced to dissolve following the country''s democratization, and they could no longer function as one big family.
"That shouldn''t even be a question, Yuukas. We''re friends, after all. My name is Allen. However, I don''t have any status to proim my name in front of your distinguished family heritage. I''m just the third born of a rural Viscount family.
By the way, can you please drop the honorific ''Sir'' when you call me, Olivia-san? I''m nothing more than a temporary rookie, so it felt itchy to be called that. Speaking of which, I believe two good people of a family as distinguished as the Rudeon shouldn''t be here just to sight see, right? It''s even more unthinkable for two kids of said family to walk around alone so carelessly and even get lost. Just how in the world did you fall into such a situation?"
A bitter smile appeared on Olivia''s face when she heard that.
"Well... I guess Allen-san should be alright then?...... Hmm, Allen? Where have I heard that name?... Whatever.
You may have already guessed it, but the rtion between Justeria and Yuukas is truly at its worst point. The cause is our inte politics, so I''m really ashamed over that fact, however, Justeria as of now is in shambles. It''s currently being split into two among the democratic people who are proiming that we shouldn''t forget their initial motto when the nation was founded and the status supremacists who support reinstating the nobles..."
¡ô
I see, to summarize the whole story from Olivia-san---
The Grand Justeria, located on the western side of the Yuglia Kingdom, might have adopted democracy at their founding, but there was no way for ordinary folk to suddenly be masters of politics. It took a lot of twists and turns, but they eventually formed a senate that included the New People house, which widely recruited people on equal terms, and the group of sensible ex-nobles as they collectively managed the parliament.
In line with their founding spirit, the New People House was given a higher status in the senate, though the senate in itself eventually started losing its ground in the long flow of history.
Just when the bnce was already tipping at a dangerous level, a ''third party'' suddenly jumped into the fray and received support. The Revival of the Noble Houses faction further seized authority in their hands with their support (Olivia-san may not have said who that third-party was, but it should definitely be that scummy blood-supremacist Rosemieur Empire).
The same ''third-party'' further instigated them by spreading the word that ''Yuglia is the enemy''. The Yuglia Kingdom might have more than a thousand years of history, butpared to the ''Original Five'', Yuglia''s royal family''s history was quite shallow and there was also the fact that evenmoners could rise in the ranks if they held exceptional caliber, much to the disdain of the ''third-party''. Anyway, following the winds of instigation, the hardliner faction was now voicing out that they must go to the war if they wanted to restore noble supremacy, and had been taking Justeria for a stupid ride in their wake.
The father of Yuukas and Olivia-san might have hailed from a prestigious background, but he had earned his position among the New People House with his own hands, however, the bunch of ipetence Restoration of the Noble Houses faction was obviously not amused by the setting.
Due to this, Justeria was now divided into two factions--- one that supported and advocated for the spirit of democracy, much like the Rudeon family, and opposed the movement of war. The opposition was a noble supremacist faction, who were trying to restore the noble hierarchy and advocate a nation must be governed by a noble parliament.
The official reason behind their arrival in Yuglia was that Olivia-san had been invited to participate in the --- an event that would be held tomorrow where the youngsters representing each nation would be testing their mettle against each other. Though, needless to say, their father was currently using this as a pretext to hold a meeting behind the scenes in hopes of turning this wave of war around.
¡ô
So, the current Justeria was seized by such undercurrents.
But if you asked me, forming a senate while advocating for democracy and granting certain people vested rights was in itself fundamentally wed, but I guess there must have been some circumstances that couldn''t be avoided at the founding.
It was always better to avoid creating vested rights if possible, after all.
After all, power was a strong drink that could easily stop people, and by extension the nation, from developing further.
In that sense, the Royal Academy, which gathered talents solely on the basis of an individual''s abilities rather than lineage, was an essential gear that propagated the urge to constantly strive to be better.
Frankly, I didn''t see how a war against the Yuglia Kingdom was linked to the revival of the noble houses in Justeria, but then again, if they were so easily instigated, then asking for some brain from those fools was just a waste of time.
"I see, I think I have the general gist of the situation now. It might be strange for me to say this, but should you have really revealed this to me? I am, well, from the nation that might go to war with Justeria, and a knight, though still a trainee. I have no authority or say in any way, just saying."
Olivia-san, however, nodded with conviction.
"I know and feel that to be correct. I refuse to believe this nation''s intelligence department hadn''t gathered that much information already, after all. Besides, the Rudeon family discourages the war, and that must be cleared beforehand.
Our esteemed father held the system of the other nations in high regard, but he also believes that protecting the democracy of Justeria is the just path. The rumors that the ''entire'' Justeria is advocating for war against Yuglia is spreading among the popce here it seems, so I want to spread the truth to as many people as possible."
Ah, her words had weight. With no concrete information sharing ormunication technique, the weight that rumors held could even topple the best of the best in this era.
"It was also our esteemed father''s n for us to look around the festival. He always respected how Yuglia had so beautifully created a society with both the nobles andmoners being on the same spectrum.
''Step out and quietly watch the society of this nation with the festival now ongoing. Even I hade here to visit this festival by sneaking away from grandfather and that had been an eye-opener,'' he said. He''s always like this, saying nothing can beat the experience of watching novel things with your own eyes and feeling it with your being. And well... we had been too absorbed in our sightseeing that I lost sight of Yu."
Olivia-san with a hint of embarrassment.
Heh, their father had quite an open and avant-garde outlook. I didn''t see thising since, you know, while he may be from a nation that adopted democracy, he was still born of a prestigious family and this world still had traces of a feudalistic outlook.
With the past history I had read about in my past life, the end was ever so apparent.
I also didn''t mince my words as I said my truthful impression.
"Your father sounds like a wonderful person. He sounds like a person who I would call ''someone walking a step or two ahead of their time.''
Anyway, I can''t dy any further. I have to go now, but don''t forget to enjoy the festival, alright? Oh, right. I would rmend giving the steak skewer from the ''Lizard Fang'' shop a try. It''s just a bit ahead from here. Their secret spicy sauce is incredible! Ah, see yater on another asion."
I said, put on the ''plump'' mask on my face and left my seat.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After Allen''s figure had disappeared among the passersby---
"What was the deal with that mask...... What an entric person. I thought the kindness was all just a facade to get into the good graces of the Rudeon family, but he didn''t even know that, and neither did he show any hint of sucking up after hearing it as well.
Though, a connection with the talented ones of the Knight Order was something we wished for as well, but how easy was it for him to say ''see yater'', as if there would be a chance to meet again."
Yuukas, next to her, nodded in agreement.
"I also felt it. He''s quite an... enigmatic person. By the way, esteemed sister, what did Allen-san mean by father being ''someone who walks ahead of his time''?"
Olivia pondered for a moment before shaking her head.
"Hmm~, I don''t get it either. I don''t think suggesting their kids to go out in secret and have fun at the festival is anything worth exaggerating at this point. Wait...... It''s as if he was suggesting there woulde a time when ordinary folks would be inmand of governance...... No way, right? He''s also a noble of this kingdom at the end of the day, after all......"
Vol. 1 - Ch. 112 - Rising Star Cup (1)
Day 4 of the Founding Festival.
Today, I was visiting the Colosseum along with Parth-san and Justine-san with regard to my guard duty.
As for how this wind of change was gracing me¡ª
It was morning, I just entered Master''s office with a sigh,menting my fate of being stuck with another day of desk job, when he gave me the security task that I needed to take on in coboration with the imperial guards.
The ''Rising Star Cup'' event that was going to be held at the Colosseum today would have young talents from each country participating in it. Participants from Yuglia were elected individuals from the Royal Academy, one per grade, who would be proving their valor while carrying the honor of their nation.
The first-year representative this year was, as one would expect, Leo.
The event reminded me of thepetition at Rosemieur that I had heard about. Apparently, young mages test their mettle during the long spring holidays in the empire.
As today''s event was something that would be attended by His Majesty and key nobles of the other nations, the imperial guards had their hands full with their protection.
The event was also open to themon popce as well, not just to VIPs, with around 30,000 tickets. Though they were such a hotmodity that they were immediately sold-out on the same day.
But money speaks I guess as the majority of tickets were actually bought out by the nobles of the other nations¡ª so much for themon popce. Anyway, the audience was almost entirely made up of the upper ss.
We, the 3rd legion, along with the police, were tasked to look after the general entrance.
As a matter of fact, I also thought about looking for a way to get a ticket since I was quite curious about the ceiling of foreign talents, but I had to give up after Master told me to focus on my knightly duties for the duration of the festival. As for how it went¡ª
"Heavens, are you sure, Master!? Oh goodness, then I have to apologize for even doubting your goodwill! sniff I didn''t know you were always looking after me...... No, I have really misjudged you!"
I tried to express my gratitude, but Master just clicked his tongue with his typical bloodshot eyes.
"Do you really think I had nothing better to do to pull some strings just so that you can take that mission?! It''s just that the geezer Godorfun suddenly told me that I should let you watch the Rising Star Cup, using that decree as his weapon, saying ''Wasn''t the order to make Allen run errands as a knight as long as it doesn''t hinder his studies?'' or something. Damn that geezer! I swear, it wouldn''t have killed him to tell me that beforehand!!"
Eh, I don''t think I had any answer as to why as well......
Either way, it was a sudden windfall for me. I sent my eternal gratitude to Godorfun-sensei in my heart and left the central station while wearing the ''nihilistic'' mask over my face.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"That''s it. The winner is Leo Zatsinger."
The Colosseum erupted in rumbling apuse when Godorfun-sensei, the umpire of this tournament, announced the victory of the local hero, Leo.
The matches were divided by grade level, where the representatives of the eight nations showcased their skill in a tournament-like format.
The condition to lose was if the umpire decided that the participant was no longer in a state to fight, a K.O. in short, a contestant lost their weapon, a contestant surrendered of their own will, or a contestant fell down from the stage that was 20 m on each side.
Weapons were allowed, but only wooden ones. The same went for armament in that they had to be made of wood or leather only. Emission magic with elemental factor was not allowed, but detection magic could be used.
Damn that Leo, did he train this summer vacation? He clearly got stronger......
Leo''s opponent was by no means a pushover when it came to skill, but Leo''s power level was just above the standard.
I was sure I could have won the tournament as well if I had been in his ce, but that would have been quite an arduous path unlike his absolute dominance.
Well, I was only carrying my partian bow today but as long as they did not bar the wooden lygo bow and wooden arrows, I sure as heck could snatch the championship. But I wonder if that would be allowed since everyone was using close-quarter weapons.
Leo made a polite bow toward his opponent and left the stage while keeping his serious expression. That was my habit, where I would bow before and after a spar in regr sses, which had been recently picked up by the other students of ss 1-A.
He didn''t put up any expression of delight or anything but... would it hurt him to not sprinkle his elegance in everything he did like those ''sparkly riajuus'' from the mangas.......
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"So he''s that heavenly prodigy Leo Zatsinger...... What do you think, Grayfia?"
On thewn next to the stage, the areas there had been turned into the yer''s stands for each nation.
In the Rosemieur''s assigned stand, the leader of their participants asked the orange-haired maiden Grayfia, a 3rd year student from Rosemieur who was selected to represent her nation for her grade.
The woman, Grayfia, adjusted on her seat, showing her legs from the slit of her tight, glossy ck mermaid-like dress and answered.
"Just like our Sierra''s case, his opponents were too weak to reach a conclusion. Hmm, but his fame is well-deserved. You would expect him to use some pretty or neat style of swordsmanship, in line with his pretty face, but I could see a glimpse of his wild side... as if he had been regrly fighting with a ruffian-like friend.
I¡¯m sure I would score the victory at his current age, no doubt, but I can''t say what would happen after like two more years of training. But what''s absolute is that our Prince Castick is no match for him in swordsmanship. He also loses in the looks department, so it was a good thing we decided to hold him off."
The man, their leader, was astounded to hear this self-conceited woman admitting that Leo might be stronger than her. He also considered himself to be someone capable of discerning talent, but maybe he might have to reevaluate Leo again if even Grayfia was so sure of his potential.
"......Stop it, Grayfia, that''s discourteous to our Prince. But I would have liked to confirm his prowess in this charade if possible. He is said to be just as good with his pen as he is with his sword apparently, so he''s most likely to be a threat to Rosemieur in the future."
Grayfia chucked, showing her peculiar long canine.
"I will try to provoke him after taking my championship. He seems to be the type to hate losing. If he takes the bait, I''ll beat down that pretty face and break his heart so that he won''t be able to hold his sword ever again. Well, there''s no need to worry if he runs away as well."
".......Have you forgotten where we are? This is the kingdom''s heart, and that <> is here as well. Just don''t lose yourself in the process and overdo it."
Grayfia just replied with a harrumph to the man''s warning.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After Leo''s match, the contest between the second-year participants started, which was won by the representative of the Kwaal Republic.
The matches were filled with more sparks and sizzles in contrast to the first-year participants, but I think Leo would have won this one as well.
The representative from the Yulgia kingdom was a senior from the Hill Road Club. Unfortunately, he lost against the participant who wouldter be the victor.
And eventually, the curtain opened on the third-year matches.
Our representative was once again from the Hill Road Club named Rondy-senpai.
I recall that he joined the Hill Road Club at an earlier stage through Riyad-senpai''s introduction and had told me gleefully how he had be stronger due to the club activities.
Riyad-senpai also told me that his abilities were one of the best in ss A, but I think he must have been practicing outside the club activities as well to be chosen as the representative.
His opponent was Olivia-san, whom I had the chance to meet yesterday. From her spirit and conduct, she also seemed to possess top-ss caliber.....
I wonder who the goddess of victory would smile upon? I watched their match with bubbling excitement.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Begin."
In the split second Godorfun-sensei announced the start of the battle, the two participants kicked the ground and closed the gap between them.
Rondy-san''s weapon of choice was a thick and sturdy club, meanwhile Olivia-san''s was a rapier with a slightly broader de.
Both of their weapons were wooden work for sure, but they came with borate designs unthinkable of wooden craftsmanship, meanwhile their hilts were designed in teardrop fashion.
A rapier probably had no chance in direct confrontation with a club. She was also not sporting a beefy build like Uncle Shell or Dante-san, so I really couldn''t imagine her trying to parry the club with her wooden rapier.
A no-hit run while deftly managing iing attacks was not simple either. Another problem was the abundant mana of Rondy-san which meant he couldn''t be put down in a single attack from an edgeless rapier.
While I was analyzing the odds of victory for each side, Rondy-san made the first move.
Gripping the center of the club, he spun it to build momentum, then closed distance while swinging down diagonally from the top right.
Olivia-san deftly dodged that attack, stepping in closer to thrust her rapier, but Rondy-san was able to counter it.
I presume he must have considered the chance of his attack being dodged, which was how he managed to switch gears so soon.
He then followed up with a horizontal strike of his club while covering all the angles she could possibly dodge.
THUNK!!
A dull sound echoed on the stage.
"What the......"
The scene caused me to unwittingly mutter in daze.
Against all the possibilities I had thought, Olivia-san astonishingly epted that strike with her rapier without breaking a single drop of sweat.
I really had no idea how such a thin rapier could take a club''s attack head on. Admittedly the de was a bit wider, but that was it.
In that case, that rapier was definitely not made of ordinary wood. Plus she even made sure to press down the base part of the club which showed her fine skills. The club couldn''t easily be swung if the base was pressed down like that, after all.
But I think the thing that astonished me far more than anything was her confidence. She had that unwavering confidence where she could definitely take on a direct strike with her rapier. There was no way she would have chosen that risky maneuver of entering her opponent''s range without that unshakable confidence. And with how she managed to gauge all that out even before experiencing the strength of Rondy-san, she was also confident that her body enhancement was iparable to even the other contestants of the Rising Star Cup.
Olivia-san was rooted on the spot like a rock while it was Rondy-san who was forced to step back. In that timeframe, Olivia-san twirled on her heel while holding that rapier and kicked away Rondy-san.
The club left Rondy-san as it flew behind him.
"Game. The winner is Olivia Rudeon."
As Godorfun-sensei announced the winner, Olivia-san rushed up to Rondy-san and offered him a helping hand while saying ''It was a great battle!''.
''Uh-huh, I lost, huh?'' Rondy-san muttered with a faint smile and took her hand to stand up. The Colosseum was instantly filled with thunderous cheers despite the loss of their representative.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Are you kidding me, that duck face did that? No, what are the people of Justeria even doing here?"
The man next to her replied.
"Tsk! She''s the daughter of the Rudeon house, the one holding the vanguard of the anti-war and pro Yuglia faction...... It''s clear she had drawn her talent from that <> family. I heard about her prowess, but they surely managed to conceal how great her talent actually was.
This Rising Star Cup had a tremendous effect in publicity. If they were to use that fame, it might be possible to subvert the kingdom''s opinion and Justeria''s senate as well. Can you win?"
"Spit! Not even in nine lives would I lose against that ugly duck. Democracy, freedom, and equality my foot. That just makes me want to puke. There''s no hero without the sparkling adoration of themoners. And history is proof that heroes are always from illustrious lineage and appearance. I will show that bitch how the world works.¡±
Vol. 1 - Ch. 113 - Rising Star Cup (2)
I had thought Olivia-san would be the indisputable third-year champion after her disy of skills, but it seemed like my judgement was a bit too hasty.
The other prospective champion that emerged was the candidate representing the Rosemieur Empire. Her name was Grayfia Indiana. Apparently she was also the victor of the first-year and second-year divisions in her time.
This person was incredibly fast, and she even seemed to have innate grace in her maneuvers.
They both were masters of finesse and prowess in their own ways that was iparable to others, the fair example of everyone not being made equal, and as expected, the finals was going to be between them.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Facing her opponent, Olivia-san brought her rapier up vertically, resembling a salute in fencing.
"I look forward to having a fair fight with you."
"All I will give you is a thorough beating."
With her side sickle spear resting on her shoulders, Grayfia-san said so while stretching out her waist.
The match proceeded with Grayfia-sanunching a fierce onught with her dynamic fighting style while Olivia-san settled with a counter style. It was simr to the mock battle between me and Leo, except the intensity of this fight was a step above.
In contrast to her uncouth speech, Grayfia-san''s footwork was nothing short of artistic. The movement of her legs, peeking out from the slits of her mermaid-like dress, was as graceful and light as a waltz dance.
The way she manipted the distance like a phantom evoked the memories of my experience with Dio''s movements. It was something I wished for Parry-kun to see.
Her opponent, Olivia-san, was equally impressive. She was indeed not a match to Grayfia-san in agility, but she had been beautifully parrying each strike that came her way by sticking to her base, leaving no opening even under the barrage of attacks.
Frankly, the way she had been dealing with those untamed spear attacks was very much a role model example.
If I have to guess, she must have practiced day and night to the limits of her body and faced countless mock battles to reach this height.
Leo, too, was looking at their fight with an engrossed appearance. That was expected as Olivia-san''s style was a perfect reference for him.
"Haaaaaaa!!!"
The one that broke that deadlock was Olivia-san. She unleashed her Body Strengthening ability to the maximum and increased her physical and defensive abilities.
She epted a spear strike with her armor, and while covering her bases in case of a follow-up attack, she cornered Grayfia-san.
There was no way Olivia-san would havee out of that exchange safely if she was facing a real weapon, but she must have thought of Grayfia-san as a formidable opponent as well and considered it worthwhile to exchange injury for the victory.
But her impatience to settle the score didn''t make sense. She could still have her chance if she just waited for the correct time... Unless she was unsure if her mana capacity wouldst.
The output of a magic spell --- whether it was Body Strengthening or Emission Magic --- could be increased with ease the higher one''s mana capacity was, though it could also be increased by a small margin with training and talent.
But at the end of the day, you could rig a spell to get top-ss firepower but the fuel to sustain it was something that would remain constant.
I guess the original five''s Roldeon might be specialized in training their mana output control.
"Y-You''re not winning this, you ugly duck!"
Grayfia-san frantically looked for a way to dodge the iing blow but Olivia-san had everything covered.
This settles the match, huh? So I thought. I had been all but convinced about the oue when my wind magic caught the presence of something needle-like leaping out of Grayfia-san''s spear and pricking the edge of Olivia-san''s right eyelid.
"?! Argh! Kyaaa!"
Grayfia-san didn''t miss the opening and immediately swiped at Olivia-san''s closed eye with that sickle shape protrusion from her spear.
"That''s what you get! Who could have thought that a chipped wooden fragment would get into your eye, huh? Haha, even luck has forsaken you, ugly duck! Remember it, this is the difference between a chosen and a runt!"
Grayfia-san jeered and escaped from the corner of the stage.
But I could tell that wasn''t the case. The wooden fragment didn''t leap out when rapier and spear shed against each other. The timing clearly was too good for that moment and it surely wasn''t the wood fragment.
It also happened when the movement fell under the blind spot of the umpire, so most likely it was something she didn''t want to be seen. I doubt Godorfun-sensei missed it though, but he probably didn''t say anything due tock of proof, or maybe it probably fell under a gray area.
The match from then on became predictable. The two had been evenly matched in strength to begin with.
Olivia-san also didn''t seem like she was proficient in detection magic via mana cirction, so she was basically cornered in the confrontation after losing vision in one of her eyes.
Grayfia-sanunched one blow after another from her dead angle that struck straight onto her body.
She could have easily made Olivia-san drop her weapon with her skills and end the match, needless to say it was an intentional torment on her part.
Yuukas, her little brother, was looking at the stage with a pale face, and the man ring at the stage with a stern face must be... their father.
In the end, Olivia-san fell down but never let go of her weapon.
"......Game. The winner is Grayfia Indiana."
A thunderous apuse, cheering both participants, came from the clueless audience.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Hmph. Each and every one was so weak it didn''t make me break a sweat. Ohh, yea. You. Weren''t your two opponents weak as well? I''ll be your opponent, so let''s do a mock battle. Ah, well I''m not going to stop you from running away if you''re scared though, prodigy-kun~."
Grayfia said while pointing her spear at Leo, who immediately stood up from his seat with an expressionless face at that cheap provocation. ''Nyahaha,'' Grayfia smiled conceitedly while showing her characteristic canine tooth. And with that, she kicked the fallen Olivia-san''s stomach with a mana-infused kick.
Crunch!
The sound of Olivia-san''s rib, who no longer had her mana guard, cracking echoed as she received that kick.
"You''re in the way, ugly duck. There''s no need for a runt like you on the stage of the victor."
The Godorfun-sensei''s face lost color seeing her barbarism.
"A little bird riding on the wind not knowing when it can turn into a storm...... Who do you think you are in front of------"
However, before Godorfun couldplete his words, both he and Grayfia suddenly turned around after feeling a sudden wave of bloodlust.
They moved their gaze toward the source to see a young knight --- a rustic youth that could best be described as in --- ring at Grayfia while releasing his bloodlust.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Ack, now I''ve done it. What am I doing, suddenly giving a hostile look while on guard duty...
Well, I did my best to control myself in my defense though. I mean, I was just enjoying this thrilling, heart-thumping cultural event festival, a confirmed temte of the reincarnation troupe, when it suddenly unfolded into this bitter--- no, this nauseating direction.
Cough Do your best, Godorfun-sensei, Leo.
I was feigning a clueless look while suppressing my feelings when Yuukas also turned his gaze my way following those two, shouting ''Allen-san!?''.
A buzz spread amidst the audience hearing that.
"......Allen? Ahh, that rumored Allen Rovenne? Pfft! Hahahaha! I thought it would be some heavy-weight with a cool or wild side with such shy rumors, but what a bummer. Aren''t you just a in-faced scamp? And eww, you reek of country-bumpkin vibe so much. I bet you can''t even be a starter. Come now, Leo Zaitsinger!"
But when Grayfia-san saw my in-face, she immediately lost interest in me.
Damn, what a rude woman...... Did she really have topare my face with that of that adonis Leo in front of such a huge crowd?
I hurriedly slid down my ''Nihilistic'' mask to cover my face, I had to push it up to properly look at the matches.
However, Leo instead put up his usual fearless grin from his neutral expression and then gestured me towards the stage with his two hands as if saying ''Come, the stage is yours'', before returning to his seat.
Huh, woah, woah. I''m currently on guard duty, man. Don''t throw this hot potato at me---
I was frantically gesturing at Leo to take my position when Godorfun approached me and said.
"Fuhahaha! I didn''t expect this situation, eh... She, Olivia, is the daughter of my dear friend when I was stillmanding the army. So it''s truly a pity that I can''t kill that woman myself. But my patience is also not limitless to tolerate that cocky bird--- so go and discipline her."
What do you think I am, a secret ranger that jumps out to punish evil......?
I mean, I do feel enraged, but I had a hunch something even more terrible would happen to me if I turned to face her in a fight.
"Think about it again, Sensei, I''m just not cut out to face the spear of that person, no? So let Leo take care of---"
I protested, however, Godorfun-sensei shed a doting grandfather-like smile as a streak of blue vein appeared on his forehead.
"I know. That Grayfia whatever put a bit too much on your shoulder...... So hurry up and discipline her!"
Gahhh, this old man really doesn''t talk with human words, does he?!
I wonder if there was any bureau that would listen to my plea against the ex-vicemander''s power harassment......
E/N - I have to admit, the author has talent in making annoying, punchable viins. Hopefully, Allenys the smackdown on this girl in the next chapter.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 114 - Rising Star Cup (3)
"So he''s the Allen Rovenne in the rumors, huh?......"
"I heard he''s been the apple of the eyes of upper society right now, an ''unheard of persona'' even with this kingdom''s illustrious history......."
"But everything else aside, what in the world is with that irritating mask......."
"What a surprise though, I never thought I would be able to see the real person in the flesh. I thought he was supposed to be the concealed ace card of the kingdom....... Anyway, write down everything. It''s going to be in the report."
A stream of whispers ¡ª some that I would have been totally happy to not hear ¡ª poured into my ears, enhanced by my passive sonar skill.
"Go for it, li¡¯l bro! Also, Rose will kill you if you lose!"
......Heavens, I would be ever so d for anyone who could give me some game-like ''the story so far'' tidbits to tell me how things came to this.......
"Hmph. With that face hidden behind a mask anding so grudgingly, do you know you look like a newborn fawn? This is why rumors are nothing but embellished crap. Just you wait, I¡¯m going to strip off that mask, you mob face!"
And why was this idiot suddenly getting all pumped up for receiving this much attention?
On the other hand, the idiot hadpletely treated me as air and instead, dered to Leo while pointing at him, "It¡¯ll be your turn once I finish pummeling this mob face, Leo Zatsinger!"
However, Leo put on his usual fearless grin and answered to her provocation.
"Well, good luck, I guess...... I don''t think my turn wille though."
Another buzz spread among the audience.
"......So you really aren¡¯t putting me in your eyes, huh? You pumpkin brat, just remember that I¡¯m not going to stop my attack even if you try to surrender."
Hey, hey, hey, it''s Leo who''s taunting you, not me......
Why in the world were Godorfun and Leo acting as if my victory was a forgone conclusion. Could they not see the idiot boasting that she had the upper hand, for damned sake!
I mean, it was clear she had a short fuse as she even kicked a fallen contestant, you know?! I would have to bear all the brunt if she got mad!
Oh wait, I remember there was a line ''to earn a girl¡¯s favor, you have to praise them'' written in the book ''The secret theory to bing a popr boy'' that I had bought secretly in my previous life.
One would imagine a book with a title like that might even have equation-like suggestions written on it as well, which had thoroughly made my scientific mind fall head over heels for it and convinced me to buy it, but all that written in it were just damn abstract theories and spiritual nonsense that didn''t help me one bit.
Frankly, I didn''t think Grayfia was someone to talk to about looks when she herself had the same mob face as me, but she was somehow acting as if there was no oneparable to her. That said, she still had one charming point.
I swiftly decided to bank on that point.
"Your canine tooth is quite charming."
"You bastard! Now you''re going after the only part I don''t like about me! Don''t think I¡¯ll leave you in one piece now!!"
......Ack, that turned out to be andmine.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After somehow blowing up the only possiblendmine in our conversation, and getting caught up in this mess, I was also starting to get irked now.
It was almost like I somehow had some kind of deal with god in the typical white dimension when I reincarnated, and that was why each and every girl around me was filled with nothing butndmines. And the worst part was that I don''t even remember a single bit about it!
No wait, thinking back, the root cause of everything started with this girl treating Olivia-san in a sickening way, souring my mood just when I was really getting into a festive vibe. Why in the world was I getting treated as a doormat by her?
"......Allen-san, why''re you here?"
Olivia-san, who had regained her consciousness after a priest cast holy magic on her, asked me.
"You''re amazing, Olivia-san. I don''t think I¡¯ve seen anyone fight so coolly! By the way, can I borrow that rapier?"
Hearing my request, Olivia-san tilted her head in puzzlement.
"Yes? Ah, but sure. But this rapier is tailor-made for me, so I fear it may not suit you."
I nodded and answered.
"Anything will work for me since I only need to use it for a little bit. Then, I¡¯ll be taking this temporarily. Here, please take care of my bow and dagger in exchange."
Our exchange elicited a furrowed look from the perpetrator behind all this.
"Hey, you, are you really going to fight me with that borrowed rapier? Pfft, ahahaha. So it''s just as rough for you, huh, to prepare an excuse for losing already, O¡¯ great Sir Knight.
......Anyway,e at me anytime. You''re at best going to be a stepping stone that would propel my legend and nothing else. The legend of Grayfia who made mob face knight A of Yuglia kingdom''s knight order cry and lick my shoes. Pfft, ahaha!!"
Grayfia announced loudly in a voice that traveled to every corner of the venue.
After confirming that Olivia-san had gotten off-stage, Godorfun, the umpire, gave the signal to start the match.
"......Begin."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Grayfia-san beckoned me while resting her spear on her shoulders. She wasn''t even trying to put up her guard.
She must have thought there was no way she''d lose in closebat to someone younger. Well, she was correct in a way that I would be kicking away any chance of victory if I charged head first at her with a borrowed weapon.
She was at least one or two steps above me, so I doubt I would have won even with my usual wooden sword with me.
I spread my arms like an eagle, and, thinking up an arbitrary incantation, chanted confidently in a booming voice.
"O'' Spirit of the Wind, Le Sylphy. O'' Unfettered Maiden....... Grant this foolish man a baptism of wind for ignoring the world''s rules. I pray to thee, let her pilgrim¡¯s voyage be a tranquil departure."
Grayfia-san''s eyes squinted for a moment, then gave me a mocking look.
"Wind Spirit?...... What? What are you bbering about, you idiot... Phahaha, maybe you should tone down on reading too many picture books."
Kukuku.
Laugh as much as you want, for this is the only time you can.
And then, the wind started blowing. It first blew in with a speed of 5 m/s, but it turned fiercer by each passing second.
Well yeah, everything was happening within my control, this was just a show.
The audience who had been watching with bated breath broke out in a loud whisper.
"What?! Why is the wind suddenly blowing in the arena?"
Grayfia-san said as she finally took her spear in her hands and closed any opening in her defense.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Grayfia had just taken her stance when the backside of her mermaid-like dress with a slit up to her thighs was suddenly blown up by the raging wind.
A silence descended over the venue.
The audience didn''t have a guess as to what had happened just now. Should they be surprised, or maybe burst intoughter?....... They were lost on what approach they should take to the scenery unfolding before them.
Everyone literally had the same thought.
Perhaps, the one reason why they didn''t burst intoughter at once was because the majority of the audience were from the upper ss with refined manners drilled into them due to their lifestyle, unlike an audienceing to look at a convention where explorerspete with their skills.
Albeit, there was but one man who was number one under heaven when it came to ''not reading the mood''¡ª Parth.
"Ahahaha! Pff-hahahaha! No, that, pfft, great!!!"
His unrestrainedughter echoed in the whole arena. Justin, the master of instigation, was standing beside him and hurriedly moved to close his mouth.
"You shouldn''tugh, Parth-san! I understand your feelings, that the same girl who jeered at others¡¯ looks while calling them ugly ducks and pumpkin faces is herself wearing ''li¡¯l rabbit'' printed panties, but you can''t justugh like that!!"
The bewilderment of the audience found a direction to blow out at theedic show of those two.
Soon, ''Pffttttt!!!'', bursts ofughter echoed in the arena from here and there, seemingly no longer able to control their manners.
The solemn and upright royal guards in charge of the security of the VIPs were eyeing the arena with serious expressions, but anyone would be able to capture the trembling of their brows.
They not only held the prestige of Yuglia on their backs, but they were even in the presence of the VIPs of foreign nations, so bursting intoughter at the debacle happening in the arena was something they must hold off with all their might.
Grayfia hurriedly held down the hem of her dress in panic while shouting "T-This is just a good luck charm for me, I typically wear more risky andce ones!" as if putting up an excuse. But her desperate cry earned her even moreughter from the audience.
"I-It''s true, with more string and super revealing! T-The color is even ck, too!!!"
Grayfia desperately repeated her excuse about how she actually wore more revealing underwear normally. Though the more she shouted in desperation, the more it worked as oil to fuel the fire that engulfed the arena inughter and whistle.
But in a way, that was probably bound to happen when the same Grayfia, who had given off a vicious impression after her cruel treatment toward Olivia, was now trying to convince the audience about her choice of underwear with a furious expression.
The royal guards back in the VIP rooms had tears pooling in their eyes while their shoulders heaved up and down uncontrobly.
If they were participating in certain ''you must notugh'' TV programs in Japan, they would have surely got their ''disqualified'' tickets from the judges.
It took Grayfia a while, but she also finally noticed her words were just livening up the atmosphere of the arena, pursed her lips and stood dumbfounded while giving the root of all evil that was Allen a death re with her angry expression.
However, now that the wind had lost their direction when she held onto the backside of her dress, they decided to shift and tuck up the front part next.
She was somehow holding down the front and back part of her dress while still feeling the wind brushing past the slits from left to right. It was clear that if she tried to move her hands even a little bit, her ''lil bunny'' would be out for everyone to gaze at.
Having her hands sealed in that fashion, tears pooled up in Grayfia''s eyes as she red at Allen with a furious expression, like a demon from hell.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Damn you pumpkin head, you lecher!! Don''t you even have the guts to fight fair and square?!"
Fair and square.... Are you sure you''re the one to say that?
Heck, I don''t think ming the enemy for the act when she herself entered the arena wearing a skirt type dress for battle is upright in itself. You know there were also trousers or shorts to wear beneath that if she didn''t want to show herself that much.
I feigned a dumb expression and tilted my head in puzzlement.
"Umm, I don''t think that''s within my hands though. I did pray for a ''tranquil departure'', it''s just that Sylphy loves to prank others. There is nothing I can do the instant you enter her pilgrimage. You may have more luck talking to her instead of trying to ask me."
Grayfia hollered with bloodshot eyes.
"Don''t give me that crap!! Hell, who even is that Sylphy?! Besides, that spirit or dumb shit isn''t even real. Hurry up and stop these winds! I swear I''ll burst that head of yours otherwise!!"
I shook my head in a ''good grief'' manner. Seriously, even elementary school kids knew who Sylphy was.
"I don''t think I have anything to say when you''re so oblivious about Sylphy, the spirit of the wind and one of the four pirs of the great spirits. I would advise against angering her. If you want to pick a fight, at least do it somewhere near the entrance."
I dered it in a confident tone, staring at her with my nihilist mask while further raising the wind speed. This pushed Grayfia-san into even more panic as she hurriedly apologized with teary eyes.
"Alright! I''m sorry, Sylphy! I believe in you, so please stop the mischief now!"
I also slowly stopped the wind.
"..............I¡¯ll kill you!!"
The next instant. Grayfia-san jumped at me with bloodshot eyes.
I deployed my wind magic at full power while shouting ''Stop her, Sylphy!!'' which tucked up her skirt to the limit.
Her dress rolled up to the point that even her belly button was visible as it covered her head the next instance, robbing her of her vision.
Grayfia-san stiffened like an unmovable rock for some reason. I took that chance to knock down her spear from her hands with the rapier I borrowed from Olivia-san.
¡°Game. The victor is Allen Rovenne.¡±
A loud cheer erupted, literally shaking the air of the venue, following the announcement.
E/N - Well, I should have expected it would end like this.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 115 - Rising Star Cup (4)
"Game. The victor is Allen Rovenne."
The umpire, Godorfun-sensei, announced the result in a booming voice.
The venue instantly erupted in thunderous apuse and cheers from the audience. I also caught the whispers of a few of my acquaintances amidst the cheer.
"Ahahaha! Look at how hard you''reughing, Parth-san. Please take this jute bag to adjust your breathing!"
"Inhale Exhale"
Look at themughing like madmen without heeding the time or ce. And they were supposed to be here for security...
They should at least learn from the royal guards, they had been wanting tough so hard but were desperately holding themselves back to the point that they were now slightly shivering like they got hit by a sudden gust of cold wind in chilly weather......
"Ahahaha! That was quite a show, li¡¯l bro! A-cha, Rose looks like she''s about to explode at any time~! She''s saying she doesn''t remember raising you to be such a lecherous kid!"
......Huh, hold on there for a minute. I mean, yeah it might cause my rtives some embarrassment, but that was the only sure-fire way for me to win. Seriously!!
I had no doubt that should I lose my consciousness and be kicked around like Olivia-san, my short-tempered sis would definitely attempt jumping straight to here. I could already imagine the mess she would create then!
"That''s our supervisor!! All the boys of the Magic Club present hereby vow to never forget the legendary feat we¡¯ve been shown today! It was truly a work of art from our supervisor, the of the Royal Academy''s Magic Emission Club! We''re truly grateful for your grace, supervisor!"
"Etch it into your brain! This is the true capability of Allen Rovenne, the one that walks together with wind and panty!"
"Indeed, it''s not just mere words that our supervisor has reached the <10th Order of Flip Mastery>!"
Those morons!
Didn''t they have the brain to consider what they should and shouldn''t utter in front of such a huge crowd! What even was the flip mastery nonsense?! Just wait, I¡¯d definitely make them run like dogs in the next club activity!
Haa¡ Everything was just a killjoy. I could only suppress the nameless fire crackling within me as I turned back to return to my position with a wistful expression.
I took a quick nce at Grayfia-sana, and she was rooted on the spot, harboring an absentminded expression, as if her mind was no longer there.
Ugh, now I feel like giving this mask to her......
"It seemed like your apology was a bit too light-hearted to calm down Sylphy''s anger. I would suggest learning some manners on how to be humble and how to apologize properly...... Well, I¡¯ll take my leave now."
I muttered, keeping to my made-up setting, and waved my hand as I turned around to leave. On the other hand, tears brimmed in the eyes of Grayfia-san.
"It can''t be true......"
Ack, did she notice the spirit was a bluff?
"There''s no way a mob-face like you could have ever been my opponent! I-I''m special! I know! You must have used spirit magic to cause the wind for sure! You coward! I can''t believe you brought someone like one of the pirs of the four great spirits, the unfettered maiden, Re Sylphy to this martial art convention!!!"
Ugh, damn, did she have an eidetic memory of what?!
I was someone talentless who couldn''t even use magic that required the attribute conversion talent, so of course that wasn''t against the rules. But as for whether I had any interest in victory for this tournament, then it was definitely zero!
And her doubt did make sense, so it surely wouldn¡¯t raise anyplications for me acting like it was my loss. Yeah, it was far better for me to bebeled as a rule breaker than receive this much limelight.
"Oh, your words make sense, Grayfia-san! Godorfun-sensei, it sounds like this is my loss!"
Godorfun-sensei stroked his goatee and grimaced as I cheerfully agreed to Grayfia-san''s statement.
"Hmm. But the only thing that''s clearly spelled out in the rules of this Rising Star Cup was the prohibition of element magic. You said this was the work of a spirit, so it''s not that easy to reach a judgement. Should I acknowledge your arguments here, it could lead not only to the scrutiny of reconnaissance magic but also to the more fundamental body strengthening magic, potentially resulting in the copse of the very rules themselves."
Tsk. I thought I could somehow push my exnation by riding flow, but I guess I truly underestimated him. And unfortunately, what he said was a sound argument, so there was nothing more for me to say.
Then I remembered something else.
"Oh, right! It happened so suddenly that I didn¡¯t get the time to remove it, but I entered the match wearing this mask! This mask is made of wood, but this part here is actually porcin! Doesn''t this infringe on the rules of armament? So I ept my disqualification!"
Sensei narrowed his eyes and after taking a good look at me for a while, then epted my im.
"......It hardly seems to have any significant defensive property as a tool, so I didn''t bother pointing that out¡ If anything, the fact that it cuts off your vision is more of a handicap on your side. Well, I shall ept your words if you insist.
I shall revise the oue of the earlier match. Allen Rovenne is disqualified due to viting the rules. As such, the winner is Grayfia Indiana."
Phew, now that should settle everything. I let out a relieved sigh while patting my chest.
"What, the mask istes the vision? ...A-Are you saying he took pity on me and was fighting me with a handicap!?! And is he transferring the victory to me out of pity? Unforgivable...... I¡¯ll never forgive you for this, Allen Rovenne!!!"
Grayfia-san seemed to be furiously hollering behind me, almost as if she was crying tears of blood, but I would only stoke the mes if I stayed there. At this point, I seriously considered that I might be cursed so that anything I said would simply rub others the wrong way.
"Allen-san was that¡ Allen Rovenne......"
I returned the rapier to a dumbfounded Olivia-san, said my thanks, took my equipment, and hurriedly scurried away from the arena while keeping an eye on the situation happening in the backdrop.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The audience had burst into cheers when Allen knocked out the spear from Grayfia''s hand. But as for what actually happened in the arena, it was something out of everyone''sprehension¡ save for one man. Even more so, he also recognized how difficult it was to replicate that move.
"No way..............."
A shaken gasp escaped out of the mouth of Randy Von Dosperior ¡ª the present head of the Marquis Sunset Family and themander of the Royal Guard ¡ª otherwise known for his rational and sober attitude.
Seeing an unusual expression on his face, his son, who was also his aide, Eddy Dosperior raised his voice.
"Is there something amiss about that strange guy, father?"
The Dosperior family was one that prioritized its hereditary education policy rather than what was prevalent in the kingdom, as could be seen from the fact that no one from their family had graduated from the Royal Academy. But they have also heard the rumors about the Royal Academy''s Hill Road Club and about Allen, its founder, as one of the prominent families.
Of course, he had also heard about how the said brat had learned some half-assed instantaneous manapression technique ¡ª which was their fundamental but also a core secret technique ¡ª from his father''s sword friend Sir Godorfun. Apparently, he was also proudly teaching others about it. ''A small-time achiever who has yet to see the world'' was Randy''s thought about him. He considered teaching him the ''true technique'' should he have the chance to meet him¡ or admonish him if the kid was a cocky brat.
These were his earlier thoughts.
"Twice... it''s the number of times our Dosperior Family has captured the hegemony of this continent in our hands."
Eddy was perplexed hearing the cryptic monologueing from his father''s mouth.
"Of course, I am aware of our history as well. The first one was 2200 years ago, when our legendary founding ancestor Aeolus-sama, extolled as ''God''s Eye,'' had dyed this continent in the color of unification for the first time ever in its history.
And the second asion urred around 1600 years ago, when our Dosperior family was on the verge of annihtion at the hands of the other four families of the Original Five when the one-of-the kind prodigy in body strengthening magic, ''Iron Fist Witch'' Kanaria-sama, took on the matter and put them in their ce."
Randy nodded.
"Yes. And in fact, a simrly one-of-a-kind prodigy, bearing resemnce to Kanaria-sama whose fists were feared as molded from iron itself through which she decimated the allied force of the other four families, had also appeared in our Dosperior family.
My little sister, Cecilia, who died prematurely when that ''disease'' outbreak happened together with the growth of her mana organ, had a caliber that even I could never see the bottom..."
"I¡¯ve heard the rumors as well. Her martial caliber was indeed second to none, but even her heart was just as strong. Someone whom even father, themander of the Royal Guard, looked up to. But Aunt Cecilia..."
Randy nodded with a mournful expression.
"However, a talent of the caliber of Aeolus-sama had never again appeared in our family after his death 2200 years ago. Not a single person had remotely inherited his talent.
In fact, Aeolous-sama was said to be an anomaly even within our Dosperior family ording to the records that were inherited by the head of the family. Apparently, his talent in Outer Mana Loop wasuded to be on the level of divine. He needed but to slightly strain his ears to hear any conversation happening in the city, and a simple squint of eye could let him see several hundred meters of the area as easily as popping candy.
And as the master of such an extreme level of scouting magic, he was also capable of moving wind with a flip of his hand by circting mana outside his body."
¡°Moving wind with¡ª wait, is that what you mean?!"
Eddy looked at that young boy with an incredulous expression after sensing where his father was heading.
Though Randy shook his head.
"......I don''t have any concrete evidence yet, however. It''s just a guess at the end of the day."
"Etch it into your brain! This is the true capability of Allen Rovenne, the one that walks together with wind and panty!"
The howling of Allen''s club members also reached Eddy''s ears while they conversed, almost causing him to stumble. He somehow held back his exasperation and carefully observed the situation.
The young boy was walking with such a stride as if he had measured the unexpected situation of ''What if that spear wielding girl, Grayfia, tried to jump at him'' while leaving the arena. There was no opening in his defense, even if his back itself was facing the enemy.
The audience seemingly hadn''t realized the silent war that was happening between the two contestants, however. The distance between that had already been opened up to 15 m, but he was clearly telling his opponent¡ª any attack would meet retaliation.
In the end, that spear wielding girl didn''t make any move.
"......Now that I think about it, the name of his mother is also Cecilia Rovenne ording to the information department. Is it really a coincidence, father?"
¡®It''s impossible.¡¯ Randy wanted to say that out loud, but he could also see that the boy waspressing mana and filling his reserve as easily as if he was breathing.
He wasn''t a fool, and it was clear to his eyes that it was the bona fide technique of the Dosperior family.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
¡ªA promising 12-year-oldd from Yuglia Kingdom has defeated Grayfia Indiana, the savant of the Rosemieur Empire, with a mere borrowed weapon along with the handicap of being blindfolded. He defeated her as easily as an adult teasing a toddler and then forfeited the title of the victor to her out of pity.
Every nation on the continent was shaken the instant they received this report. Nheless, their decision was to ''keep watching'' for now.
While each leading figure had received a detailed record of the event, the details were just far too convoluted to make sense out of it.
The report had put all the leaders into a state of confusion.
The report had exined enough about the deadliness of the wind magic in detail, however, anyone with a brain could see that trousers were an immediate counter to this technique.
There was a high possibility that the spirit and the other lines were simple bluffs, but if that was true, then what was it that blew those strong winds? It was the main question here.
At the same time, if he had really worked hard just to learn how to flip skirts with mana loop in their club activities, or that he was engrossed in such trivial and meaningless activities despite being a member of the Royal Academy when the creeping tumultuous times were clear to anyone paying attention to the rumors, then he was nothing but an idiot.
The hard work he might have poured just for trivial results made no sense either.
Furthermore, no matter how many times they analyzed the report, they could only conclude that Allen Rovenne was strong enough to fight that girl, but it was unknown where his bottom lied.
Plus, it was as if he also didn''t put the honor of crushing the three-time champion of the Rising Star Cup in his eyes.
He was either a fool of a hopeless level, or a preposterous prodigy. Though, they all agreed on one thing: he was an oddball, even a pervert for sure.
With that conclusion, they put their evaluation of Allen on hold for the time being. Though internally, they were pivoting toward him as nothing but a pervert.
Also, they overlooked one thing. His nihilistic outlook. The mask that would be one-of-a-kind in the world down the line, hailed as a ''warning from Allen Rovenne''
T/N - Well, then I guess Rose isparable to that ¡®Kariana¡¯ meanwhile Allen had Aeolus equivalent talent. There will be conversation between him and Randy in the next chapter. Oh, and the king too.
E/N - Okay, this was a pretty good chapter. Lots of reveals. I¡¯m excited for the talk between Randy and the MC. Also pretty funny how the MC''s actions confused all the leaders who got the report of the fight. Lastly, the titles were pretty funny, especially ¡®The one that walks together with wind and panty¡¯. He''ll never live that down ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 116 - Royal Palace (1)
After the Colosseum was emptied of spectators and I finished my security mission, I went to the royal pce at the behest of Godorfun-sensei.
"There''s someone interested in meeting you. I¡¯ve already left a message to Dew, so just follow me."
He rambled off vaguely as he took me to the southeast section of the royal capital, where¡ the royal pce was.
Uh-huh, I could already feel the rage of my master...... Hopefully he didn''t forget that I didn''t have much say in this either.
The royal pce was huge, well not as big as the Royal Academy given that it had countless training facilities, but it was still stupidly huge with multiple gates.
The southern gate was used by the King, the King''s official envoy, or nobles when they came to be audiences for official events. The gate''s name was dubbed ''Aurora Crown''.
Aside from that, there was an east gate for royalties, a west gate for all sorts of suppliers and such. However, Sensei took the magic car toward the northern soaring magic gate, used by the King''s immediate aides like the heads of the noble families,manders of the knight order, or rank holder bureaucrats.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The north gate wasvishly decorated with the engravings of mythical creatures like qilins, dragons, and unicorns, giving it a striking appearance. If one didn''t know any better, they would never be able to imagine this was just the back gate of the royal castle. The entrance was guarded by two gatekeepers, seemingly members of the royal guards.
Seeing Sensei''s entrance, they stood up straight in attention and put their hands on their chests in salute.
We, too, saluted back in courtesy and passed through the gate. Still, I heard that it has been quite a while since Sensei retired from the knight order, but it seems like his face pass was still effective even now. Oh, right. I think he did say he was granted the title of king''s advisor or something.
On a side note, I, while being a member of the knight order, also didn''t need to go through the procedure to enter the royal pce with his presence.
The premises of the ''Royal Pce'' were just as big, around 5 km in diameter, starting from the first avenue first street to the second avenue second street and were surrounded by walls and gates. The pce''s premises were divided into the ''Royal Court'' for administrative work and ''Royal Pce'' for the King, for convenience''s sake.
Typically, the only ones who could enter the royal court without any procedure were the royal guards as well as 3rd court rank holder knights (vicemander ss) unless it was a matter of extreme urgency.
The royal guard order knights were the cream of the crop even among the handpicked knights of the knight order.
There were multitudes of administrative buildings where elite bureaucrats served within the royal pce, though we were apparently heading towards the guard post of the royal guards.
Well, it might be redundant to exin this, but, and obviously, the handful of elite bureaucrats directly serving the King couldn''t possibly manage the entire Yuglia. Therefore, facilities equivalent to government offices in Japan surrounded the royal pce where employees not holding rank in the kingdom worked.
......Well, with what sensei had revealed, the captain of the royal guards had connections with my mother''s family, and apparently was the current head of the Dosperior family.
I honestly have no idea why mother ceased her rtionship with her family, but I hope we were not heading to meet that captain of the royal guards. Thest thing I wanted was to get caught up in some power y......
As the feeling of unease was gradually eroding my spirit, I tried asking Sensei in a low tone.
"Err, Sensei, who exactly wants to meet me?"
I wondered if Godorfun would go the roundabout way, but he easily revealed the details.
"Hmm? Ohh, I forgot to mention it I guess. It''s His Majesty the King."
"Ah, so it''s just His Majesty? Phew, I''m so....... not dddd!!!! H-H-H-H-H-His Majesty you say!? No, why am I, a bottom rung trainee knight, suddenly asked to meet him? In case you forgot, I''m just the third son of a rural and destitute viscount family who did not learn etiquette to meet someone of such high caliber!!"
Oh, hell na! This isn''t one of those RPGs where you''re but a mere traveler and no one stops you from meeting the King even without an appointment, or the protagonist who just had the magical way to remove the grave trouble guing the King!!
Why in the world was I suddenly meeting the top big shot in such an out of the blue random event!
"Hmm? I didn''t expect you to be the type to be flustered with a minute event like an unofficial audience with the King. Certainly not after you had so gantly dered you would crush me in our first meeting, right?
However, rest assured His Majesty is famous for his gregarious personality. He is someone who would employ all sorts of people without any judgement. His Majesty isn''t going to take a tiny bit of rudeness to heart, so follow whatever knight or Schord etiquette you deem appropriate.
If anything, His Majesty has good eyes to discern people, so you would fare better acting natural than putting up any sort of front. It''s just an unofficial audience...... or the setting is at least that His Majesty was just dropping by to check on the royal guards, and you just happened to be there."
For real? I guess this old man was going senile from old age...... He might have some pompous title for sure, but who in his right mind wouldpare a trifling quibble with an old homeroom teacher with an audience with the Kingggg!!
It might be strangeing out of my mouth, but that was so rude!
"As you know, I had taken my post in the Royal Academy following His Majesty''s decree. So I reported each day¡¯s events to him. His Majesty found you an amusing fe and had been requesting to meet you at least once for a while now. Though I think, and most likely, another reason should be the rumors he has heard about you from his sources.
But since it would be a bit out of line to grant an audience with His Majesty without any valid pretext, it was left to ''when there''s a chance'' so far. However, his gregarious nature had taken another flight of fancy after seeing your match today, so he handed me a decree saying ''I don''t care if it''s just for 5 minutes, I want to meet him directly.''
The arena was obviously out of question since it would have been in front of the audience''s eyes, and you didn''t have the qualification for an unofficial audience. Hence, we have to do it like this."
Ohh? No, I mean, can you please not treat me like I¡¯m some sort of toy for real......
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"This room please, Sir Godorfun. I¡¯ve asked everyone to leave this ce empty.¡±
Randy Von Dosperior, the captain of the Royal Guard, came out to greet Godorfun-sensei at the post while exining the details to him.
I was also seeing him for the first time, and he had an honest and earnest vibe to him. But most of all, his eyes were the exact same as my mother''s!
"It''s been a year, huh, Randy? Thest time we met was at Vardi''s memorial service. But I must apologize for making you work here when you''re already swamped with the handling of the founding festival."
Seeing Godorfun-sensei apologizing after we entered the arrangedvish room, Randy-san shook his head with a wry smile.
"It''s an order from His Majesty, after all. Either way, it must be due to His Majesty''s gregarious trait once again. Leaving that aside, it''s not easy for Sir either......"
"Fufufu. Well, it''s more or less as you have guessed. Speaking of which, though, haven''t you passed a message to me stating you wanted to have a meeting with me? If required, I can ask Allen to leave the room for a short while......"
Randy-san turned to nce at me when he heard Godorfun-sensei''s words.
"But can I ask him one thing before that?"
Ugh, so it was really gearing toward that direction, huh? I mentally prepared myself.
"Pfft. You know, taking such a defensive stance would only show that you have something to hide. Either way, there''s just one thing I want to ask. Is it from your mother that you¡¯ve inherited that dark brown hair?"
......The what? Wow, wasn''t that quite a casual question for such a serious face? I didn''t think it would¡¯ve been that hard to investigate, plus my hair color wasn''t exactly rare either.
"Yeah. The rest of my family often told me how my hair is an exact replica of my mother''s."
Hearing my reply, Randy-san stared at me for a short moment before speaking.
"......So it is. Alright, I have the whole gist of the story now."
Huh, what in the zes!? I swear if this scene had appeared in one of those detective novels, many great detective fans might really be burning the book with how goofy this situation sounded. What do you mean you resolved the whole mystery with a casual question? Can we just talk in humannguage, please!?
As I was plunged into confusion, Randy-san started his exnation with a wry smile.
"......Learning to mask your expression wouldn''t hurt, you know. It mighte in handy down the road.
Frankly, the Dosperior family had never been interested in digging deeper about you unlike the other forces, though I do have a grasp over the general matter through the reports I receive. And I¡¯ve also heard about your mom''s name earlier as well, but it was an unassuming name that wasn''t rare, and since she seemingly portrayed herself thoroughly as amoner, I didn''t find anything suspicious.
...Until I saw your match today. It really gave me a new perspective about your abilities, the way you perform instantaneous manapression as simple as breathing, after seeing you up close. The only logical reason here is that the blood of the Dosperior family runs in your veins.
However, thest hint that turned that theory into a conviction was your hair. The color, feel, and growing pattern really is like being cut from the same cloth."
After exining that, Captain Randy turned to Godorfun.
"As a matter of fact, the reason why I wanted to meet Sir was to have a chance to talk with you. I heard you rejected any and all interview proposals from the others. So I wondered if I could get this chance by concocting a suitable situation. After all...... you must have realized this already. That you''re my little sister''s, Cecilia''s, son."
E/N - Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnn!
Well, we¡¯ve known this for a while now. I just wanted to be dramatic ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 117 - Royal Palace (2)
......What kind of joke was that?......
I did hear that she was connected to the Dosperior family, but oh my god, the little sister of the family head? What went on in her head that she decided to marry that no good father of mine?
I was thoroughly floored at the revtion, though Godorfun-sensei''s expression didn''t even flinch in the slightest.
"Oh goodness, now that''s news to me. Is he correct?"
No, why don''t you look as if Randy-san just dropped a bombshell news?! And don''t ask me that!
Damn, what a barefaced liar! I¡¯ll never believe that he didn''t at least have some inkling of this!
He definitely yed his cards well...... Most likely he was leaving everything over to my judgement.
Well, I didn''t have any reason to stop him, and Randy-san already seemed to havee to a conclusion, so it wasn''t like there was a better option out there. He also wasn''t giving off an unsettling vibe, and most of all, there wasn''t much I was privy to about my mother despite being her son after all.
"......My mother''s name is indeed Cecilia, but whether she''s your actual little sister or not is something I can''t rify. I did hear from my dad that she was from the Dosperior family but have severed her ties with them due to some reasons. Though my mother has never talked about herself and I also didn''t bother asking her. Well, is there any problem?"
"......Hmm. Sure enough, her circumstances are indeed shrouded in some kind of mystery. But as for your question, I swear to you in my name that we have no bad blood between us. And if possible, I would like you to ry a message to her for me¡ª your brother is beyond happy knowing about your survival, Cecilia. A miracle no less. I would not be asking you to take on the obligation of the Dosperior family after you¡¯ve made up your mind, but it would dden my heart if you can meet this brother of yours. Even a letter will suffice if that''s not possible. Yes, that is all."
What''s with thatck of animosity? Now I was feeling even more anxious¡ for different reasons. I mean, I did prepare myself for some unptable power y to roll out.
As if he had seen through my heart, Randy-san had another bitter smile on his face.
"Let me guess, you must be thinking ''is that all''? That maybe you expected a more grimy, nasty familial feud that''s typical of noble society, and that maybe it''s going to be another sick situation, right?"
I nodded in awkwardness.
"You would have to appreciate the effort of your mother and Sir Godorfun for this. They had been protecting you all this time for sure. And now, your presence has reached the point where neither me nor any prominent noble couldy their hand on you easily.
Dosperior would have pulled some tricks and yed some dirty moves to bring you into our faction should wee to know about your existence even just a bit earlier. At the end of the day, you''re just the third son of a rural viscount family. There''s nock of the string we can pull without anyone in our way. Even if it''s not something I wish for, it''s impossible to ignore the situation as a major power and I wouldn''t have been able to stop it from happening either.
However, you have leaped too high in a short period of time. His Majesty has personally asked to meet you, and along with the happening of the Rising Star Cup, any tricks would have been impossible at this point. It''s no wonder you''re His Majesty''s right hand, Sir Godorfun. Is everything in the name of the promise you made with your close friend, and my father, Vardi?"
Randy-san looked at Godorfun-sensei with a slightly reproachful re, who just muttered ''What might you be talking about?'' while maintaining his iron mask.
Seeing that, Randy-san exhaled saying ''There''s no winning against you'' and tugged me into a hug.
"We, Dosperior, have been preserving our bloodline to maintain the absolute mana maniption talent that runs in our blood. Perhaps because of that, we haven''t been blessed with a lot of kids. Even if we don''t talk about that, our blood is also prone to suffer from mana copse, an incurable illness where the afflicted can''t live past the age of 17.
It''s really a miracle that my adorable sister has managed to subvert the tragedy and grow up to be a capable adult, much less to see my first nephew as well. This brother''s truly d for her. It''s a pity that I can''t im you to be a member of the Marquis Dosperior force due to the power bnce running in this kingdom, but I should be able to support you from the shadows."
......Huh, was mom about to die from a disease? I¡¯ve never heard about her having a frail body......
Besides, his backing was unnecessary for me, though I couldn''t say it out loud seeing how Randy-san''s eyes were tearing up like a doting rtive looking at his long-lost family member.
"Thank you very much. I¡¯ll send a letter to my mother."
Knock-Knock
I just said that when the door was opened after a series of knocks and a man in his 20s walked in. His eyes, too, bore the same resemnce as mom and Commander Randy.
"It''s Eddy. His Majesty is ready for the audience... father? So it''s just as we guessed......"
A secondter, a man in his 50s walked in after him while draped in a gold-embroidered wine-red velvet mantle as if it was just another piece of clothing for him.
He was the 58th kind of the Yuglia Kingdom¡ª Patrick Arthur Yuglia.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After Eddy-san, Captain Randy''s aide, left the room, His Majesty broke into a heartyughter.
"Gahahaha! Imagine my surprise walking up to a scene of Randy hugging Allen Rovenne while crying... So that''s the circumstance, I see. I guess it''s my fault to disrupt the emotional reunion. I can wait for a while longer in the corridor if that will suffice."
His Majesty Patrick pointed at the corridor with a jovial expression.
Heh, he''s quite a candid king......
Maybe I was paying a bit too much attention to the details to hide my nervousness, but that just broke my image of him.
"I-I¡¯d be damned for that! It''s deplorable of me to insert my personal business while on duty. This deserves punishment."
As Randy-san lowered his head, His Majesty Patrick waved his hand.
"Come now, pardon me from such boorish dealings. Your earnestness is your charm, but also your weakness. Besides, this person is present here as well, granting a punishment would bring nothing but further troublesome buzz should it leave these walls.
Anyway, Randy. If this person has indeed inherited the blood of your Dosperior family, then you must have assessed his caliber as the family head, right? How would you describe him?"
Eh, you''re asking that? Please, the match has already be a ck history for me, so it would be great if you could talk about it in my absence...... I only feel depressed about the victory, nothing more.
"......His talent definitely doesn''t lose to our family members, and no one would be able to lift their fingers in doubt at the authenticity of our im should we announce him as one of us. Well, it''s what I would expect from my prodigious sister. Where his ceiling lies is something I couldn''t determine yet, however¡ª"
Randy-san took a short pause while pursuing his lips, as if he found it hard to convey the next words, and continued.
"I can sense the visage of Aeolus-sama, whom we Dosperior has been waiting for generations, in him."
The name that followed dumbfounded not only me, but even His Majesty and Sensei.
Aeolus¡ª he was extolled as the legendary emperor for unifying the whole continent in the far past. In fact, he was the only figure to achieve that feat in the annals of history.
But how in the world did flipping a skirt with wind bring the name of that legendary emperor on the table...?
His Majesty shed a faint troubled expression, then shifted his gaze to me and dropped another bbergasting statement.
"I see. So, Allen Rovenne. Does thyself feel a yearning for the throne of this kingdom?"
......Would they allow me to leave if I excused myself here?
I swiftly denied the possibility of his ridiculous question in a split second.
"N-Never in my life! I would really implore His Majesty to refrain from such jokes as they''re bad for my heart!"
I mean, there might just be four people here ¡ª me, Godorfun-sensei, Captain Randy, and His Majesty ¡ª but those words were not something that shoulde out of the King even as a joke.
However, resting his crystal-clear blue eyes upon me, His Majesty asked back in response to my statement with a curious face.
"Why do you say so? Dragoon clearly favors you, and I heard that you''re also good friends with Zatsinger and Levarance. Now you also have the support of the Dosperior. It shouldn''t be that difficult for a being of your caliber to reach for the throne if you can utilize these cards of yours well, no?
Well, aside from the extreme aspect like a coup, you have more than enough worth to be adopted into the Yuglia family with talentparable to ''God''s Eye'' Aeolus. If anything, if you are ready to lead this nation, and if you''re more than worthy of it, I shall hand over the throne myself without any hesitation, gleefully too.
So I will ask you again, Allen Rovenne. Do you have any interest in the throne, and the backbone to be the king?"
I demand but a simple answer without deceit or falsehood. I felt his crystal clear eyes were conveying that.
One wouldn''t have been able to guess he was the same personughing so jovially like an amicable uncle a moment ago from his current dignified expression. Or maybe, that was who he was, the ''King'' of this country bearing an obligation to bring prosperity on his back.
I took a deep breath and expressed myself in a clear-cut fashion. It was past the point to care about wordings or anything like that.
"I have no interest in the throne. I have no interest in bing someone big. I only want to charge head first into the things I¡¯m interested in and walk freely wherever I want. This is all that I want from life, and my conviction will never change. Leading the nation isn''t a joke, so pardon me for being unreliable."
Even when I dered my intent, His Majesty kept his gaze on me.
But that line was absolute for me, and I, too, stared back into his eyes.
It should have been around 5 seconds since our stare-off when he finally dispersed his dignified expression and returned to his amicable vibe.
"......Pfft. Gahahaha! Uh-huh, so I was turned down. Being able to grasp your own ''way of life'' at this age is trulymendable. Indeed, this is more in the line of someone with Aeolus¡¯ caliber!"
Can we drop thatparison, please......
I knew that was all just to test me out, but I¡¯m really serious that this might actually give me a heart attack, for real.
I lost my energy to argue and plopped my head downward.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 118 - Royal Palace (3)
"Well then, Allen Rovenne. Your effort in today''s match was sublime. The ''momentum'' you¡¯ve built up, and the ''time'' you''ve earned is iparable to even finding a gold mine. Speak anything you desire as your reward."
Momentum? Time?
......Why do I feel like we weren¡¯t on the same page?
Just as my head was full of question marks, Godorfun-sensei gave me a helping hand.
"Hmm. So you didn''t know as I had guessed. Let me ask you this: how familiar are you with Justeria''s politics?"
Ohh~, so that was what he was on about. I guess I had to answer.
"......The match between Olivia-san and Grayfia-san was a proxy war between the noble restoration faction and the pro republic faction, and the result would have decided the trend of the political storm brewing in Justeria. However, my interference has pushed back the advantage that was almost within the noble restoration faction''s grasp following Grayfia-san''s victory¡ Was that what you meant?"
Godorfun-sensei shed a surprised expression, apparently he wasn''t expecting such a precise answer.
"Gracious, I didn''t expect you to have such deep insight. You''re quite somethingd, hiding your sharp mind under that foolish persona. It''s as you guessed, the arena was indeed the grounds for one proxy war.
It was for that reason why that youngss made a show out of beating up Olivia¡ª the daughter of the Rudeon family who is the torchbearer of the pro republic faction and the emblem holder of the anti-war and Pro-Yuglia faction. I guess she used a treacherous plot in the fight, but the audience didn''t realize it.¡±
......I expected nothing less from him. Still, that begged a question, which was¡ª
"Speaking of the plot, why didn''t you expose them, Sensei? Because of the burden of proof?"
"......s. While I know that thess yed a trick, the trick must have been something borate that they can easily excuse themselves. I would have been walking into their trap if I had decided to support young Olivia as a judge. Well, I was more convinced by the eyes of young Olivia, she wasn''t discontent by one bit.
I couldn''t have besmirched her pride as a warrior when she already had conviction. That defeat was a symbol of her weakness and taken aback by that, she was also frantically fumbling for the winning move.
The fact that you also hadn''t jumped in shouting ''it''s unfair'' or ''what a cheater'' must have been for the same reason, am I wrong?"
......I''m sorry, I don''t have the acumen of that caliber in politics.
I was simply fascinated by Olivia-san''s disy of prowess and I would have been but a fool to shout in that situation. I felt like it would have been taken as a snarling of a defeated dog.
"......The process doesn''t matter, the audience were there simply to see what the fate of the Rudeon family or Justeria would be. The Rising Star Cup was already a prominent event for the youngsters carrying the future of their nation on their back, and it''s not hyperbole this match was the leading topic among them.
They seemed to have the n to test out thatd Leo Zatsinger as well, who has already made a name for himself even in foreign nations, using the tournament as an excuse. The loss would have been unimaginable should they have damaged his reputation as well with the rumors.
''Are you sure you want to side with these weaklings?'' was the show that thess Grayfia must have been nning to y out. "
Wow, the waters were quite deep in this one, huh? Wait, did that mean I unwittingly yed out the role of a ''national beacon''...?
Ugh, I could feel the muscles on my face stiffening at the thought. I tried to rify if my assumption was right, though I could barely squeeze out my voice.
"......Was my, err¡ action in that match uncalled-for?"
"Fuhahaha! Don''t tell me there was something else that you wanted to do? Frankly, I did think it wasn''t going to be easy for you, but I¡¯ve never seen you fume so much, and you also use a bow, an unconventional weapon. I stepped in and wagered on that element of surprise but...... Pff-hahaha!
No, I truly didn''t expect you would start with acting so close to young Olivia and fight with a borrowed rapier from her. I have to say even I almost broke out in cold sweat with the way you handled things.
It was clear who held the upper hand in that situation. However, you managed to befuddle many with the name of a spirit without disying your actual performance, striking while the iron was hot when it was the perfect chance to make a name for yourself. I have no doubt that each nation, especially the Rosemieur Empire, must be scratching their heads in annoyance at theck of information. They should now be apprehensive not knowing how strong you are, just that you''re uncannily powerful. The uncertainty of the unknown is always the scariest."
I see. I get it. While I did want to give him a piece of my mind for his shamelessness as to how he could arbitrarily ce his hopes on one person, there was one more thing I couldn''t wait to clear out.
"You could use a bow in the Rising Star Cup?"
"Pfft-fuahahah! Pff cough cough"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Gahahaha. You''re really a witless person as Elder (Godorfun) had described. Well then, going back to square one. What is it that you desire as a reward? Here''s a hint: I am in quite a good mood today. You can ask for anything. Money, treasure, position, or even honor. No need to hold back."
As if he was anticipating what my request would be in this situation, His Majesty asked while resting his crystal-clear eyes on me.
Huh, well, that''s too sudden toe up with anything honestly¡ª or so I would have said, however I just happened to have a thing that was constantly guing me.
The funds and personnel for the activities of the Geography Research Club.
We wanted to create a map for this stupidlyrgend kingdom, but the reality of our club was that making small requests to the explorer association by chipping in money from our pockets toplete it would easily take years, even decades.
Fey (The Dragoons) had already invested a huge sum, however, I thought that since we were talking about a kingdom-wide map, then it should be sponsored by the kingdom at least, right? Plus, with the words of His Majesty, this project was bound to progress by leaps and bounds.
Well, since it was a special asion, I pitched in how important geography was, how ambitious our project at the Geography Club was, and appealed like those hardcore salesmen¡ª wait, I¡¯m sure my speech would blow them out of the water entirely for sure.
"Alright, calm down now. I¡¯ve already received a petition from Marquis Meria of the Dragoon family about turning it into an official project. As for how it¡¯s going, there have been voices opposing this as they couldn''t see how it would benefit us, and I''ve been unsure as well. However, your speech has certainly convinced me to push for it. I¡¯ll put in a good word from my end."
"Thank you very much for your grace!"
I performed my signature precise 45 degree bow in rejoice.
"However, I asked what ''you'' desire, not a presentation for the kingdom''s project. This can''t be called a reward at all. Isn''t there something else?"
Huh, was it the one+onebo offer? No wonder he was the king. Yup, he truly has a royal heart.
Hmm, the other thing could be the messy situation surrounding the Master''s workload but¡ this would call for a reformation of the knight order system which hardly had anything to do with me. In that case¡ª
"......I want to establish a Sail Club in the academy once it reopens. Can we use the naval port near 1st street 1st avenue as our practice ground and anchorage base? It''s the closest to our academy and I heard it also acts as a dock for transportation ships. It would be a huge lifesaver if we can get permission to use the facilities there as well."
The best ce if we wanted to hold our practice for sailing a ship was the Great Rune River at the south of the royal capital, but as it stood, the route was strictly managed as it was quite close to the royal pce, which meant we couldn''t freely move around lest we arouse suspicion.
We could use another port, but that would just be a waste of time.
His Majesty''s brow shot up at my request.
"Oh? A Sail Club¡ It''s yet another unexpected proposal. I guess you shouldn''t be unaware about the emergence of the magic propulsion engine recently. Then why sailboats in this era?"
Fufufu. Now, I didn''t expect such an easy question.
I puffed my chest out and shed a content smile.
"Because it''s fun, Your Majesty. It''s just for fun!"
His Majesty looked as if he couldn''t believe it was for this simple reason, but he eventually shed a grin.
"Now, now. I¡¯ve granted rewards a multitude of times, but you¡¯re the only one to ask for a toy as reward from me. Have you already gotten a boat?"
I nodded.
"Yes, I found a shipbuilding firm as our sponsor from the Marquis Grauksh territory."
"Gahahaha! Oh, yes. I did hear some grumble about how you flung your knight''s duty and sneaked into the Serdos territory in Grauksh for a vacation. So it seems that you''re truly serious about it being for your ytime, then I shall not hinder you here!
Very well, Allen Rovenne. I will pass my words to Captain Olina. You can also utilize the dock and the facilities there on your whim."
His Majesty left these words before spinning on his heel and exiting the reception room.
I bowed again in appreciation at his back.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 119 - A Descent into the Dark Side of the Royal Capital
Western region of the Royal Capital.
The slum area was wrapped in its usual air of gloominess and mncholy, and not a hint of festive vibe following the founding festival could be felt.
In a room in the depths of a rustic bar, Chabul Rose, the head of the Rose Family, and a short mild-tempered man ¡ª the consultant of the Rose family referred to as Tomora by hisckeys ¡ª were waiting for their guest.
Chabul was pacing around the room with an anxious expression, meanwhile Tomora was graciously enjoying his coffee in the lounge suite.
It was around then when a red-haired narrow-eyed man called Red entered the room with another man.
"Chief, Tomora-san. The guest is here."
Red said while urging the other man to step forward.
"Gracious, Chabul. What had I told you about not contacting me unless there''s a matter of urgent concern? Sure, the situation might be a bitxpared to usual due to the founding festival but do not, by any means, ever dare to look down on the knight order."
The man said in a faint yet deadpan voice, wearing a hunting cap pulled down to the base of his eyes.
The scrawny and hollow-cheeked Chabul Rose didn''t bother responding to those words and just dashed in front of him.
"I can''t handle the shit anymore! I''m stepping down! Whether it''s Gin of the Dragon-Crane association in the eastern region, the Speed of the Continent firm in the south, or Fabio of the northern region''s Dwine Family...... each and every single incident was orchestrated by you all! Anyone worth their brain could see it was our, Rose''s, doing, being the sole beneficiary!
Typically, no one would bat an eye at the in-fighting among the underworld organizations, but now, not only has the police entered the scene, even the knight order have started to pay attention to us! Is it my turn next after them!?"
Tomora couldn''t hold back anymore as he listened to Chabul, who narrated all of it with a menacing look, and spurted out the coffee he was drinking.
"Pfft! Cough-Cough! Ack, cough! Ahh, ahem. Would you please not make such a joke, Chief? What''s the meaning of stepping down from your position after Rose has made it big? Even more so, how are you going to save your little life after leaving our patronage?"
"But we''re no longer the scrawny self from our past! We¡¯ve be a giant enough to even contest for the No.1 or No.2 of the Underworld! I don''t care, I still have the time before they find any evidence! We''re fine as we are for now. We just need to stop our antics and consolidate our family''s power. I¡¯m sure no one would dare challenge us then!"
Tomora shook his head in dismay at the argument.
"Hahaha. You know what, now I pity you for your measly misunderstanding. Let me exin to you in some nice, easy-to-understand words: your members don¡¯t give a shit about you.
All they see is the freedom and power thates with joining us, mere profiteers who¡¯re just there to rub on your money and authority. They would ride only on the winning side. You''re basically suggesting the same restrictions that the other families ask from them, so what makes you think they would wag their tails for you if you do that?
Hehe, or what, you want to stand as their backer when you can''t even acquire enough rea to pay off those government agencies? Well, you can break the contract on your side, then we''ll also use any method, no matter how underhanded, to get back our invested money from the family. Can you still hold them by their leash then?"
Chabul felt he was at his wits¡¯ end.
Let alone other families or even police, the pressure from the Rose family members in itself would immediately initiate the copse of his family should his backer really go down to retrieve the funds they had spent in all thatvishness. He wouldn''t evenst three days in this world once they spiraled into this route.
Though he did have the resolution to make an enemy of that level. But regardless of that, help from the police or knight order was out of the equation.
Heck, he didn''t care about their background earlier, but it was crystal clear to anyone''s keen eye that they were folks from a foreign nation. They might as well be the most notorious criminals in this kingdom, so it was entirely possible for him to be branded with a charge of treason against the kingdom. If that happened¡ª
A shiver ran down Chabul''s spine.
"......Listen, my one and only concern is that we need to reign down on our aggression for now. This family has taken more than an overnight to be this big. Even you wouldn''t want your raised golden hen to suddenly die, right? Red, we''re going back."
Chabul imparted his warning and turned to leave the room along with slit-eyed man Red. He didn''t notice the same contemptuous nce that Tomora was giving him gleamed in Red''s eyes.
"......Well, what else did I expect? He''s truly a hopeless fool. He¡¯s under the impression that Red was someone who he had raised by himself without a shred of doubt. His measly brain didn''t even notice he had been our agent all along.
Anyway, we have other reasons for why we¡¯ve gone out of our way to invite you, and not to simply listen to him grumble. It''s about¡ how to deal with Chabul.
We did factor in that he''s just another crass individual, but it seemed like he didn''t even have the bearing to hold himself up with the rapid development. We should start taking some countermeasures now rather than letting him douse water on our n at a critical moment¡ which should be thest thing we need, right?"
The man wearing a hunting cap red at Tomora.
"And whose task was it to do that? Yours, Tomora. I know you might not be in the best of moods after being tasked to take care of the rudimentary things like the unrest within the kingdom and all that, but don''t forget the human resources and money I¡¯ve invested toe this far.
Failure isn''t an option here. I don''t care if you want to dispose of that fly, but then do you have anyone in mind to take over for him? A convenient puppet who should be of this kingdom, have good enough caliber, and, which is the most important, follow our orders word for word. Do you have that?"
Tomora shook his head in denial.
"Why ask the obvious? We don''t have any convenient puppet lying around to take over the leadership right away. However, Red seemed to have found an interesting character.
He''s a roughneck with incredible talent, apparently a rookie who is active mostly on the eastern side and has made a name for himself in a short time. The president of the explorer association, Shellbul Monstel himself, has been paying attention to him and most of all, he''s a B-rank explorer despite still being a brat.
Rumors are that he''s the 3rd son of a poor noble house, though there''s no denying his talent. It''s just that he¡¯s leading a bunch of short pricks and even joined a poor orphanage working as a Mutual Aid society to take care of those kids. Truly a greenhorn.
ording to Red, he''s quite an understanding and easygoing person as long as you reason out with him, and that he even rmends raising that one as one of our swords in the future."
"Hmm¡ Explorer means he was at least not up to par to attend ¡®that academy¡¯, but if his skills are being eyed at by that Shellbul Monster, then......
Speaking of which, didn¡¯t ''Feral Tyrant Shell'' have the caliber to enter the knight order? He also has influence in the top brass of this kingdom. I don''t think we need to bother ourselves with such a hot potato of a brat."
Tomoro twisted his lips into a grin.
"There are risks, for sure. However, this is also our chance to train him. That Shellbul Monstel is famous for his loose lips and said to be working on a single brain cell, if we can have that brat pry some insider information like the secretive tactics of the knight order or some other secret information, that alone would justify the hardship.
This is far more effective than merely interfering with things like stirring amotion in the underworld of the royal capital. Hell, it might even be possible to return to that ."
Hunting cap man fell into silence. This move was indeed on another scale than just causing a ripple. The merit he would earn from that alone would be a crisp p to the faces of those who dared to look down on him.
On the other hand, the order in the kingdom''s underworld was already at itsst leg with their meddling, so it wasn¡¯t far-fetched to say they were more or less done with their initial objective.
It was the high-risk, high-reward aspect of the idea that tempted him.
"......What if he is a spy?"
"The chances are low. He just happened to receive the request since he was traveling for his trip, and that''s how they came into contact. Red even handed him his business card and watched him from afar to see what he would do with it. He immediately threw it into the trash bin. It didn''t seem like he was going to visit anytime soon. He seems disinterested in the money of the Rose family, which is at least white on paper, and neither was he interested in the hidden power."
The Hunting Cap man fell into contemtion for at least 10 seconds before he passed his order.
"Move with caution. Get in touch with him as a Rose member, but make sure to not reveal any information. You may use the usual method."
"Hehehe. I just need to show him some sweet dreams and once he''s out of his delusions, I¡¯ll sweep him off his feet. I¡¯ll absolutely tread carefully."
The man nodded and left.
"Hehehe! Hahahaha!"
Tomora, now left alone in the lounge suit, crackled in amusingughter for a short while.
E/N - You know, I assumed that Ren=Allen was pretty widespread despite the efforts of the Explorer Association in hiding his identity with howte they did it. But with this chapter, it''s clear that the majority of the information agencies haven''t made the connection yet. Most likely the only ones who know are the people who have been keeping an eye on him all this time like the families of his high noble ssmates.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 120 - Elvert Workshop (1)
The founding festival hade to an end, and seeing that I finally had some free time on my hands, with a leap of courage, I visited our viscount residence in the royal capital.
It was clear that my elder sister should be fuming by now, so all that mattered was if I could defuse the building pressure in time. I was sure I could make it in time.
Yeah, I had already seen what would happen if I kept ignoring the built-up tension. In fact, the consequence was still ingrained in my body vividly from that BBQ gathering. Well, I do think it was half my fault.
A significant portion of the summer vacation had already gone by, but at first, I hadpletely made up my mind to visit our residence as soon as summer vacation started instead of dodging around the matter.
s, I let myself be sucked into the impromptu exploring invitation from Riyad-senpai, and since I was already in the mood, I skipped everything to visit the Serdos¡¯ territory for sightseeing and somehow ended up at a hot spring for the same reason. After returning, there was no telling what Master might do if I remained absent from the knight order, so I visited them right away where I was, just as I had expected, buried in work until recently.
Inhale & Exhale
I took a deep breath and opened the door to the entrance of the viscount residence.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Am I dreaming? Is it really you, Allen-kun? You really surprised me with the unannounced visit. Did something happen?"
My elder sister said with saucer eyes as if she saw a ghost, seeing me entering the house while greeting her with a ''I''m home¡¯.
It was 8 in the morning.
I had calcted my timing to visit now, considering she should still be sleeping at this moment. My n was to utter some mumbo-jumbo while she was still groggy from waking up so early and cushion the initial impact with that. However, far from just getting up, she was apparently nning to go out.
"I see, I¡¯m sorry for my unannounced visit, sis. Are you nning to go out today? Then leave everything to me. I¡¯ll handle the cleaning andundry. I¡¯ll be lounging here ¡®til tomorrow."
She let out another befuddled sound when she heard my exnation.
"Huhh!? Allen-kun is actually visiting home on his own ord¡ for no reason?...... Ah, maybe I¡¯m still sleeping? Though there''s no need for cleaning since the housekeeping magic tool from Fey-chan is working great. The house is sparkling clean, so there''s no need.
By the way, that magic tool immediately turns on if there''s something lying around, so be careful not to leave anything on the floor. Right, I guess I should give this feedback to Fey-chan. Isn''t it ironic that humans are cleaning to keep the situation clear for a tool?
Hmm, maybe I should ask if there''s a chance to improve it further by adding arms. Then it can even pick up items, easy peasy~."
Ahaha, it seemed like my already rock bottom reputation had tanked even further after failing to visit even once in this summer vacation, despite promising that I would asionally drop by.
But the silver lining was that she wasn''t literally fuming as I had expected. I looked at the floor and indeed, it was sparkling clean thanks to the Runbo-kun version 4, the cleaning robot produced by Fey. Nevertheless, these two were talking behind my back? Ugh, I can feel my stomach ache already¡
The only problem was the mountain of clothes on the sofa, but I guess it was already an upgrade from my usualzy bum sister.
"I''m really sorry for not visiting earlier, sis. I swear I had nned to visit earlier but¡ª"
"By the way, Allen-kun. Would you mind exining about your antics in that match? Your big sis was so embarrassed, I felt like my cheeks would literally catch fire, you know."
I decided it was best to curry some brownie points now, seeing her humorous mood and all that, and had just been about to continue when she instead followed with her question, her face masked with a smile. Yet, her eyes weren¡¯t smiling.
"T-There''s a proper reason, sis! Actually, I was carrying the fate of the kingdom on my back. It was a do-or-die moment¡ª"
"Do-or-die? Hee~, you were that serious about her, Allen-kun? Your sis is an understanding person~, I can''t say I don''t understand your anger when that orange-haired girl(?) was bad-mouthing(?) you. But ''might not win'' doesn''t give you the right to flip her skirt. I know I don''t usually mind your actions, but that''s a bit extreme, you know~. You could have exined truthfully, and say I flipped her skirt because I wanted to see her panties, right?"
"I flipped her skirt because I wanted to see her parties!"
Yes, so that you can give me hellish training for the remaining duration of the summer vacation? Yeah, no thanks.
Seeing the looming hell, I immediately threw all my pride away and exined all the ongoing undercurrent.
Besides, I was wearing a mask that covered my eyesight, and was using detection magic for everything, so I also didn''t see what color or pattern they were!
"What?! You''re really telling me about all this....... Alright. Fu-chan said it was typical of boys for your age, but this is the only time I¡¯ll let it slide! Listen well, first beat them down, then formally say you want to go out with them, and then kindly request if you want to see their panties! Do you understand?"
Hmm-mm, so first I need to create a scene of carnage in front of that huge crowd, then ask my opponent to be my girlfriend, and request her to show me her panties? So, in short¡ does this person have nomon sense?! I so wanted to shout that but thinking of the situation, I epted her ''teachings'' quietly, saying "Yes, I will make sure of it!".
"Anyway, were you about to go out, sis? Then, aren''t you running out of time?"
"Ack, Ipletely forgot! I had an appointment with Fu-chan to visit her family''s workshop. But then, you''re here after so long too~. It would be bad to call it off now, so would you like toe with me, Allen-kun? I heard there will be a lot of magic cars, so I¡¯m sure you won''t be bored either."
Oh, yeah. Furi-senpai''s father has the rights over the magic propulsion engine thest time I heard. Well, I wasn''t curious about the magic tool, but maybe it wouldn''t be bad to see this world''s engine.
Plus, I could foresee that she would postpone her appointment if I turned her down and would take me shopping in the city instead¡ which was another kind of hell.
"It sounds interesting! I¡¯d love to tag along!"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The Elvert Magic Workshop of Furi-senpai''s family wasn''t as grand as I had imagined. It wasn''t that small, but it was more on the line of a backstreet workshop.
Out of curiosity, I discreetly asked about their situation, and it turned out this had be a magic car repair shop ¡ª as well as a yground for Furi-senpai and her father to try out their experiments on magic cars here ¡ª ever since Mr. Ashim, Furi-senpai''s father, had relocated to the kingdom-managed R&D department for his achievements in this sector.
"Heya, lil bro! Fancy seeing you at this time! The match earlier was a masterpiece by the way; you really opened my eyes. Hahaha! You had to look at Rose''s face afterward. I had to finish three mega big bowls of shaved ice together while listening to her grumble, you know. But I¡¯m d to see you¡¯ve made up."
"Shhh, Fu-chan, shh!"
My elder sister, who was carrying herself with the decorum of an upstanding family member, panicked and pressed her hand on Furi-senpai''s mouth to stop her.
Senpai was dressed in a loose beige color overcoat and a ck cap, its brim turned backward, which screamed ''Yaho~! I''m the engineer here!''.
It was quite a simple attire, but that sculpted face over that tall staturepared to the background was like someone had joined pieces of two different puzzles. It was mismatched scenery, but it reminded me of the expression I had read: beauty in ugliness.
After that, we followed Furi-senpai who gave us a tour of the workshop.
Senpai didn''t seem bothered by my sudden visit and instead said in a cheery tone, "Feel free to ask me anything that piqued your interest~", exining everything in detail for the amateur that I was about the magic tools.
Honestly, when I first learned about her being friends with my elder sister, I was totally surprised. After all, I knew better than anyone how much my elder sister wascking inmon sense. She was truly an incredible person.
It was when we were looking around when I noticed a nostalgic ¡ª but unconventional by this world''s standard ¡ª thing eating dust in one of the corners of the workshop.
"Woah, can you tell me what that is, Furi-senpai?!"
Furi-senpai turned to nce at the spot I pointed out and shrugged her shoulders after seeing it.
"It''s the prototype of a 2-wheel magic car that my father and I experimented on 2 years before to chase after speed. Well this is the design we ended up with after tackling the question on how to make it lighter and morepact.
Anyway, this design needs a keen sense of bnce if you don''t want to bite the dust, as you can roughly tell. It doesn''t seem very practical, so we haven''t worked on it ever since."
......Speaking of which, not even the roads in the suburbs of the royal capital were paved, so perhaps it was theck of adequate advancement that this world didn''t have motorcycles, or even simple bicycles.
In contrast, now I feel bizarre thinking how everyone on Earth could make riding a two-wheeler easy-peasy lemon squeezy. I wonder what I should call this strange gap, another world cultural difference?
Anyway, it all boiled down to training. In fact, there was no question that anyone could ride it as long as they learned how to bnce themselves!
And then, a question suddenly popped up inside my head. What was the symbol of an ouw''s youth? The various mangas depicting the enchanting springtime of ouws that I had read in my previous world spontaneously revolved in my mind likenterns of memories. Themon theme in all of them was, yes, bikes. Recalling those memories, motorcycles and I were like denizens of two different worlds on Earth as we shared no fate.
"......Can I give it a test drive, please?! I want to give the symbol of youth¡ª speed a try!"
Furi-senpai seemed a bit taken aback when I made my request.
"Huh, ahh¡ err, sure if you take it slow in a straight line. But I¡¯m not exaggerating, it''s not easy to maintain bnce, so don''t force yourself, alright?"
E/N - MC''s sister is hrious as always. Beat them down, then ask them to be your girlfriend, and THEN ask if you can see their panties. Gotta try that next time ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 121 - Elvert Workshop (2)
"Weehoooo! That''s the spirit of the wind~!"
The location was the track course behind the workshop which offered simtions of various driving environments. It wasn''t that big, but it was big enough for me to run the two-wheeler however I wanted as Furi-senpai stared at my actions with a wry expression.
But oh boy, was I surprised when I saw that they even had a track course behind their small-scale workshop. The workshop itself was located in the northern part of 9th avenue, which put it far from the central area, but still. I guess it showed the passion of the father and daughter duo, and why they were the face of the kingdom.
I had no luck with motorcycles in my previous world, but hey, I had at least pedaled a bicycle, so how to maneuver the handle for bnce was ingrained in me on a reflexive level¡ª though not that impressive, admittedly.
Well, it wasn''t thatfortable to ridepared to the bicycle of Earth, and the handle was also a bit stiff, requiring delicate operation, though it onlysted for a moment before I became used to it and now, I could run this magical two-wheeler baby effortlessly.
"Allen-kun seems to be having so much fun~."
Elder sister muttered as she watched me with a smile.
As for me, the longer I rode, the more inspiration started to flood my mind.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"I''m serious, you totally surprised me. We found it so difficult to make simple turns, but you made riding it look so easy. I guess I should have expected this from Rose''s brother...... no, the brother Rose is so proud of, whom she would begin praising no matter the ce."
As Furi-senpai said so with a wry expression, my elder sister puffed out her chest as if bragging about it.
"Fufufu. It was worth bringing him here if he had fun! Allen-kun has always had a knack for magic tool utilization since childhood. He also often apanies me to test out the magic tools I create~."
Well, I would call it ¡°dragging me for the trial¡± rather than apanying her. But otherwise, yeah, I was good at using those tools even before awakening. I didn''t have any interest in delving into their intricacies though......
However, I would say a big reason why I could drive this two-wheeler magic car was due to my experience with bicycles in my previous world.
"You only need to maintain a certain speed for bnce, or otherwise it would be hard to handle. It''s something that takes skill, but otherwise anyone with enough familiarity can ride it for sure.
It can travel in small or cramped alleyways, and most of all, the ''speed'' it provides is enough to ignore other shorings. Its usefulness is undeniable. If you ask me, I can''t rmend it enough to focus on pursuing the dream of two-wheelers."
Hearing my words, Furi-senpai giggled in curiosity.
"Oh? I guess I now know why Fey-chanbeled you the ''imagination freak''. Your talent in imagining tools isn''t your only talent; you also understand its necessity or use. To not be so engrossed in the development of them that youpletely miss the demand of the market after all. For reference, can you brief me about the aspects that need improvement?"
Damn that Fey. She was even in touch with Furi-senpai since that BBQ? Well, I had been in her debt for developing tools, and it seemed like they were mostly exchanging their ideas over them¡ so I guess it should be fine either way.
"Reference, huh?¡ I guess first is to split the design concept of a model for themon popce and one that can be used with the wind magic that I¡¯m researching......
Speaking of wind magic-based design, the first point should be that it¡¯s lightweight and prioritizes speed. I believe the front part, particrly the front wheel, is currently too heavy, and the rear part is too separated from it.
Improving this to enhance maneuverability, and reducing the thickness of the tires to about three-quarters of their current size, should still allow for sufficient performance. This will significantly reduce the weight as well."
A strained smile appeared on Furi-san''s face as she listened to my suggestions.
"Hmm, there''s no tuning better than the ones that reduce the weight, so I approve of that. However, there''s a reason why the front is heavy, and the wheelbase is long. We were initially leaning on apact design, but because it¡¯s a rear-wheel drive, a lightweight front end would easily lift off and do a wheelie. This is one of the woes of a two-wheeler.
A tire of that size would have no trouble on paved roads, but I don''t think it would be able to keep a sufficient grip on dirt roads due to the low friction coefficient. The current tires are made from Amber Slime resin, the best material avable on the market."
Hearing that, I couldn''t help but break into a grin.
"Yes, that''s why I would like to suggest a change in the design that''smon. I believe this problem can be solved with ''aerodynamics'' from wind magic that I¡¯m researching.
What I mean is the problem can be tackled by adding a pair of inverse ''wings'' to the front part. We only need to do that while the wind force would do the work to generate the downward force that¡¯ll keep it on the ground.
Ah, but that''s just my armchair advice. I can''t guarantee anything unless we try it out."
Basically, it was the concept of aerodynamic automobile parts that they called wings on the automobiles of Earth. My knowledge about them was limited, but I think motorcycles should have that as well.
Furi-senpai was taken aback when I confidently prattled off.
"Aerodynamics...... I don¡¯t think the power of the air would be able to generate that much force, but on the hypothesis that it manages to keep front on the ground, wouldn''t it negatively affect the ease of handling the turns?"
"No, we can freely manipte it since the downforce is generated by the wind from wind magic hitting the wing part, or in simpler terms, by adjusting the angle of attack. Basically letting the wind disperse when you''re about to make a turn should suffice."
Adjusting the angle of the iing wind shouldn''t be too difficult with sufficient training, even at rtively high speeds.
There was also the fact of generating dynamic force with wind force, like with boats, but I didn''t bring this topic up for now since I wasn''t sure if I could exin it in this world''s terms.
In any case, I wouldn''t be bringing up wind by myself either, so there should be enough room for maneuverability.
"Oh, that sounds fun! But phew, I''m now relieved that Allen-kun wasn''t learning wind magic so desperately to learn how to flip skirts.
Fu-chan, I don''t know if the idea is feasible but Allen-kun seems to be enjoying this, so can I help as well? I can handle some parts."
Furi-senpai giggled at what my elder sister said and tapped her chest.
"Of course. I promised lil bro that I''d help with any question rted to engines. Besides, I never thought of using the unconventional idea of¡ ''aerodynamics'', was it?... air force suddenly.
Frankly, there are too many variables on paper without testing it out first, but if things work out, then I think it might be my research subject as well.
Anyway, the n is to¡ err, add ''reverse wings'' on the front part, right? Do you have a concrete image in mind? And do tell me if there''s anything else you want."
"Hmm¡ First, the wings aren''t like that of a bird''s, but a solid shape with the lower surface being rounded¡ kind of like this. I''d like to start with something around 20 cm in size and test five different sizes. The materials should be as light and strong as possible."
I illustrated the design of the wings for the front part on the ground.
"And the rest is¡ hmm, I think it would be good if it had room left for ''remodeling''."
"......Modifications? We haven''t even finalized the design yet. If there are features you want to include, why not incorporate them into the design from the start?"
Ugh! Except that wasn¡¯t what I meant.
The picture I had in mind was taken from the ouw genre manga which had emphasis on motorcycles from my previous world, though I couldn''t exin my exact reasoning, so I slightly twisted my words.
"You''re mistaken. I¡¯m not looking for interior additions. What I¡¯m looking forward to is the ''base model'' design, which we canter customize ording to our preferences and have a showdown of design with myrades of wind magic learners. Kind of like ¡®Whistle, a silencer and a rocket cowl? That''s slick'' and ''Isn''t your darling rocking three horns at the back? Boss move!'' banter..."
Of course, my fantasy didn''t trante well to Furi-senpai, who asked ''Horn? So you want to ride around making loud noises for some reason?'' with a straight face.
"No, not at all. I hate loud things. Something calming, like a piece of melody, is my go-to preference."
"???...... What about the silencer and rocket(?) cowl? What''s the reason behind adding that?"
Honestly, I was stumped on how to reply when Furi-senpai was asking so seriously, so I illustrated another image following the idea in my mind. Maybe my words alone weren''t enough to give the correct idea about the ''Silencer'' and ''Rocket Cowl'' from my previous world¡¯s mangas.
"The rocket cowl is¡ it''s a kind of customization to make a 2-wheeler fly. Just kidding, ahahaha."
At the end of my words, I tried to put it as a joke andughed it off. However, Furi-senpai¡¯s eyes were gleaming with a shine.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 122 - Elvert Workshop (3)
One weekter.
I was visiting Furi-senpai along with my elder sister again, to be precise, the driving course there.
"Furi-senpai, don''t you think we should take a break...?"
At the moment, we were testing how effective the wings were working to keep the front wheel grounded.
A motorcycle in another world? I absolutely wanted one and was ready to do anything. In fact, I was having plenty of fun as well, but I had already driven through the course around 100 times (?) since I started the trial with the prototype model ¡ª which was affixed with a plethora of sensors ¡ª and I was running out of steam.
On the other hand, after reducing the weight at the front, the two-wheeler''s speed was seeing a huge increase in speed when moving in a straight line, but it was still tricky to keep the bnce. Along with the fact that I still needed more training in wind magic, its current pace was much slower than my first trialst week.
"Hmm, I guess so. Well, I have more or less gotten enough data. Let''s do 50 moreps around with the initial setting and take a short break then. Since you¡¯ve already mastered controlling the machine, it''s a good chance to get data forparison against someone who''s new."
50 rounds?! And that too, a ''short'' break?!...... What was she, a demon?!
"I honestly had some doubts but...... it can definitely work. We''re still relying on Allen''s wind magic for the most part, so I wouldn''t give any concrete conclusions, but I think the end product is definitely going to rock the world. Oh dear, it''s been so long since I was this excited!"
Furi-senpai said with a smile while shifting the bangs of her wavy chestnut chair, tied together behind her nape, over her ear.
This was the perfect example of why I feel apprehension when facing Artificers......
With a strained expression, I resumed the test drive.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Great job. And thank you, now I have enough data to go through."
It took everything I had to finish the next 50ps and I plopped on the driving course right after.
I thought it was just piloting a magic two-wheeler car, the ''bike'' in another world, while controlling the flow of air with magic, but I couldn''t have been more wrong. It actually sapped all of my mental spirit.
Like when counter-steering in the ''S'' shape course, I had to disperse the wind acting on the front wheel and lighten the frame before once again applying the downward force with wind magic to keep the frame on the ground while turning the elerator.
It was much harder to handle everything within a short time frame than I expected as the machine wobbled like it would topple at any moment.
I really needed a new repetitive training regime to fine-tune the machine, at least to add it into my ''form''.
"Good work, Allen-kun. Here, take the chilled tea."
Elder sister passed me tea while grinning. She has been in a humorous mood ever since I had temporarily started to live in our viscount residence and frequented the knight''s central post from there.
I took the tea and gulped it down in one breath.
"Thank you, sis. It really breathes new life into me. Phew."
It started when Furi-senpai seriously took my flying two-wheeler joke, it was evident from her eyes.
Afterward, she kept asking me questions nonstop ¡ª it took so long I even forgot how long I was in her custody, to the point that we skipped dinner time ¡ª until I gave a concrete image. Once everything was clear, she told us, ''Just one more week. We''re going to do the final experiment next week and confirm the prospect of this project.''
I honestly never thought a questioning from smart people like her could be so exhausting. And while we''re at the topic, I also discussed the dynamic force we discovered (in my setting) during our time sailing.
I guess even otherworlders weren''t immune to the charm of a ''Flying Vehicle''. At the very least, this dream had definitely taken its spot in Furi-senpai''s heart, the one who couldn''t be any more familiar with magic car machinery.
It took a mere one week for Senpai to go from creating parts to remodeling the fusge to incorporating all sorts of experimental tools. Admittedly, it was just a rough prototype, but I could only dread at the thought of the all-nighters she must have pulled, along with the gazillion amount of money that should have been spent on it.
It was clear at a nce that she was sleep-deprived, yet instead of marring her beauty, it further entuated her mystic charm. I guess this was the perfect example of the saying ¡®A beauty is still a beauty no matter what they do¡¯.
"Good. The performance on ground has surpassed all the initial expectations. But next is finally the time for the main course: the flying test! Even a speck of glimmer may lead us to an actual flying vehicle. However, please be careful so as not to get hurt."
You call that driving above expectation!? And wait, I only rested for five minutes too......
Uh-huh, this is why... I put back on the otherworld helmet (it had a different structure) I had just taken off a moment ago with a sigh of defeat and changed into an expensive leather suit made from monster''s leather.
The gist of this experiment was expanding the cowl over the frame and using the horizontal wings on it to produce dynamic force while rectifying the air resistance.
Technically, it would have been impossible to generate enough dynamic force with short wings that may float the frame no matter how light and durable the metal this world had. At least it wasn''t absolutely impossible with the highest speed I had tried just a while ago.
But that''s where I ¡ª or more like wind magic ¡ª came into the equation. The theory on paper was to test whether wind magic could generate enough dynamic force by artificially extending the atmospheric pressure, and increase the negative pressure above the wings.
Of course, the vehicle might get driving force from the tires running on ground, but that forward force would be lost in the air, so continuous flight was currently impossible.
So basically we were to try out if thebination of wind magic and the wings could generate enough force to cause the vehicle to float in the air.
If the result was worthwhile, the project would most likely move on to tackle the next step: invention of a propeller or a jet-like engine like the ones from Earth to provide vehicles with a constant driving force in the air.
Wait, thinking about it, wasn''t¡ a flying vehicle supposed to be a big deal...? I was suddenly seized by an ufortable feeling, but it was toote to back out now.
I mean, it wasn''t impossible to imagine that once this world discovered thebination of wind magic and dynamic force, it would be only a matter of time before they dabbled into things like aircrafts as well.
I took my seat in the experimental vehicle ¡ª code name ¡ª installed with cowls and wing parts.
Fairing was, in a sense, simr to a cowl except cowl was the term used in the case of motorcycles and aircrafts, while it was called fairing in case of rockets.
Well, it was just a bit of my habit as to why I chose that name.
Anyway, I started the machine while the wings were folded and gradually increased the speed while checking for any difort in driving.
I pushed the button to unfold the wings right before crossing the 100 m homestretch and sped up while dispersing the downward force acting on the front part. Immediately, the front wheel started to rise into the air. Verifying that, I swiftly increased the dynamic force on the main wings, and soon, the rear part also rode into the air¡ª actually, it climbed into the air a bit too strongly that the rear part was about to flip.
I knew I couldn''t continue like this and immediately jumped down from the machine while protecting myself with body-strengthening magic and performing a fall-break (ukemi).
After my jump, the machine continued in a straight line for 15 m while spinning before breaking down and exploding, burning in fire along with the expensive looking sensors too.
"Are you hurt, Allen!?"
Furi-senpai dashed toward me with a pale expression. As for me¡ I was totally unhurt since I had maintained my posture to avoid injuries.
I raised my hand and waved at them to show I was all right.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"I¡¯m so d, I thought my heart was going to stop for real. Why did you suddenly decide to go full throttle? It''s obviously not safe. At least, it''s good to see you¡¯re unhurt......"
Furi-senpai seemed like she didn''t believe me when I said I was alright and checked for herself if I was injured anywhere with a doubtful nce. She then let out a relieved sigh after confirming I was alright.
"It was quite a smooth decision, Allen-kun. I got a bit nervous there for a second. I guess your proficiency in escaping worked out quite well here, huh?"
Elder sister wasn''t that worried, apparently.
Well, she knew that I wasn¡¯t hurt from my movement.
"I''m sorry, Senpai. Now we don''t have a prototype anymore. The sensors and all the parts must have been quite pricey, right......?"
I apologized to Furi-senpai, who had an exasperated expression on her face as she shook her head.
"I mean, maybe it might not be cheap from amoner''s perspective but not so much for me. Besides, I¡¯ve already got enough data to counterbnce the loss.
But I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re more worried about the machine right after the ident. Or I guess that''s just your abnormalmon sense, haha."
??
Well, the machine did go boom quite splendidly, and had I been slow, I would have received injuries as well, though I was already taking precaution in case of such an ident.
My elder sister was hardly bothered, but maybe the situation looked perilous from a bystander''s perspective.
"......The front part had immediately started climbing into the air, so I tried to counter it by lifting the rear, but maybe the momentum was too strong that it went out of control. I should have been more careful."
I said and bowed in apology. Furi-senpai looked surprised, and then wham, put both of her hands on my shoulders strongly.
"You have nothing to apologize for! You might not have aplete picture, but I do. I made sure to put more weight on the back side, and it also had your weight, yet still the rear managed to lift so crazily fast. Basically, as long as we find a way to centralize the center of gravity properly, it''s not a pipe dream for humans to fly in the air with thebination of wind magic and magic car!
You should, in fact, rejoice at the idea, the uncharted possibility you have shown. Worrying about expensive toys? Hah... This is hardly a detriment in front of the grand scheme of things!!!"
Close. So close. Damn too close!
Furi-senpai was unmistakably a beauty, so it was really taxing on my heart when she looked at me from a dead close angle while grabbing my shoulders and shaking me.
I mean, this might be the discovery of the century for this world, but it was a predictable development for me. Hence, I wascking in enthusiasmpared to her.
"Hey, Fu-chan. I also think it''s alright to shift the center of gravity slightly, but too much adjustment might not be a good idea."
Woah? Machine stuff was outside my elder sister''s range of expertise, so she hasn''t given her perspective much until now. So it surprised me when she did so now.
Furi-senpai tapped her chin with her hand and nodded.
"True indeed...... It''s easy for the bnce to go haywire when taking Allen''s equipment, weight, posture, and height into ount¡ª"
"Yeah, and if Allen-kun really seeded in flying, then I want to ride together with him."
......Ah, the ssic ¡®Because she wanted to do it as well¡¯ reason.
A wry smile appeared on Furi-senpai''s expression after hearing the very sis-like words and, pom, ced her hand over elder sister''s shoulder.
¡°It''s actually the same for me too.¡±
......Eh, you too?!
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Afterward, we settled on three points for the n.
First, Senpai decided to lend the improved prototype that could be used on roads to me. I would be using that during my work and pass my feedback to her.
Second was that I discussed with Furi-senpai to make the development record and know-how about two-wheelers non-exclusive, aka for public benefit, so that two-wheelers could be used by the general popce as well.
I absolutely wanted the fad of two-wheelers to spread among the general popce and dribble it down to my friends.
The fuel for the vehicles here was processed by the magic tone that they sell. One could also use magic stones directly obtained from killing monsters, but that would make maintenance a headache, so it was advised to avoid it unless there was an emergency.
A driving-licence like permit would be required here, too, but the students of the Royal Academy could escape the of procedure by simply submitting their application. However, they would still need to remember the traffic rule book.
The third point was about the flying-type vehicle. About the bnce, adjustment to the machine, and the development of the propulsion engines to give the vehicle a driving force even in the air.
However, this aspect was expected to take year(s), hence I would be visiting here at a fixed interval to give them a test ride.
And the final point¡ª the development of the flying vehicle was made a top secret.
Furi-senpai had said something like ''We could easily turn it into a state project by having father exin the details to the kingdom, and then we would have an astronomical budget with their sponsorship. What do you say?''
Me? I pleaded for anything but that.
My daily life was already eroded by the ''work'' of the knight order, when it should have been only for third-year students, so I absolutely didn''t want further albatross on my neck to hinder my ''ytime'' during my school life.
Furi-senpaiughed out loud at my request.
"I know Rose was dispassionate about riches and honor, but it seems like that goes for you too, eh? No wait, you''re quite terrifying in a way, you know. It''s easy to imagine the impact this experiment would have on the world, but you just want to secure your ''ytime''. Hahaha.
Well, I¡¯ll see to the finance aspect on my side, and yeah, it might be better to keep the development between ourselves and wait until we have some kind of working prototype, considering the changes this will bring."
She easily agreed on my terms.
However, since Furi-senpai said she wanted to seek the cooperation of Mr. Ashim in his private capacity, that is, as the president of the Elvert Magic Industry, it was decided to formally request his cooperation after establishing a contract with thepany that included confidentiality.
It was unexpected, but I managed to get my hands on one of the must-have items to live out my youth as an ouw¡ª a motorcycle.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 123 - Buffet Party (1)
Soon, the second half of my summer vacation passed by as well.
It had been a time packed with a plethora of tasks¡ª like Knight Order work, obviously, tuning the magic two-wheeler, receiving the delivery of a ship from Serene Sea Co., and filing the procedure for the establishment of the Sail Club along with the paperwork to use the port.
Time really flew past in the blink of an eye, and now, there were just two days left before the end of summer vacation.
Elder sister was content with my home-stay, too, and with that, I returned to the dormst night.
The dorm, which had hardly seen anyone roaming around after my return from Serdos, was also now seeing most of its upants back, as it was two days before the academy''s second half of first semester kicked off.
I entered the cafeteria while having a casual banter with my dorm mates. It was really strange how I found it soothing.
"Oh, you''re back, Allen. Fey and Jeu left a message, asking me to inform them the moment I found you."
I was having my breakfast when pink haired Ste ¡ª with her hair bundled up in pigtails as usual ¡ª called out to me.
"It''s been a while, Ste. Did you cut your hair......?"
"They''ve been like this sincest year. Are you itching for a fight?"
Whoops. It was just my guess, to which Ste retorted immediately as she red at me.
As a way to beat down the curse ofndmines that my words often plunged me into, I recalled the contents of a certain book, ¡®The secret to being a sessful man¡¯, and jotted them down mentally.
There was one line which said to keep an eye for any changes in a girl''s hair and clothes. Now, I wouldn''t call myself a master of subtleties, but I wasn''t lying when I said I felt something off from her usual attitude.
Well, I guess I fumbled here, so I should just apologize quietly.
"I-I''m sorry. I just asked because something looked different about you."
My honest words put Ste in a humorous mood again.
"Oh, did you? I trimmed my bangs. I¡¯m surprised that you noticed that, you know?"
So trimming bangs and cutting hair had different nuances for girls?...... I guess you learn something new every day. Were we really speaking human words?!
My gaze zed over while Ste continued her side of the story.
"Anyway, we were talking about the message. The youngsters of the Dragoon and Leverance regions will be gathering at the banquet hall of Rune Mekiz, starting at 10 AM. So if you have time, do show up there. Well, though they sound like they are resigned to see your absence, but maybe hop in there if you feel like it?"
Rune Mekiz, huh? I recall it was a long-standing, famous hotel that had been around here for more than 300 years since its founding. Even amoner like me has heard of it.
I wouldn''t typically visit there without a reason though, given the cost, but I did have some interest in it as a first-ss restaurant in this world.
Nevertheless, they weren''t expecting me to visit them, huh? Hmm, now I was a tad curious about taking a peek¡ despite how paradoxical it sounded.
I could just hog an empty, isted corner, since it was a buffet party, which would minimize any attention on me. And getting a chance to see how they typically act sounded fantastic.
"Alright, thank you. I will if I feel like it. Though, what about you, Ste? Your Achilies family might not be from either region, but considering it''s a party they''re throwing, I believe you should have been invited as well."
"Hmm? Oh, indeed. But I declined. Now I want nothing more than a mundane life for a short while after going through all the parties and dinners I had to circle around in summer vacation. My parents aren''t your typical socialist either, nevertheless the amount of invitations was crazy...... Honestly, I was never a party girl."
Heh, so not just Dan but even Ste from a viscount background much like ours joined into those social circles. Oh wait, I guess it was practically everyone now, huh?
As for me, I received a letter from my mother back at our viscount residence. Her words were nothing but simple advice¡ª prioritize your health first, and focus on what you want to do. I¡¯ll always be there for you to consult with if you feel stumped. Truly, typical advice from my mother.
My father wouldn''t even have the courage to go against the invitation of the marquis. Recalling back, did he even have any connection outside our hintend?
Ugh, somehow thinking about it gave me butterflies in my stomach. No need to delve into headaches, yup.
Moving on, I thanked Ste and turned to challenge Sora''s breakfast for the first time in a while.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The venue was located near the intersection of 5th street and 3rd avenue alongside the central street.
It was a ssic, brick building, featuring five stories. A nce at it was enough to tell the time it had weathered up ¡®til now.
There was a question¡ª what made this first-ss hotel different from other hotels.
I believed that opinions may vary from person to person, given its subjective take, but for me, it was always the hospitality¡ª how the staff behaved and their service.
Meals, facilities, history, money, and grandiosity were all some of the factors that many might agree on; however, theck of hospitality was always a dealbreaker for me.
Now then, it was time to look at the so-called first-ss hotel of another world.
It was around 11 AM, so I suppose the party must have progressed already. When I arrived at the entrance, a tinge of expectation and slight nervousness took residence inside my heart.
"Wee, valued guest. We are delighted to have you with us today. How may we assist you? Are you interested in booking a room for your stay?"
I entered the hotel, and a middle-aged man, his hair neatlybed in a 7-3 hairstyle, seemingly the hotel staff, called out to me with a smile. His voice was calm yet springy, his pace brisk. I took a nce at the name card on his chest. It said Koil-san.
If anything, by seeing that they¡¯ve arranged a greeter, the hotel must put their customers in high regard. I felt my nervousness melting away.
"No, I came after hearing about the gathering of the Dragoon and Leverance people. Where might the banquet hall be?"
Koil-san raised his hand, giving the nearby staff a signal, before saying ¡®So the guest is here for the gathering¡¯, and turned to guide me by himself.
"For this meeting, our hotel staff is handling the reception. May I have your name, please?"
"Sure, I''m Allen Rovenne. But speaking of which, I received word of the banquet quite hastily, so my name might not be on the list."
Koil-san''s body straightened when I gave my name, but quickly resumed his movement, and said while smiling.
"So you''re Allen Rovenne-sama. I¡¯ve received word from the hosts, Feyrune Von Dragoon and Jeuri Leverance, to lead you to them should you happen to visit."
I immediately turned down the offer.
"Ah, please refrain from doing that. I would like to look at how things y out in such gatherings. I wish to vanish into the crowd. And if it¡¯s not too troubling, can you keep my arrival a secret? I¡¯ll visit them when I¡¯ve had enough."
At my request, Koil-san took a second to nce at my face before wearing a bitter smile.
"Perhaps, dear guest doesn''t like to be in the spotlight?"
"......Ahh, very much so. But how did you guess it?"
Curious at how he saw through my personality so urately, I asked back, which earned a short chuckle from Koil-san as he exined.
"Experience speaks, and typically, face, expression, or phrasing for words gives one''s thoughts out."
Oh~ If I had any misgivings left about the first-ss status of this hotel, then now it was no more. The first step indeed started from being able to amodate the guest''s wishes in a few words.
I guess he must have been always keeping an eye on others¡¯ reactions to spot any dissatisfaction from customers, or to see if they were adjusting well.
Koil-san took me to the second floor, where the banquet hall was presumably, and showed me a side entrance instead of opening the main doors.
"Please use this door. I hope you have a fun time. Unless dear customer has any other query, I shall take my leave."
Koil-san said and turned on his heel. But before he could leave, I gave him my words of gratitude.
"Koil-san! Thank you very much for your consideration."
As if he hadn''t expected me to thank him by his name, Koil-san looked a bit surprised, and then chuckled to himself.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 124 - Buffet Party (2)
I stealthily took a look at the banquet hall''s state as I leaned slightly on the one-sided door that was right behind the food table.
I spotted a few people frequenting the balcony, which I guess must be there for people to take a breather, so I acted naturally and entered from there, pretending to be one of them.
The banquet hall was extremely vast¡ª something I noticed due to my old habit, attended by at least 1500 people. The interior was a masterpiece, though given the hotel''s long-standing history of 300 years, it would be strange if it wasn¡¯t. The design, while grandiose, had a certain elegance to them, one that you couldn''t find any fault in.
However, I had a huge doubt that the entire crowd wasposed of just young nobles. It was a joint event of two great nobles, but I didn''t think even the royal capital would be harboring that many of them. I presume rest must beposed of quasi-nobles, the attendants, and some influentialmoners.
I also spotted quite a number of young ones, seemingly the siblings of some of the attendees, who came from other schools than the Royal Academy.
They all were dressed in varying dresses, from formal to stunning casuals, something that fit their status well. I was wearing a light gray jacket over a white shirt and beige pants¡ª something my elder sister had chosen for me during our shopping trip the other day.
Honestly, I was about to drop by in my usual, easy-to-move attire, but recalling that Rune Makize was a first ss hotel, I changed my mind. Phew, I so wanted to pat the back of the old me. It would have been so embarrassing if I really walked in wearing a T-shirt and short pants equivalent from Earth. And I must pass my gratitude to my elder sister too, who found this attire for me.
I couldn''t tell precisely due to the crowd, but it seemed like Fey and Jeu were somewhere in the prominent position of this banquet, and simrly, some of the students from the Royal Academy also seemed to be there.
Well, it was one burden off my shoulders that I wouldn''t run along with them there. I served myself some of the delicious looking dishes, stuffing my cheeks with them while quietly listening to the conversation of a group of six girls, all appearing older than me.
"The young Lady Jeuri of the Leverance family is so pretty. I always knew she was a talented seed, still I can''t contain my awe for her. Qualifying for ss A in the Royal Academy, and a user of holy magic with talent said to be on par with ''Saintess Sari''. She''s an ace in both academics and magic. Last I heard, she''s even providing healing for free at the church. I honestly have nothing but admiration for her as a fellow woman~."
"I myself had been startled by the beauty of Feyrune-sama when I had the chance to gaze at her for the first time. What does she not have? She''s the legitimated child of the Dragoon family, and a talented artificer. Yet, she is also quite brave to dauntlessly face this crowd! Dignity like that at this age is definitely the sign of a great person!
I can totally understand why even Meria-sama, the ''Empress'' of the Dragoon family, would choose Feyrune-sama as her sessor even though she is barely past the age of 12, granting her the title of ''Von''. It is indeed truth when she''s called the treasure of the Dragoon family!"
Oh~? For a moment, I thought they were talking about someone else, but it was about those two idiots, huh? I guess I gave them too little credit for their charisma.
I quietly nced at the two. Fey was wearing a gleaming dress that revealed her shoulders, while Jeu was wearing a one piece dress with minimal exposure and a calm color. Both of them looked dignified as they chatted with the participants lining up to talk to them.
Behind them were their knights acting as their escorts at an appropriate distance, making sure to not get in the way of their master, while also at a range they could immediately react to anything untold that might happen to them.
Wow, they truly look like exalted members of a prestigious marquis family at this moment. Oh wait, not just ''look'' like, they really were part of one. It was really hard to remember this with how they typically acted.
"The man with piercing eyes standing next to Feyrune-sama is Parry Abenil-sama, I presume? He''s so handsome. I think I may have a thing for that wild aura he''s emanating. What a martial spirit at such a young age.
It''s definitely impossible to cultivate that fortitude without shedding sweat in training constantly. Heehee, I may already be head over heels for him. I wonder if I can have a chance to greet him."
A beautiful older sister said while gently pping her hands, her eyes bore an awestruck look as if she was looking at her favorite celebrity.
Parry-kun...... Maybe we weren¡¯t meant to be friends in this lifetime......
Then the topic of discussion amidst the group of six girls shifted to the other students, sharing the news about one Royal Academy student after another. It was in such detail that I really wondered if they were present back when the events happened.
Well, though they asionally spoke of some idiotic things, like how they liked it when their coach yelled at them or in another case, talking about the mystery surrounding Popol-senpai in the Hill Road Club. I listened to all this with an odd expression when someone suddenly called out to me.
"Heya. What''re you doing standing here alone? You know you ought to make the best of this opportunity, as they say ¡®Time waits for no one¡¯. Oh, maybe it''s your party?"
I turned around to the direction of voice and came face to face with an amicable looking grandpa¡ª actually he was just a 10-year-old boy, but I couldn''t help but rte him to one of those grandpas with the ''kind'' aura he was emanating.
"Correct, it''s my first time. I was a bit clueless, so here I am. Was it so obvious, though?"
The boy''s smile deepened.
"Haha, kind of. In fact, I had been watching you since a while ago. Your clothes look fresh out of the shop, plus your meek persona. It told me you prefer to make your spot at ease rather than forcing your way into the horde eager to make a connection with the bigwigs. By the way, I¡¯m Makite from Leverance. Pleased to meet you."
Makite-san spoke, introducing himself as he held out his hand.
"Yes, you''re so correct! And likewise, it''s my pleasure! I¡¯m from Dragoon, the name''s Pork......"
......Shit. I ended up using the ursed alias that I had sealed in the depths of my memory. I just wanted to avoid giving away any clue that may identally connect Ren and Allen''s identity!
"Pig? Are you, err, the son of some pig farm owner or something?"
"......Embarrassingly, I am."
I spoke while scratching my face at my fumble. Though Makite-san looked straight at my eyes and said,
"......W-What a wonderful name! Your parents must have chosen this name on the basis of their adoration for pigs! It rocks!"
......Maybe Makite-san was truly just an extremely good-natured person.
Afterward, he taught me some etiquette like how to correctly hold my te. Apparently, I looked like an oddball due to my inadequate manners.
"Basically, you should hold all your dishes, sses, and forks with your non-dominant hand, keeping your other hand free at all times.
With a bit of practice, anyone can do it.
Like earlier, it¡¯s fine if there''s a side table nearby when you need to shake someone¡¯s hand, but it¡¯s not very smart to scramble to find a ce to put things down when there isn¡¯t one."
See, I was totally correct. He was definitely a helpful person.
"I get it now! Thank you very much!"
I bowed in gratitude.
Meanwhile, the group of 6 girls seemed to have changed their topic again, seemingly having enough about the gossip of the Royal Academy students.
"Everything''s good but...... that person is really not gracing the party with his presence, huh?"
"So it seems. Maybe that person is truly an aloof person, or else he wouldn¡¯t relentlessly put up a cold front when Fey-sama and Jeu-sama are expressing their love for him so obviously."
"Like a cold knife, if I may. You know touching him would result in naught but a wound, yet you can''t resist the fatal temptation. Ah, what a sinful man, truly."
"I believe he must be a man of unparalleled charm......"
I could feel the nerves on my face cramping.
Please let it be Leo. Please let it be Leo. Hell, I would totally gand him if he professed himself as a sinful man, or a man with unparalleled charm.
¡°¡°Oh, where are you~, Allen Rovenne-sama!¡±¡±
............Ahahaha, I guess I had enough of this party. Time to return.
I had just made my resolve to fade out immediately from the scene when Makite-san grabbed my shoulder and grinned.
"Right, let me show you how to expand your acquaintance circle at a party. I just happen to have exciting information in my hands."
Then, while keeping his hand on my shoulder, he called out to the girls'' group.
"Good day to you,dies. Would you know, I just happened to have a piece of information for your liking? In fact, I would say you can''t do without this information¡ª the key person you must see through if you want to close the distance with Allen-kun, yet everyone overlooks him."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Oh, where are my manners. I am Makite, from Leverance. One of my friend''s acquaintances is actually in the Leverance information department, and that''s how I managed to get my hands on this piece of information. But I assure youdies, no one is privy to this name, despite having their presence in the party."
Makite-san was brimming with confidence, yet I could only feel as if a demon was screeching.
Besides, wasn''t a friend of a friend basically a stranger in Earth''s terms? Maybe I was mistaking how this world worked?
Nevertheless, the girls¡¯ eyes gleamed in radiance.
"A super-important figure everyone has overlooked......?"
"I absolutely do want to know. Would you please share the details with us?"
Makite-san quietly murmured in triumph seeing that the girls had taken his bait.
"Of course, but you know right, equivalent exchange? I assure you this information has not reached anyone else''s ear yet, and knowing it means victory. No, you would have absolute dominance over yourpetitors."
"......Oh? I feel more and more inclined to hear your words, Makite-san. But are you sure that person is here at the party?"
Huh, why do I feel like the girls here seem to be aware of all my friends already, or at least have a general grasp of them.
"If I say so, then it''s true. A credible person knows better than to spread a baseless rumor, after all. It''s a surefire way to lose your credibility."
......
Makite-san looked delighted as he saw the girls frolicking around him...... I may not be right, but it felt more like they had ''surrounded'' him.
My mind was seized with nervousness,pelling me to say something here. However, the name Makite-san pronounced with such confidence instead stunned me...... more due to how the name that should hardly be relevant suddenly popped up here.
"The man''s name is...... Duid Moonlight. He''s the son of a viscount family in the Dragoon territory, and simrly, a student of the Royal Academy."
Vol. 1 - Ch. 125 - Buffet Party (3)
¡°The name of that person is...... Duid Moonlit. A son of a viscount from the Dragoon region, and also a new student of the Royal Academy."
......Huhh?
To be honest, I hadpletely forgotten about his existence ¡®til now since he barely had any presence. If I recall correctly, he''s also in the Hill Road Club and I had also seen him in themoner''s dormitory.
"......Have you heard of the name?"
"No, not at all."
Even I was surprised, much less the girls as they looked at each other in skepticism. However, it seemed like one of them actually knew of Duid.
Heh, I presumed so, given how they had been privy about the Academy''s situation in detail.
"......I''m from the Dragoon region, and I¡¯ve heard that name before. If I''m not wrong, he¡¯s enrolled in Year 1 ss E this year. Though, since he¡¯s from a faraway countryside, he has hardly been involved in any adventurous event...... That''s basically it."
Sorry for being such a boring country bumpkin, alright?
Viscount Moonlit¡¯s territory was adjacent to our Rovenne territory, with a mountain range separating the two. Just like us, the Moonlit territory has no specialty to speak of, but they were a bit closer to the city and father saw them as his rivals.
Oh, yeah. I think my father had bbered something about how he was vexed to see Moonlit''s son scoring higher than me in the mock exam during myst dinner with him......
I believe I had spoken with him a few times as well, though I hadpletely forgotten about this rivalry.
"But of course, this is why this is a brand-new piece of information. There''s a reason why many have yet to know about him."
Makite-san''s enthralling tone was now one octave higher.
On the other hand, the girls further closed the gap, perhaps unable to hear clearly with the buzz in the hall. I even heard someone making a gulping sound, and for the record, I hadn''t enhanced my hearing yet.
Makite-san gazed at the face of the girls,ced with an invisible tension, and continued his exnation.
"You see, the Viscount Moonlit territory is actually¡ adjacent to Viscount Rovenne''s. I have concrete information that the two viscounts are on good terms, as it can be seen that they''re actually working on the research of selective breeding of wheat together."
"Huhh!?"
My astonished voice unwittingly leaked out. I mean, I have never heard of it, you know. But¡ I do remember he keptining about how he had to tag-team with Moonlit all the time for this or that, frustrating him. Could it be that? That quarrels are often a sign of friendship?
"......Oh, I think I remember hearing about this. It was something like loaning the wheat Allen-sama''s dear father had researched. Viscount Moonlit himself had confirmed the effectiveness as well when Viscount Rovenne had spoken of his research results in front of ''Empress'' Meria Dragoon-sama during the spring''s noble gathering. "
What......!?
So he had really been on good terms with Viscount Moonlit, huh? And I didn''t even catch the slightest wind about it.
If anything, though, I was finding it hard to believe that my father would actually present his research result in front of the Marquis, but maybe it was really like that if even two strangers from different ces were saying the same thing?
"But please wait, that''s not all there was to it. While one can connect the dots by seeing that they are literal neighbors and the heads of the two families are working together, there is one more important aspect about Duid-kun."
Makite-san deliberately paused his words and pulled on the strings of suspense. And just as he had hoped, the girls further tightened their circle and leaned closer than ever. Even some of the people behind them had started to pay attention quietly.
Actually, I was just as curious where he was heading with this.
"You see, Duid Moonlit, too, had moved to themoner''s dormitory at the same time as Allen Rovenne, right after the entrance ceremony, apparently. Youdies are already well aware of the stringent requirements to get into the Royal Academy, yet we have two qualifiers, and that too from adjacent territories, which is so rare. Isn''t this one hell of a coincidence?
I believe Duid-kun has been ced in ss E, which means he has to pay the regr fee to live in a noble dormitory. Yet, he decided to move into thatmoner''s dormitory, which was teased as the ''loser dog''s dog house'' back then. Just which noble would rather hold mere thousands of rea more dear to him than getting into a noble dormitory after getting into that ''Royal Academy''! I definitely don''t believe anyone would be willingly to do that!"
Makite-san asserted strongly.
......Duid-kun, so you were with me on the journey to themoner''s dormitory, huh? I didn''t know, truly, but I could rte. It wasn''t like our families were rich enough to give us a huge allowance, and the years of frugal spirit reared its head at this time.
"It¡ truly does sound strange when putting the pieces together."
The girls nodded with strained expressions.
"I have considered one possibility. Viscount Rovenne''s and Viscount Moonlit''s families have known each other for so long, then it should be true that Allen-kun and Duid-kun have known each other from childhood.
In the countryside far away from anyone''s knowledge, they must have sworn together to cultivate their talents and make their names known throughout the kingdom. And now that they have passed the entrance examination for the Royal Academy together, they naturally choose themoner''s dormitory to live together, whose motto is ''unaffected and sincere'' which is the recent fad."
With that, Makite-san finished his story.
Wow, it''s off by such a long shot that even I felt moved by his words. Was this how those baseless, cryptic rumors about me started......?
"T-Then, Duid-sama is Allen Rovenne-sama''s......"
"......Close friend since childhood."
"Living frugally in themoner''s dormitory to not be swayed by money and working together with Allen-sama, this only makes him another hidden heroic candidate, doesn''t it?"
Crap. Maybe others had also started picking up the strange vibe from here as they strained their ears and concentrated mana to enhance their hearing.
I knew I couldn''t let it go on. This bizarre misunderstanding would surely lower the credibility of Makite-san if others picked up on it, and that would be unpleasant to see, considering how he had been kind to me.
I lost the optimal time to reveal my true name, but I guess there was no stopping this now. I decided to bite the bullet and followed up.
"Err, it''s really an amusing hypothesis, Makite-san. But I think you''re misunderstanding the facts."
Makite-san didn''t look offended when I interjected, my tone lower than usual, as he shifted his amicable gaze to me.
"Oh, do you also have something new to add? I know what I had talked about just now is mere spection after all. It''s fine, speak freely!"
Better now than never. I feigned calmness and spoke in a casual tone while revealing my identity.
"I should apologize to you, Makite-san! Actually I''m that Allen! It was kind of hard to say, so I stayed quiet. Ahahahaha, hahaha¡ haha......"
I tried to stay calm, but the girls stared at me as if they couldn''t wait to poke holes into me with their stares alone. Hell, if anything, I was picking up a vibe simr to being caught up in the dark side of a religious war. Their hazy eyes were staring at me with frigid looks, as if saying ''How dare you heathen dare to sphemy our great god¡¯. Oh my god, what''s with them!?
On the flip side, Makite-san chuckled in amusement.
"Pork-kun. I''m really d to see you decided to participate in the conversation now. But you know, it takes more than one meeting to typicallyugh at someone''s joke. I''m sure you can do better with more training."
"No, I really wasn''t joking."
"Pork-kun, you should take more pride in your name! I wouldn''t discredit your feelings, since I can rte to them, but don''t stray from the path too much. I¡¯m sure there wille a day when you¡¯ll understand the depth of your parents¡¯ love!"
¡¡¡¡
¡ô¡ô¡ô
As the bustle in the gathering was reaching its peak, Kate, the sses-wearing girl giving off an aura of a ss president, entered into the banquet hall through the side door on the right, much like how Allen had entered.
She had fallen behind her schedule due to some family circumstance. So after entering the hall, she picked a ss of orange juice and walked in the direction of the hosts, Jeu and Fey.
Her family, the Salquamp, was a tad different from the typical noble family. They were court nobles without any peerage, and her family had been holding the position of Historian for generations, recording down the events of history happening in the continent, starting from the Yuglia royal family.
As someone who had grown up in the Royal Capital, she was acutely familiar with the types of banquet hall like Rune Makize and knew where the dishes and drinks would have been ced. Plus, hierarchy-wise, her family was a simple Baron family, so she didn''t ask any servant for help as she briskly walked down and picked whatever she wanted by herself.
"Allen?...... What¡¯s he doing here?"
She had been just walking down when she heard a group of around 40 people letting out gasps at the new revtion about Allen Rovenne, and Allen had been hearing all this with dead fish-like eyes while holding a te with desserts piled up on it, quite an informal scene for a formal gathering.
She also heard one of them calling him ¡®Pork¡¯.
"?? You and your antics never end, huh?......."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Sorry, it took me a while to arrive."
"Hey, it''s fine. I''m d to see you here. Also, the dress looks fabulous on you."
Following Kate¡¯s greeting, Feyplimented Kate on her ck dress, adorned with subtle glitters.
"Fufu, thank you for the invitation. You look no less stunning in your sequin camisole dress as well."
"Thanks."
"It''s been a while, Kate-san. The brooch on you makes a nice essory. It¡¯s beautiful, just like the color of your eyes. There are quite a lot of people who want to meet you. Have you been finally freed from teaching your little brother?"
In contrast to Fey, Jeu was wearing a light pink, one-piece afternoon dress with a modest neckline and a hemline that reached her ankles, keeping her skin mostly covered.
"Your choice is as ssy as ever huh, Jeu? You look fantastic.
Yeah, I barely made it through, so I¡¯ll return to the dormitory straight from here. But sheesh, that little one really only knows to give others rough times. Would you know, he skipped studying just a while ago, and would always feign dumb whenever you asked him something? Then he has the cheek to study all of a sudden.
Did he really think I''m free just for him? And dear goodness, his inspiration evenes from Allen''s performance during the Rising Star Cup. Well, there''s still one and a half years until his turn, so maybe he might make it if he keeps the same pace. Though, as his big sister, it''s really not a nice feeling to know who his role model is. ¡ªAnyway, did you notice that?"
"Fufu, it must have been rough for you, Kate-san. But excuse me, what do you mean by ''that''?"
Jeu seemed to have no idea what Kate was talking about and tilted her head. Kate sighed and pointed toward the huge crowd that had formed nearby the food and drinks table, looking exhrated for some reason.
"They''re calling him Pork."
Fey and Jeu turn around to look at where Kate was pointing and notice a familiar figure, chewing on chocte cake while making all sorts of expressions. Like a gourmet who was taste-testing the food.
"......Heehee~. That''s quite an unexpected scene. Everyone, since Allen seems to be busy eating cake, how about we greet him?"
E/N - F for Allen. This is how BL fanfics about you start.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 126 - Buffet Party (4)
Sheesh, were the people of this world so free to name any random piece of news a top secret information?
I mean, who didn''t know I was a mere mob character by virtue of my exceptionally ordinary appearance. Any student would be able to clear that, so why in the world are these people making me some male god-like character from manga for god''s sake?
And the crowd, they were so adamant about ''my theory being correct'' that any of my attempts to subvert that theory met deaf ears. Old age civilization was so right; people only look at the thing they want to believe in more often than not. I think it was said by a general of the Roman Empire maybe?
......Whatever. It had been just a galore of rumours since a while ago. Haa, I didn''t expect to get my mouth bitter with this, but atleast I managed to try out all the desserts. Guess, time for me slip away.
"Excuse me, Makite-san. It''s about time for me to go back. Thank you very much for the etiquette instruction."
Just like he had first approached me, Makite-san bloomed a kind smile and turned around---when his smile froze, as if encased in millenia old ice.
At the same time, a familiar ''Kukuku,'' smile reached my ear. Just like how the tide receded, the buzz all across the hall gradually died down.
"Fufu, if you ask me, I would say the proper manner is to at least greet the host of the party once before leaving, dear Pork-san. This is basic etiquette, you know? Speaking of, your attire is quite dashing. ...Either way, I''m delighted to see you again after so long~."
Tsk, were they practising to be a ninja or what? I didn''t even notice them.
"Oh heavens, I''m but a meremoner, son of a piggery owner, and I have no worth more than being a porter. How could Ie to greet the great---"
I spoke in a made up tone and quietly moved my legs toward the exit, not stopping to look behind. However Fey moved in front of me and stood there.
"Alright, enough with jokes, Allen. I''m really d that you atleaste here, but you know, you could have at leaste to greet us, even for a moment. It has been like, two months, and yet you just had your fill and quietly tried to slip away.
There had been so many things I wanted to do together this summer vacation, but you seemed to have vanished somewhere, riding the wind. I might not show it usually but even I am hurt with that cold shoulder."
For once, Fey showed a forlorn expression, sighing amidst her words.
"Hey, hey, since when have you been so delicate to cry at no greeting?! ......I also was about toe for greeting, alright, before returning just for the record. Now that we have, see yater."
"Kyahaha! I see you''re still thickheaded, maybe you should learn how to read a girl''s girl? I''m not that stout-hearted as you''re imagining me to be. I definitely think you''re in urgent need of it.
Anyway, what did they talk about manner when you meet someone on an asion? Aren''t you going to say any word about my dress or essory? Come, feel free to praise me."
Fey said and twirled on her spot, as if mimicking a model.
Was that so...? Why didn''t Makite-san mention it?
But putting aside that, she was wearing a knee-length sequin style ck dress with exposed shoulders. It seemed to be a work of a talented designer, though for someone like me who had been into the water ofmoner for whether here or Earth, Fey''s dress was just ''too ssy'' in my vocabry.
It reminds me of those foreign fashion shows I had asionally seen on TV on earth. In ears, she was wearing something like earring, though the dangling design was almost as big as an atm card. Did her ear not hurt from the pain?
I was at loss on how to make a follow-up here, but not saying anything wouldn''t get me out of this deadlock either, at least I felt so and decided to speak what I coulde up with.
"Your dress is so morous I almost felt dazzled by just taking a look, Fey. Just like you. Your earring also looks prettier, that rectangle design seems nice."
I had said this when someone''sughing sound echoed.
......Well, I knew I was no smooth talker, but that was honestly the best I could muster out.
"Thank you, Allen! Your jacket also looks good on you!"
I truly expected her to fume at mycklustre words. But she instead let out a sheepish smile, as if she was embarrassed, and then broke into a joyful grin.
Girls¡ are truly a mysterious creature.
It seemed whoever was mocking in snide was now tongue-tied, no moreughter from them.
After her, Kate followed up.
"It''s been a while, Allen. I see you didn''t spare the Rising Star Cup from your antics either, huh? Imagine my surprise when I saw you picking a fight with representatives of the Rosemieur Empire.
Do you even know what being cautious is? Well, not that I need to put words since you must have your reason as usual to jump on fray... Anyway, where were you intended to go after sneaking your way in and out without saying as much as a simple hello?"
Hey, it was Goderfun-sensei who had his reason, alright. I was a mere puppet on the stage.
I was simply here out of my curiosity to see the so-called first ss hotel, and maybe to see the swing of the party and all. ---I was about to speak when I caught the shadow of a certain figure, quietly refraining at the backside of the Royal Academy''s student group.
He was wearing a tacky, red dress. A bit resembling the cutaway coat that I knew. How did no one find the odd person out?
"I mean, do we need to know when we will see each other at the academy the day after tomorrow? I was simply here for---"
I briskly walked up to that person and raised my voice in a friendly manner.
"Yo, it''s been a while, Lil'' Dui! Did you visit your house during this vacation?"
I just raised my voice when everyone''s gaze focused on Duid-chan.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Duid-kun was totally bbergasted at the situation transpiring without his acknowledgment. I felt a bit guilty but it would leave a bad taste in my mouth if Makite-san lost here, so I needed to somehow subvert the situation. Besides, it seemed like our fathers were always on good terms? In that case, we should also try to be one, at least I wanted to for sure.
Fortunately, Duid-chan nodded at my greeting, and I continued.
"Oh, so that''s where you have been! Lucky you~, my schedule was a bit too messed up and I lost the opportunity. How was the production of wheat this year?"
"Huh, ah. Yes, the yield looked pretty good for our and Rovenne territory......Lil'' Allen?"
Damn, yes. No wonder everyone in the Royal Academy were only geniuses! He immediately picked on the cue!
Yeah, we''re already practically neighbours, I''m sure we can be good friends definitely!
"Phew, I also returned back to the dormitory yesterday from our viscount residence here, and man, it truly felt more calming than ever. Hehe, we were correct to choose general dormitory right from the beginning. It''s practically like our second home, no?!"
I firmly hold on to his shoulder.
"......Is that so, Lil'' Dui? I can''t believe you were keeping a secret behind my back. You know what, how about having dinner at our residence while you tell me about it? Marquis Dragoon is also there so it would make perfect."
Fey''s feline-like eyes gleamed as she feigned ignorance and asked lil'' Dui. A buzz immediately set off the otherwise pin-drop silent crowd.
"S-So......Pork-san......is truly the rumoured Allen-Rovenne-sama......"
"Who cares, but did you see Allen Rovenne-kun giving cold shoulder to Fey-sama and Jeu-sama but immediately headed toward that person?"
"Even Fey-sama is talking with him......"
" "Who in the world is he?!" "
Kukuku.
It seems like everyone has totally be curious about Lil'' Dui. However the surprise had still yet to end.
"Goodness, the cat is out of the bag, Lil'' Dui. I didn''t take in ount of the excellent people we seemed to have in our Leverance Information Department.
Someone have already connected all the dots to guess the rtion between Rovenne and Moonlight family (even I didn''t know). I''m astounded beyond, truly. ......Let me introduce the said persona to you---Makite-san."
I unwittingly snickered at Jeu''s follow up and beckoned at Makite-san. This time, everyone''s gaze shifted to Makite-san from Duid-kun, the buzz spreading even more.
Makite-san quietly looked back, then back at us while pointing himself, as if saying ''are you perhaps calling me?''.
Jeu chuckled and walked up to Makite-san, holding out her hand toward him.
All noise in the hall ceased that instant.
"Makite-san is it? I have something to discuss so please visit our Leverance Estate after the party. Marquis Leverance would be there as well and we will get through it over dinner."
"......Hmm, but it would be a hassle to share all the information again, Jeu. I have an idea. What do you say about our Lil'' Dui and my grandma joining you over dinner as well? Of course, we will have Allen too."
Fey suggested smilingly.
"It''s a pity but I have something else to do, so I will take my leave here. Oh, and yes, Lil'' Dui! I am recently all over the magic car~. So I was thinking of putting up a new club over it, wanna do it together?
I will fill you in on the details at the dorm! And you two, please don''t go overboard and trouble Lil Dui and Makite-san, alright? See ya tomorrow then!"
I swiftly announced and stepped toward the exit.
A dinner with their parents, who are marquis no less? Never ever! I am sure while it was dinner, the only things filling my stomach would be holes from their astute probing.
Besides, I had my bow practice to do at the academy either way, which was more important since I haven''t done it for quite a while.
I was almost about to leave when Lil'' Dui called out to me, his face red.
"L-Lil'' Allen! I-I too like magic cars!!"
Oh, great. So he too likes them!
I presume he was saying this from the bottom of his heart as well. The words might lie for once, but that intense look gleaming in his eyes was the proof.
Then again, anyone from faraway hintend would be interested in it. We had nothing but horse carriages, and magic cars were a symbol of city prominence.
How could one not admire the marvel it was, right? He was probably an amateur, not that I was any different, so it all boils down to passion, which he seemed to be brimming with.
"I knew you would! So get ready to be the club''s president, alright! Bye, catch youter!"
I quickly left behind my word and made my exit this time for sure.
Phew~, I''m d Makite-san''s honour was saved and the situation didn''t go south. I also get to be friends with Lil'' Dui so that''s a plus. Maybe I should talk about our hometown next time, this would make a great topic.
......Still, this was the end of summer vacation huh?
I wished it couldst longer, but at least, it was definitely a st for me!
¡ô¡ô¡ô
In this way, the curtain drew over the Allen Rovenne''s first-half of first term academic life.
Nary a ce had left in the kingdom who didn''t hear about him, his fame as an unprecedented boy echoed throughout the kingdom as he leaped to be the face of his generation. Yet, in a twist, contrasting his tumultuous first-half of first semester, his name remains in the memories of people but little so they heard about him for raising another wave in the second half of his first year.
In the meanwhile, his prodigal ssmates continue to emerge out as the shining jewel, which consequently diverted the attention from Allen Rovenne to him, perhaps standing to be one of the reasons behind his low presence.
But the greater reason was assumed that it had been his foresightedness all along. More than anyone, he seemed to have read the undercurrent, and in lieu of it, brought the talented persona in one ce. He perhaps feared if not now, then there might never be another chance.
It was this otherworldly foresight of him, one that everyone would agree on, that earned Allen Rovenne the alias of . For everyone---
------He was the seer of the future itself, a domain perceived only by the God.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 127 - Dan joining the Magic Club (Intermission)
It was one of the afternoons in the Royal Academy, after the start of the second half of the year, and sses had just ended.
"Good day to you all, I¡¯m Daniel Serdos from ss 1-A, and I¡¯ll be a part of the Emission Magic Club starting today. I hope I can learn from all of you.
I''ve opted out of the knight course and I want to¡ master wind magic......"
Dan introduced himself in a quiet tone, his potato-like face turning into a sweet potato as a crimson shade took over his cheeks.
Some of the club boys immediately showered him with thunderous apuse.
"Woohoo!! One morerade hase to join our cause!"
"Yeah, we''re all open-minded people, so no need to be embarrassed! Let''s chase our dreams together!"
"Let''s ride the wind together under themand of our great leader!"
While the male students weed Dan with enthusiasm, hollering unashamedly, there was one more side who looked at Dan¡ as if they were staring at trash.
They were the girls, and perhaps also the most sincere members of the magic club.
"I never expected Daniel Serdos, the 2nd rank prodigy right after Leo-san, to be no different from the scums of the club......"
"Look at his red face... Why is he even joining the club when the thought makes him so embarrassed?"
"But don''t you think he looks a bit¡ cute?"
"Nooope!! I definitely can''t get along with taciturn ones! I would rather choose one out of those idiots, at least they''re honest and loud!"
"True, who knows if it''s just a facade while in reality, he might be dreaming of flipping skirts each night."
The girls, thinking that Dan''s reason for joining was to learn the art of flipping skirts, muttered their criticisms one after another.
Ever since Allen''s ''effort'' during the Rising Star Cup, the boys had been working hard all to achieve their ultimate goal of¡ flipping skirts. At least, the girls thought so, while the folks unrted to the club were even giving them the cold shoulder due to that.
The girls were more bothered because their families were telling them ''We beg you, just leave that ce''. The hassle and bad reputation unfortunately was the reason behind their sharp tongues.
In fact, the girls in the club were wearing pants, which came with their uniforms, as a countermeasure against wind magic. The uniform pants were more often a part of students¡¯ uniforms in the knight course.
As someone who had a thin face, Dan couldn''t bear the gazes and seriously contemted running from here. But before he could, Al, the president of Emission Magic Club and known to be a determined man, stepped up and offered him his words with a smile.
"Yes, it''s our pleasure to have you, Dan! I''m really d to see you joining us, truly! But before anything, there''s one ''irond rule'' in this club that''s of utmost importance. You will be instantly kicked out of the club if you ever so fail to adhere to this chivalric code of a ''Mage''.
Fret not, it''s nothingplicated. As a mage, you should just make sure to keep chasing the endless possibilities that lie ahead!"
After Al, Dol tapped on Dan''s shoulder with a wry smile.
"Yo, Dan. I heard from Allen that you guys are going to create a Sailing Club? I guess it''s not actually smooth sailing for you either, huh? I think I know what you want to learn, but wouldn''t it be a burden on you to actually attempt to control that big of a ship with wind magic?"
It was natural for Dol to have his doubts.
Bernoulli''s theorem in this world was a new phenomenon discovered by Allen (or so the setting went), instead of some well-crafted theory with examples like in the science of Earth. And Dan himself hardly knew much about it except for what Allen exined to him. That by urging the wind the same way mages circted their mana outside their body, it was possible to generate a dynamic force that would propel the boat forward.
However, it was easier said than done, so Dol had his own questions about the principle''s feasibility. He was sure that while Dan was blessed with huge mana capability, moving such a huge ship was just an impossible matter.
Meanwhile, Allen, Leo, and Jeu were absent today due to their respective busy schedules.
"You can''t consider something impossible without trying, right? I seriously want to give it a try, so please point me in the right direction. If it''s not too much, can you show me what kind of magic you all are researching?"
A huge smile blossomed on Al and Dol''s faces as they eagerly nodded at Dan''s suggestion.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Haaaaa!"
Al released a spirited shout and created a wall of ice.
Allen had given this magic the name ¡®Ice Wall¡¯, saying that it was one of the most basic spells to train on. The ice wall was 2 m in height and 1 m in breath while being 20 cm thick.
The ice construct waspletely translucent, so the area behind the wall was clearly visible.
"Woah, that''s sick!"
Tap-Tap
Dan knocked on the ice wall with his fingers to check its sturdiness and immediately received his answer.
"Al''s Ice Wall is truly a marvel. Do you know it can evenpletely block Leo''s fireball? One time, Leo was so irked that he ended up shooting 30 fireballs at it one after another, but Al also kept reconstructing the Ice Wall and not a single fireball managed to touch him. You would be surprised too once you see how quickly and efficiently Al can create ice walls."
Dol words praised Al, though the man himself scratched his cheek and denied it.
"It was just a matter of affinity. I''m still too far from the ideal building speed and sturdiness otherwise. Allen had already seen through it when he asked me some questions. Like, can it stop Leo''s sword? Was I confident it could withstand Leo''s kick? What were my ns if he turned around and attacked me from the nk?
Though yeah, it would be a lie if I said I wasn''t happy. I never expected I had it in me to win against that prodigy Leo no matter if he chose closebat or magic. I¡ I can be that mage for sure...... Maybe Allen was indirectly implying that.¡±
Al chuckled, his expression tinted with his typical carefree smile as usual.
"Man, only the gods know where that fe forgot hismon sense and typical thinking. I really suspect his brain doesn''t have that function."
Dol remarked jokingly. Though he, too, understood what Al was hinting at.
Allen would continue to nag him, too, with ''Watch the club and don''t let yourself be tied to simple achievements'', or ''Expand your outlook, because magic is filled with endless possibilities¡¯.
Typically, having a big mana capacity wasn''t actually rare in the Royal Academy, evenmonce to put it in another word.
Yet, he somehow couldn''t forget Allen''s face when thetter said, "The moment you firmly realize your advantage lies in your mana capacity, an inherent trait that can''t be ovee by any means, will be the day you be a prodigy even above Leo in a certain way".
He couldn''t remove from his memory Allen''s frustrated expression from his mind. It was as if he wanted to say "Why can''t you understand this simple logic?!"
Whether it was the young Dol, who was capable of doing anything with efficiency in a matter of seconds, or the now student Dol, who had his pride shattered into a million pieces after his enrollment¡ª it had always been his utmost desire that someone say those words to him.
"The world is the stage, and you''re its lead actor," Dol thought Allen was implying that.
"Dol, why don''t you show your magic that you and Allen researched together? What was it¡ yeah, earth st.
Hey, you guys! Please leave the area for a while. Dol¡¯s going to try his magic!"
Seeing that everyone had cleared the grounds, Dol ced his hands on the ground. Soon, the soil started to swell up like a balloon, big enough to actually fit in his hands like a volleyball.
Dol however didn''t stop and continued to pour his mana into that soil lump.
"......Earth st? What in the world is he trying to do?"
Confused, Dan tried to ask Al.
"Well, it began when Allen said something about incorporating the theory behind ''steam explosion'' into a magic technique. The first step is to create an earthen ball, then gradually heat it with fire magic. Create a hollow cavity inside the ball so that heat doesn''t transfer and then add some water with magic. By doing that¡ª"
As Al exined, Dol was finished with the earthen ball and tossed it at the wall.
Booooom!
The earthen ball created exploded as soon as it struck the wall, its fragment flying around.
"So in this way, when the ball struck the wall, the hollow cavity crumbled away and gave way to the sudden rise in steam. The attack requires mastery over earth, fire, and water magic, so only Dol can use it."
Dan was impressed, but he also felt something was amiss.
"Err... it''s truly amazing, but...... is it more powerful than your typical fireball? It even seems to take a long time to set up."
"Well~, the setup time can be reduced gradually by training external mana cirction, much like emission magic.
Before I talk about how powerful it is, I guess I should exin that while it is called earth element, it''s not about controlling the ''soil'', but the minerals and other inorganic substances. Hence, it might not appear powerful, but once he can reach the stage where he can shape the same ball using tougher minerals, it might be able to store even more energy which would mean it would shatter apart with more force."
Dol grimaced at Al''s cheerful exnation.
"Allen put it like it was an easy matter, but it actually takes more effort to freely manipte hard substances. Also, you''re right, Dan. I still need to work over my setup time, after all the enemy wouldn''t stay still like a sitting duck and wait for me to finish my spell."
Dol said this with a wry smile.
"Haha, so you say, but this isn''t a bad result considering you¡¯vee this far in just a few months. Plus you''re even controlling three elements at once, which isn''t easy at all.
I can also freeze anything at touch, but the magnitude of difficulty rises up when I have to produce the water and freeze it at the same time. I¡¯ve been practicing since the age of 9, and I still fumble more often than not. Let alone when we''re talking about three elements, I can''t even begin to describe how long it must¡¯ve taken.
Do you know, Dol is even practicing to end the attack by detonating it with light magic?!"
Al praised Dol without reservation.
"Truly, no one can leap to your height, Dol-kun!"
" "Yeah, we can see why you''re our devilish vice-president~." "
The female students watching them giggled and praised Dol. As students of the mage course, they knew it was easier said than done to control three elements with such precision.
Dan squinted and fell into silence, then gradually his face turned pale from realization. It would be a lie if he said he understood how difficult it was to pull that off. But the final burst at the end gave him a vague hint about the true potential of the attack.
Basically, everything about this spell boiled down to ''setup''.
Ordinary magic couldn''t maintain its power for long when cast away from the caster''s body. However, the final burst of the Earth st magic wasn''t about doing ''elemental damage'', but was instead reliant on ''physical damage¡¯.
Once proficient, no one could stop Dol from creating more replicas and then quietly burying them into the ground. Due to their dyed reaction, it wouldn''t matter even if they were left intact for a while. As long as an enemy even faintly stepped on one while d in body-strengthening magic, it would explode.
However, at the same time, it was a tremendous magic. What if after he entered into the knight order, he was asked to chase down the user of this magic¡ª
"Hey, Dol. Do you know¡ª"
''What you¡¯re getting yourself into?'' Dan was about to say this when he was interrupted by someone suddenly tapping on his shoulder.
Dan turned around and saw a plump boy there. He was wearing sses, along with a tacky, red bandana on his head. The very definition of a nerd.
"Hello, I¡¯m Banana Shake from ss 3-D...... They''re someone who has the best of the world, while we don''t even have the crumbs. That it may be, our coach, Allen, once said¡ª wind magic is just as much of a treasure trove of endless possibilities, it''s no less magnificent than the others. Throw away your ''What would people say'' mindset and follow the calling of your heart. Anyway, let''s go!"
Banana said while pointing toward the setting sun.
"Huh? No, shouldn''t you exin where we''re going first? Also, I am currently busy. I need to learn from Al and Dol¡ª"
Suddenly, a tall, entric guy wearing his zer tucked into his pants grabbed Dan''s shoulder firmly.
"Hellorade, I am Chross hari. Excuse our suddenness, but we''re someone who believes in imparting, rather than hoarding. We have acquired quite a fruitful result in our journey so far, thus we would be happy to have you.
Let''s start with 3rd grade . By the way, as long as you can hear the wind in a 20m radius via detection magic, you would be able to unlock your advancement as well."
On the one hand, there were Al and Dol, happily chatting with girls.
On another, there was Dan, besieged by the members of Wind Magic Order. The Wind Magic Order was a group of people who uses their youthful energy to secretly spirited away the prospective candidates of Royal Academy to further broaden their boundary.
Naturally, Dan, too, was taken to be their next sacrifi---ahem, their nextrade.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 128 - Grayfia Indiana (1)
The early fall season, Rosemieur Empire.
Much like the Yuglia''s Royal Knight and Mage Academy, Rosemieur, too, boasted a simr academy, the only rival to Yuglia''s academy in the continent¡ª Olympus Mage Institute located in the capital, Olympus.
In the training grounds of the institute that only nobles could afford, Grayfia Indiana was going wild.
"Where the hell is your spirit, you lot!? Is that what you''re capable of? Mere sissy-like attacks, I¡¯ll butcher you all for real!!"
Around her, many of the students tumbled around on the ground, vomiting blood.
When the second half of the year began, she was congratted with huge fanfare for getting three straight wins in the Yuglia''s Rising Star Cup.
However, she also noticed her friends appeared a bit¡ distant. They, too, had apparently heard about the victory handed to her out of pity after she was thoroughly bashed around by a first-year student, called to be the hope of Yuglia, despite having the handicap in a sham battle.
But whatever the conclusion may be, her schoolmates, who knew about her prowess, had no intention to mock her.
That said, they were extremely curious about the guy named Allen Rovenne, whose rumors they asionally heard from neighborhood nations. Grayfia had faced him up close, so they really wanted to hear her impression about the battle.
But, they couldn''t ask.
There was no way they could ask her what happened in the match.
And Grayfia, who seemed to have perceived their hesitant attitude, naturally took it as a huge blow to her pride.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
¡°Give it a rest already, Grayfia. You''re supposed to be the one to wrap up the disturbance as a Prefect of the Public Discipline Council, not cause it. And wiping the floor with yourrades wouldn''t wipe away that shame. Visit the Student Council roomter."
A graceful, silver-haired girl chided Grayfia, who showed no sign of ceasing her barbarism as she vented out her frustration on the students.
"Hmph, and that''s what I¡¯m doing as a Prefect. Their skin has been getting a bit too thick, after all.
......And did you seriously say I¡¯m drowning in shame? Haa, I¡¯ll just let you know, underestimate me, and I¡¯ll show you what hell is. Don''t think your princess status would save your wool. Be careful or that pretty face of yours will be biting the dust next moment, Ariichi."
"Insolence! Watch your tongue when you speak to Ariichi-sama. Perhaps you might have forgotten with your Prefect authority, but you''re speaking to a princess here!!"
General Affairs Officer Eir of the Student Council, also a follower of Ariichi, objected in a sharp tone.
"Shut up, you lowly servant."
However, when Grayfia shot a re at her, she staggered half a step back tongue-tied. But as if to say she wasn''t affected, she, too, red back at her.
Ariichi sighed and directed her cold gaze at Grayfia.
"Listen, I¡¯m simply saying to cease your barbaric acts now. You know there''s no shaking your no.1 position, right? So cut it out with that tomfoolery, unless¡ª you want scorch marks on your pretty body, Phi."
Her hand released a faint radiance.
Grayfia responded to Ariichi''s suggestion with a snarky expression, baring her signature bucktooth at her.
"Hmph. I guess you now have some backbone, Miss Student Council President, or I should say former crybaby Richi who always used to hide behind me...... Just do it if you want to, why bother with the nonsense."
"You sure like to revel in the past, eh?...... This will onlye to bite you backter, Miss ''Rabbit-Panty.''"
" "Pfft!" "
The onlooking schoolmates, who had been watching their confrontation with bated breath, unwittingly burst out inughter.
"I............ I¡¯m going to k-k-k-kill you!"
"You all, this isn''t some exhibition. Hurry up and leave this ce, unless you want to be pulled into their quarrel."
General Affairs Officer Eir quickly urged the bystanders to disperse, and true enough, the sound of intense battle started to echo from behind her.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"......Oh, I''m d to see you''re still as quick as ever, Grey."
Ariichi said while putting salve on a bruise mark she got after Grayfia''s spear jabbed onto her.
"Haa, the same goes for you. You''ve polished your spell construction speed and precision shot rate...... Who knows what would have happened had you been holding onto your wand."
Grayfia said, tending to the scald marks on her skin.
"Well, you, too, were only using a training spear, so that goes both ways...... By the way, Phi. What were you trying to do at the training grounds? I believe you already know how much the students of this institute hold you, Grayfia Indiana, in high regard due to your incessant hard work, talent, and the ability you have cultivated.
I understand you might be vexed after your opponent resorted to that cowardly move, leaving a stain on your otherwise glorious profile, but no student holds you in actual contempt that I¡¯m aware of. You should know better than anyone else, too. Why in the world are you throwing away that pride of yours by engaging in petty acts?"
Ariichi asked with a genuine look of concern, it was apparently a mystery for her.
At first, she thought Grayfia was just keeping a tight leash on the people around her to shut down any unsavory rumors from spreading.
However, by the time the first week had passed, and they entered the second week, it was clear to anyone''s eyes that Grayfia was in a particrly bad mood. There was no one spreading ill words about her either who needed to be smacked down. Yet, her mood just kept getting worse and worse instead of getting better.
Then there must be something else that became the precursor to her wild acts, something that managed to corner her so badly. s, Ariichi just had no way of knowing what had happened.
"......It doesn''t have anything to do with you."
Grayfia averted her gaze. However, Ariichi had also made up her mind, she was going to pry everything out of her mouth today by hook or by crook.
She had both the duties as a Princess, and also as a close friend of Grayfia, to know of any ident that might have happened outside what was reported while she was in Yuglia. This was also why she didn''t keep her close aide Eir in the infirmary.
Ariichi kept staring at Grayfia, but thetter, stubborn as rock, refused to say anything.
''Haa,'' Ariichi sighed, seeing that maybe her n wasn''t as perfect as she had thought. She hoped, with how hard-headed Grayfia was, that maybe it would be easier to talk with her after a good fight, hence she had intentionally provoked her.
Ariichi changed her train of thought and suddenly started talking about their childhood.
"So, you''re also wearing those panties up ¡®til now, huh? Must be rough to wear it given the size. Why bother with that?"
"J-Just give those panties talk a rest, Ari!!...... No wait, did you just say ''also''?"
Ariichi snickered seeing Grayfia finally turning toward her to shut her up.
"Fufu. We got them before we were 10, right? You pushed me, taking me out of the Royal Pce for the first time. I still remember that cloudless autumn sky. The sunshine that day was sure too dazzling, wasn''t it?"
"......Hmph. I was just irritated by your cowardice. Why were you, someone blessed with iparable talent, letting yourself be pushed around by your ipetent brothers? It was my way to get one over you."
Ariichi giggled, but then the corner of her eyes dropped in mncholy.
"And you haven''t changed one bit. You still hide that gentle part inside you, while picking up the role of bad guy when no one wants to take it. You must have thought I would never notice you, but I did, you know? I bet you must have wanted ''Lil'' Bear'' that day, but seeing that my interest was drawn toward ''Lil'' Rabbit,'' so you decided to put up with it. It was because I was genuinely happy when you proposed ¡®let''s take the matching pair¡¯ while entering the shop and went along with my choice."
Grayfia''s face contorted as if she was chewing a bitter bug.
"As if I would keep such trifling details in my mind."
"Another lie. Say, Grayfia. Don''t you think it''s about time you tell me the truth? You know, I totally know how you were clearing the hindrance for me, especially the sh that was urring between the other prince and princess."
Grayfia''s eyebrow shot up, but her expression quickly changed into an impish smile.
"Hmm. It''s good that you now realize that the sole reason why you''re able to reach your adulthood, and even manage to create your own circle without feeling pressure from the princes, was all due to me.
Well, you were always a naive idiot. I did all that because I didn''t want to see an ipetent fe riding above my head in the future."
Ariichi''s eyes were filled with sadness as she peered into Grayfia''s eyes.
"......Sheesh, cut that bad guy act in front of me, now. You know that I''ve always been your, Grayfia Indiana''s, fan since childhood. I made sure not to miss any of your actions. But as your fan, I just can''t watch you wallow in self-derision because that bucktooth keeps bothering you. If anything, it¡¯s one of the most charming points about you."
Grayfia red at Ariichi.
"C-Charming!? Shut up! Stop talking like that guy!"
"Now, now. Frankly, the bucktooth being the proof of drawing devil''s blood is mere superstition. I mean, do the devils even really exist? Sounds like some hoax to me......
And either way, even if it turns out to be true, it doesn''t change who you are. You''re Grayfia Indiana, stronger and haughtier than anyone. Well, that aside, who might ''that guy¡¯ be?"
Ariichi was sure there was no suicidal person in this nation except herself, who would actually touch Grayfia''s reverse scale, one that she had been more conscious about than anything else, and say it was ''charming''.
Perhaps, the source of her ill mood stemmed from that fact...... And most likely, it seemed like it was due to the same person who treated Grayfia Indiana like a child.
T/N - I wonder if it¡¯s another crazy g lol. Instead of fate leading together by arrow of cupid, it¡¯s just fate brought together byndmines.
E/N - Another crazy is about to chase the MC
Vol. 1 - Ch. 129 - Grayfia Indiana (2)
"............He was a jerk."
Grayfia once again shifted her gaze and started recounting her side of the story.
"......You mean Allen Rovenne?"
She stayed quiet for a moment but eventually nodded her head.
"I didn''t put him in my eyes at first. My eyes were on that famous Leo Zatsinger at that time. Sure enough, it became apparent why he was called a child prodigy, not to mention his prominent background, the famed Zatsinger family. He was as handsome as they could get, and had that peculiar aura you would see from prominent figures. There¡¯s no doubt that he¡¯s destined to make big waves in the future.
......But,pared to that illustrious star, that guy...... His face was mediocre to the core, and he appeared no different from a run-of-the-millmoner."
Grayfia recounted as she bit her lips, tears brimming in her eyes.
"So what you''re saying is that there¡¯s more than meets the eye about him? Hmm, but the reports read that he is a coward, morally bankrupt, and a hopeless pervert who resorted to dirty tricks when he realized he had no way to win with his weapon. Was he not?"
Ariichi''s intuition was telling her there was more about that boy than the report made him out to be. However, she was curious, so she decided to undery him for now.
On the other hand, Grayfia nodded.
"I was angry after reaching that conclusion at the end of the match as well. I was clearly superior and even by pure strengthparison, he was nowhere near me¡ and yet¡ It vexed me to the core.
I couldn''t let the matter end like that, and it would also give others the chance to look down on us. So I waited for a chance to strike him down."
Ariichi felt an ufortable sensation washing over her when she heard thest sentenceing out from Grayfia.
"I did wonder if I should stop back then since that ''Indomitable'' was there, but..."
Grayfia paused in her words recalling the situation and shook her head.
"That geezer was no average person with his aura, but he didn''t show any sign of intervening at all. He was so quiet that it instead felt uncanny.
............I waited for that guy to walk down from the stage. It would take a moment and the audience would soon know who was the real weakling once I struck that guy down, after he had shown himself as Yuglia''s Impable Knight using a borrowed weapon from Olivia or whatever, the woman from the Rudeon family. That was my n, but..."
As Grayfia exined so far, her tears started to spill out.
"I¡ª I couldn''t take any action...! He didn''t even care and just showed me his back, as if to say¡ª Just try it if you have the guts! But once you start, it would no longer be a merepetition. I¡¯d put you in your ce if you have the intent to cause any more ruckus!
He was implying this by showing his back while releasing an awfully intimidating aura. It can only be possible if one has gone through numerous bloody scenes, and he¡ he was giving that vibe.
I felt like no matter what I did, he would be able to see through it. T-There''s nothing I could do! He didn''t even consider me his opponent at all!
The distance I thought was an advantage for me was moot. And....... there was also that wind, which kept blowing around me as if teasing me, putting a leash on my legs.
......Unforgivable. I couldn''t ept myself for that! I should have taken that step, even if it meant I might lose everything! It should have been alright even if he turned out to be my match at worst, but¡ but I lost not due to the difference in our ability, but due to my cowardice to not take that step!"
Grayfia finally spoke her heart out that she had been holding back. Ariichi took her crying childhood friend in her embrace.
"It must have been tough on you, Phi. You¡¯ve been holding on to this all this time. So my hero faced defeat for the first time......"
Grayfia shook her head amidst her sobbing.
"I¡¯m not a hero! No, I didn¡¯t fight for the country either! I was lying to myself and I just didn''t want to lose, that was why I resorted to that cowardly move. But what good was it when I couldn''t even face him head on! Just like Gramps, I¡¯m nothing more than a loser!"
"......So you see him in your ssmates when challenging them, huh? A little fledgling who can corner you so badly...... It''s important information.
But for now, let''s go over what happened again, so that you don''t lose next time. Neither to him nor to yourself. I¡¯m sure you can do it and be the hero in the truest sense, not a background viin."
Ariichi followed up and tightened her embrace as Grayfia tried to squirm her way out.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"So¡ why are we disguised and in an underwear shop......?"
Grayfia asked, her shoulders drooped despondently. Her eyes were still red, but she looked much calmer after confiding her feelings.
Ariichi replied with a serious expression.
"I said it earlier, didn''t I? We''re going to re-do everything again one by one. I still feel pain to part ways with our memorable ''lil'' bunny,'' but there''s just so much we can modify before they be unwearable. This is a good chance.
Let''s look for more mature underwear, then no one will be able to make fun of you for them. Hmm, but we''re too old to wear matching designs anymore, so let''s do this. I¡¯ll choose a design for you, and you select for me, what do you think?"
The store they went to was the , a specialized shop that only had underwear, famous among thedies of the capital. Grayfia looked around, her eyes scanning the products on disy¡ª ranging from childish designs to raunchy ones.
As both of them were people of status, they hardly went shopping on their own and so, while Grayfia was outwardly hesitant, she was pretty excited in her mind.
"Hmph. Just so you know, I typically wear lingerie with more mature designs and racy looks. So don''t you dare pick some childish ones!"
"Fufu. Of course, would I still be your friend if I didn''t know that much? Rx, I know you pay attention to your style typically¡ and like more light-toned ones with cute designs at important asions too. It''s alright, I¡¯ve noted down everything precisely."
Needless to say, as Ariichi teasingly dug up her still fresh wound, and brought up her topmost ck history she couldn''t wait to erase for eternity if presented the chance, Grayfia turned beet red up to the roots of her ears as she hollered.
"W-W-W-Which bastard revealed all of this!? It''s only in the past, but now I don''t like them anymore! It''s called maturing with age, alright!"
Grayfia''s flustered denial was met with a doubtful nce from Ariichi.
".....Hehe~. I missed my mark then, huh? In that case, I¡¯m sure¡ this must be to your liking then, eh?"
Ariichi picked up an embroidered, ck underwear while saying.
It had a rose-like design embroidered on the rear side, though the center of the back side was split open vertically for inexplicable reasons. The front design was rather simple, tied with strings, except the fabric size was questionably small. The three finger-wide fabric seemed to be only there to hide what would be the bare minimum part.
The bra that came with it as a set, too, was fashioned with a simr embroidered design. However, unlike normal bras, the upper portion of the cup was cut out. The set of underwear was undoubtedly one of the raunchiest designs that the shop had to offer.
"H-H-H-How is this even underwear?! If that''s the only option, you might as well gomando for all that it matters!"
''Sure enough,'' Arrichi snickered to herself as she looked at the flustered mess that was her childhood friend. Though from Grayfia¡¯s perspective, it seemed like a provocation.
"I guessed it. Phi, It seems like you really can''t part with these ribbonced, light pink or yellow colored¡ª"
"I-I''m saying you have it all wrong! I just think its design is more on the iner side!"
"Oh myyy! This is in for you?! Then, yes, I¡¯m sure this would be to your liking, don''t you think so?"
Following the squabble, Ariichi next picked the so-called see-through type underwear.
Featuring a white tone, the underwear wasn''t at a mere translucent level like foggy sses; it put everything into disy except the bare minimum.
"W-White?! I can''t believe you chose this out of all of them! Do you think white would suit a prickly woman like me?! You know what, I¡¯ll choose it for you, Ari. Bring me something with a darker or gloomier tone!"
"?! H-How can I...... ahem, t-then I¡¯m sure that would match your taste."
Ariichi pointed at one of the mannequins. The mannequin was adorned with a lustrous blue underwear, sporting a tiny butterfly-like design at theher region. Everything except the butterfly was merely connected with strings, the typical G-string pattern. And the bra¡ barely had anything in the name of fabric except a broad strip. It was as if someone had put arge headband over the mannequin''s chest.
"......This is for you as well."
Grayfia decided immediately.
"Hey, now that''s unfair, Phi!!!¡ª Hold on! Look, this shy purplish design isn''t about butterflies, but poisonous moths! It''s definitely in line with a gloomy woman like you!"
"Y-You know your stuff, huh! Woah, would you look at this, I am sure this convenient design would suit you, Ari!"
Grayfia picked what was a crotchless panty, ced at the topmost section of the shop. The bra that came in pairs with it was no different, featuring two h-hoop like rings, with the vital position being hollow. The design, though, seemed like a waste of cloth for the two as they couldn¡¯t wrap their head around how such a thing was even needed.
"Kyaaa! T-T-This is so cowardly of you..."
Ariichi let out a squeal and headed for the inner section of the shop in search of raunchier and risqu¨¦ design underwear.
The girls used the shopping as an excuse to blow off the stress they had umted due to their varying everyday situations.
Their mementos, the underwear they purchased that day, which piled up to be a small hill, wereter strictly sealed deep into their personal closets as their cherished treasures.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Ariichiter reported everything that Grayfia recounted to her word-by-word, like the hidden confrontation between Allen and Grayfia, and Grayfia''s own impression to the higher ups of the Empire.
The Emperorter revised his evaluation of Allen ¡ª mainly his individual strength and potential ceiling ¡ª and...... felt reassured.
He was sure that the wind spirit in reality was nothing more than maniption of mana outside the body using the application of detection magic.
It wasn''t that he was undermining him. He knew the talent required to reach such a level at the mere age of 12, one that would definitely be a threat to the Rosemieur Empire in the future. But, it was easier to counter an enemy at in sight than one that is hidden.
"Phew, I¡¯m d that I finally saw through Allen Rovenne," was the expression of the Emperor. A visibly relieved sigh carved on his face.
Postscript¡ª¡ª
It happened after I wrote this chapter, I identally tapped on the search history of goo*le in front of my friend and¡ª
etc...
¡ª¡ªpopped up immediately. There was an incredibly painful silence after that.
T/N - It¡¯s fine author, my history has been tainted today as well. I guess you sure do learn something unexpected each day. Thest thing I expected was to look for¡panties, if I was putting the description right. Especially the first one, I was wondering shouldn¡¯t the hole be counted from front¡¡Yeah, let¡¯s leave at that.
Ahem, returning to the main topic, next would be a couple chapters about motorcycle clubs and after that starts the Mad Hound vs Rose part. A certain line actually clears out the mindset of Allen for readers.
E/N - Yikes, that would have been awkward. F for the author. Good thing I''m pretty careful with my search history. Incognito and delete search history for the win! ??
Vol. 1 - Ch. 130 - Magic Car Club (1)
Two months had passed since the sses of the second half of the year began. Today was another typical weekend day.
I pushed my way through the woods growing tall in the Academy''s premise, and peered at the magic car garage at the back.
Lil'' Dui was tuning his magic cycle like usual, humming. In the end, Lil'' Dui ¡ª Duid Moonlight ¡ª had established the magic car club.
In the evening of Fey and Jeu''s sponsored buffet party, Lil'' Dui came knocking at my door, a bit embarrassed. In his hands was a tattered magic car magazine, a sign that he had read it over and over again.
Apparently, he, along with Makite-san, was thoroughly questioned by Fey and Jeu after I left the party, though they managed to avoid the fate of sharing a dinner table with a Marquis.
After returning to the dormitory, he remained in dilemma for a while if he should visit my room or not, and it wasn''t until after 10 p.m. did he finally muster up the courage to knock on my door.
"C''mon Lil'' Dui. We''re literal neighbours, and now ssmates to boot, juste and hang out any time you want."
I replied casually. Lil'' Dui took a deep breath, looked into my eyes, and¡ bowed his head.
"I''m sorry. Frankly, I was scared of you. And I know, that was just my ''awe'' and ''jealousy'' toward you. I ended up drowning in envy after seeing you in the limelight, thinking ''Isn''t it unfair? Why only him when we both began from the same ce''...... What a deplorable thought. Hah."
Lil'' Dui chuckled in self-derision at the end.
......I guess, it was this quality of self-introspect that was the reason why someone from that damned rural vige in the middle of nowhere clinched the chance to enter this Academy.
I honestly think that if anyone wasmendable here, it was Lil'' Dui himself. With my experience from Earth, I knew how many would rather go through hoops than admit their ownplex in front of their ssmates.
"Why did you decide to join this dorm, Lil'' Dui? If money had been your problem, I think right now is the best time to move to a noble dorm. They would be more than happy to pay a hefty sum just to move in here with the current trend."
"Well¡ that was the problem at the beginning. As much as my father was bragging around, saying that my enrollment was a done deal, he really didn''t think I would actually be epted.
He waspletely oblivious of the situation, like how this dorm was called the loser dog''s kernel, or even if we needed to take out a loan. Ah, I was no different either."
Uh-huh, guess we truly were neighbors for a reason, eh? I chuckled. All this time, they had been urging us to take the exam, but they werepletely nk when it came to teaching us the follow-up.
The kids on Earth just needed to hit the search button and all the details would be avable to them in a jiffy. Meanwhile, despite our supposedly noble status in this world, the kids of the countryside had basically no means to acquire such information.
"Our title as noble is mere decoration. We hardly had enough money due to my many siblings, though I wasn''t really disgruntled about joining this dorm. Besides, when I realized that the self-dependent lifestyle was a way to improve yourself, I was even more excited to be here.
I did receive many proposals to hand over my room in exchange for an exaggerated sum which I really couldn''t wrap my head around, but...... I felt like I might really stay as a bottom rung character for the rest of my lifetime if I epted it. Yeah, I know that sounds gibberish and maybe that''s something foreign to you."
Lil'' Dui said and chuckled. It looked a bit deste.
Of course, I understood where he wasing from. I doubt I would have been able to resist temptation if I was in his shoes and was offered such avish sum.
But there was no point in delving into the past.
I quickly steered the topic to another. Yeah, we could catch up with other thingster, but I was more impatient to ask about the magazine he was holding.
"Alright, let the past go! Anyway, what are you holding in your hands?"
Seeing my interest in the magazine, Lil'' Dui''s face turned red from embarrassment as he exined.
"T-This¡ is thetest edition of the magic car magazine which is sold once every half a year. It''s actually my favorite publication ever since my father bought one from the Royal Capital as a souvenir when I was 9. Now, I can''t catch a wink of sleep unless I read one every evening at least once.
I had to pester my father a lot for this year''stest edition to have it mailed to our hintend. Well, he did make sure I gave my full attention to the exam preparation in exchange."
I listened to Lil'' Dui''s passionate talk as he excitedly showed off his favorite magic car design.
To be honest, Lil'' Dui''s talk about X manufacturer''s X''s model''s X''s feature was all like some cryptic chant to me. But it was interesting in itself to see him talking so much with such enthusiasm.
I just really liked to hear others talking about the subjects they were interested in.
I also informed him about my contract with the Elvert Magic Workshop over the coborative research of a new magic car model¡ª a two-wheeler. Of course, I excluded the flying model from our topic since it was under NDA, plus it didn''t have anything to do with the magic car club.
"Did you say Elvert Magic Workshop?! The same workshop which was only a repair garage in the beginning but now has a multitude of magic car manufacturers investing a gazillion amount of money for their several important innovations, spearheaded by none other than Ashim Elvert!? I thought the trailzer that led the magic car expansion had already retired?!"
G-God Hand......
Heh, the father of Furi-senpai was also famous for his technical expertise in magic cars, aside from being the inventor of the magic propulsion engine.
"I just happened to cross paths with them. Anyway, so are you going to lead the Magic Car Club as its president, Lil'' Dui?"
Lil'' Dui froze as if he had heard something ridiculous when I asked, showing a conflicted expression on his face before he shook his head.
"You really meant that?! I really want to enter the club though. I was really happy when you talked about it. But I don''t think I''m fit to lead the club you''re establishing."
''Why?'' I asked directly since I had no idea.
"Why...... I mean, I¡¯m just a first-year and from ss E to boot. I don''t think I would be able to upgrade my ss rank in next year''s ss advancement.
It''s an insane chance to work with the Elvert Workshop, so I don''t want to douse cold water on your club activities. There would only be crickets in the club if I became the leader. Nope, I don''t have enough qualifications.
I can already see many people ready to point fingers at me for being a parasite who leeches off Lil'' Allen just because we happened to share the same hometown."
Ah, the power y. It was indeed a bit of a tricky matter.
I personally believed a person wouldn''t be able to lead their life the way they wanted to if they kept worrying about ss differences, what others were saying, and public opinion in general.
But I couldn''t dismiss Lil'' Dui''s apprehensionpletely. After all, humans were social creatures.
For me, the only qualification one needed to have was ''passion''. Humans being human, they probably wouldn''t look at Lil'' Dui with impartiality just because I was nominating him.
Plus, he was aplete amateur about magic cars, and he also didn''t have much confidence in himself. A forceful push was bound to create a crack in human rtionships.
Maybe, the best way would be to disy the charm of the club activities and let the members who truly liked magic club gather naturally, pulled by Lil'' Dui''s enthusiasm.
It was a roundabout way, but that was better than putting the cart before the horse. What was important was we needed to have fun. And haste was the devil''s work, or so the saying went.
"I know where you''reing from, Lil'' Dui. You''re right, I probably shouldn''t take the stage here. Let''s do it this way, Lil'' Dui. Why don''t you create the club yourself?
I¡¯ll enter the club as just another member when everyonees to ept your abilities and take my sweet time enjoying the ride then. Of course, I¡¯ll help out with essential support."
Lil'' Dui''s face turned pale at my words.
"Are you sane?! It¡¯s not an everyday thing to actually coborate with that Elvert Workshop. It''s your chance to start big. Hell, it''s possible to get them as sponsors as well. I¡¯m sure you would be able to take the world by surprise if you manage to gather talented individuals from the Academy and¡ª"
I interrupted Lil'' Dui''s words abruptly.
"¡ª A thing you can devote yourself truly to. You have no idea how valuable it is to have one such aspect about yourself. Trust me and have more faith in yourself, Lil'' Dui."
As I spoke in a stronger tone with a firm gaze, Lil'' Dui swallowed his words.
"The sole reason I want to create this club is that I find it interesting and am excited about sharing the same feelings with others. That¡¯s it. I¡¯m just following my feelings. And what qualifications? Do you really need someone''s permission to follow your passion?"
Lil'' Dui was at a loss for words after my speech though I wasn''t finished just yet.
"I don''t want it because I want to make it big. Neither is it to earn fame nor to create some big faction. I simply enjoy doing it and want everyone to feel the same too.
The youth that you can only feel in this Academy, the new possibilities brought about by the two-wheeler magic car. The club activities aren''t there for some special reason, and it¡¯s the same for the other clubs too."
I had been a lump of regret in my past life.
A youth full of attending school and then going to the cram school right after. What kind of sick joke was that? Besides, this academy offered the best of things, and the people here had their own varying but interesting personalities.
I believed that as long as there was passion, it should be possible to create an interesting organization which was infinitely better than a cram school-like situation that only sought results no matter the cost.
Lil'' Dui looked astonished as I continued to exin about my philosophy over club activities.
"So¡ you''re saying you want to create the club just to y around and to have a ce where you canpletely focus on your hobbies for no other apparent reason or anything at all? It''s like saying you''re creating the clubs in this Royal Academy for no particr purpose......¡±
Oh-ho. He sure was fast to capture the meaning in my words!
I unwittingly chuckled.
"Yes, that''s all I want to do. I just want to create a ce where we can do what we truly like. It''s my ultimate goal, and maybe you can say the only oue I seek from them is for students to experience everything. Well, the objective is basically a formality since it''s totally nothing more than ying around.
It''s not about developing another engine, reforming an engine, researching the underlying technology, or even improving driving skills. My desire doesn''t lie in any of that. Alright, that''s enough from me. I want to hear your words now! "
I said everything I wanted to, leaving behind the other aspects that would just be counterproductive, and stared straight into Lil'' Dui''s eyes for his decision.
......Except, the look on his face exins everything I wanted to know even without hearing his words.
E/N - Quite a lofty goal the MC has though one that I agree to and respect. Kids should be able to experience everything life has to offer before they are forced to decide on what to do for the rest of their lives.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 131 - Magic Car Club (2)
"Man, you''re really bing a maintenance freak."
I raised my voice from behind while smiling wryly. Lil'' Dui, who finally noticed my presence, broke free from his concentration and said "Oh, I didn''t notice you, Lil'' Allen. Just wait a minute¡± before turning his focus back to the magic car with a serious expression.
The magic car club was able to make a small, but safe start as they received themon fusge ¡ª one that hasn''t been attuned for wind magic, basically for themon popce ¡ª and minimum equipment required for maintenance from the Elvert Workshop on the condition of their cooperation over the development of the magic two-wheeler.
"Do you see this, Allen? He hardly even rides his two-wheeler, but he woulde to disassemble the machine every weekend ever since Ashim-san praised him for his meticulous maintenance. Say something to him."
Pisu, a first-year from ss A and a member of the magic car club, spoke out.
"But man, is everyone from your ce so perversely talented?"
Hemented with a straight expression, eliciting a hand chop from me.
Three days after sses had resumed, Lil'' Dui submitted the application to create a Magic Car Club to Mujikka-sensei.
After the events at the Rune Makize buffet party, news of the club¡¯s creation spread throughout the entire Academy in a sh and the following day, I received a flood of candidates visiting me in hopes of joining the club.
I made it clear that I was only helping out in the club creation process. The club is being created by Lil'' Dui, and he would be the club president for all intents and purposes, so they needed to consult with him regarding joining the club.
I quietly hinted it was the same with the Magic Tool Development Club which Fey was in charge of, as I rarely visit them.
Lil'' Dui and I brainstormed that day and in the end, we decided to go down this route. At the very least, we were hoping some like-minded individuals would join us at the start. There wouldn''t be any idiot spreading malicious rumors about him then if I emphasized that I was but a mere helper.
Well, in the case of Fey''s club, she was already Miss Popr even without me, so there was a deluge of applicants hoping to join the club. But the same crowd that had been so enthusiastic to join the club while approaching me dwindled faster than snow melting when tossed into the frying pan.
At the time it was created, there were only 3 members in the Magic Car Club. Lil'' Dui, Pisu, and March-senpai from ss 2-D. The numbers were abysmal but instead of being dejected, Lil'' Dui was rather excited to see there were at least two more students who were passionate about magic cars like him.
Afterward, as others saw how they were having fun test-driving the magic two-wheeler that was still under development, the club received two more applications ¡ª a 3rd student and a 2nd year student ¡ª in the span of two months.
Including Pisu and March-senpai, it was originally impossible for the students like them to acquire magic cars on the basis of their families alone.
It was off-topic but approximately 90% of the students in the Academy came from either noble, quasi-noble, or evenmoner families.
The more financially affluent one was, the more they would be able to focus on education, which tranted to an advantage in the exam. However, the advantage appeared moot when it came to quantity. The difference between the number of students from noble families above count rank and those from below or equal to viscount rank was so drastic that the number disparity was inevitable.
There had also been many movements across the long history of the kingdom ever since its establishment, insisting onx requirements for the high-ranking nobles in the Academy''s entrance examination. However, the Yuglia royal family didn¡¯t budge a single time from their stance.
Apparently, it was the dying wish of the first generation King Arthur, the founder of Yuglia Kingdom nicknamed ''Beloved Icon'' by the people, that opportunities should never be monopolized by one stratum only.
With the nobility system in the kingdom, little was needed to be said in how Herculean of a task it might have been not only to establish a merit-based entrance system but also to preserve it. However, no words were needed to exin if the system was great or not.
Anyway, I only saw one out of the three magic two-wheelers in the garage, so I presumed March-senpai must have taken the other two to drive through the woods trail along with the neers.
As coborators, their task was to test-drive the vehicles and check out what type of adjustments they needed to make the ride morefortable,pile a report of it, and submit it to the Elvert Workshop.
I could tell that they were having a st from their smiles, and as much as I wanted to enjoy the winds of youth together with them, I needed to wait until I confirmed that the club could perform with just Lil'' Dui and the like-minded club members for now, lest my entrance disrupt their rhythm.
Lil'' Dui and I had once visited Ashim-san to properly express our gratitude for the Elvert Workshop''s generosity.
Ashim-san was quite a handsome man with a lean build, which didn''t betray my image of him since I assumed as much from Furi-senpai''s looks. He easily dismissed our appreciation with augh, saying ''Don''t fuss over it. It was just a minor task for the young one''s dream.''
Furi-senpaiter told us that Ashim-san was impressed by Lil'' Dui''s idea to bring together like-minded passionate students while hiding my name.
Just like how it was Lil'' Dui''s own fears that made him concerned over what strangers would say about him, or if they would mock him for making a club under my name, it was his idea to bring others together as well. All the major decisions were made by him.
''Lil'' Dui had passion, excelled in Body Strengthening magic, and had surplus mana, so there was little fear of injuries. Plus he could write concise reports and was capable of doing simple maintenance by himself. If anything, we should be paying him for being our test-rider. It was hardly a question why my father decided to lend him a helping hand,'' said Furi-senpai while winking at me.
"I''m fine with just maintenance, since there''s rest of you to do the test-ride stuff. Sorry to keep you hanging, Lil'' Allen. Do you need something?"
"Well, yeah. I was thinking that it''s about time I joined you guys as well. I mean, I can''t take it anymore! It burns me from the inside seeing you guys having so much fun together."
A smile appeared on Lil'' Dui¡¯s face as I announced that.
Though, before he could reply, Pisu joined in the conversation and spoke with a smirk.
"Oh-ho, so you''re finally joining us, Allen. It''s fine, I have gained quite a considerable amount of experience in these two months of driving the magic two-wheeler. As your experienced Senpai, I¡¯ll fill you in about the basics."
Kukuku.
I haven''t remained idle in these two months as well and have perfected my driving skills on the test course of the Elvert Workshop. The countless feedback I provided in thest two months was also reflecting on my machine.
I knew it was childish, but I couldn''t wait to see his jaw drop once I disyed my original, custom-made two-wheeler.
"It would be an honor to learn from you, Pisu-senpai!"
Perhaps he sensed something, Pisu''s expression stiffened as I looked at him with an impish grin.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
In the not so near future, Duid Moonlit would submit his article titled ''My Overhaul'' to the kingdom''s sole magic car magazine ''Key Driver¡¯, raising amotion amidst the specialist car drivers.
The magic two-wheeler was remarkably cheaper and easier to manufacture than the four-wheeler. Plus, its small frame and insignificant maintenance cost were a boon to themon popce.
In contrast, the performance of the two-wheeler was understandably weaker than the four-wheeler. However, it wasn''t something a bit of money and somebor couldn''t fix.
One reason for the cheap avability could be said to be Allen and Duid''s obsession for expanding the reach of magic cars to the ordinary popce as well.
The magic car, which had been a symbol of wealth all this while, had finally made its way among the less affluent crowd, who had always adored them, in its two-wheeler form.
Coincidentally, around the same time that ''My Overhaul'' made it to the magazine, the Elvert Magic Workshop coborated with a certain mid-scale magic car manufacturer to start manufacturing their first two-wheeler model ''FATA-01''. The FATA-01 had barely hit the market when a crowd of enthusiastic people immediately made reservations, fully booking it until at least the next year.
One of the crucial factors that pushed its poprity was the asional glimpse of the Royal Academy¡¯s Magic Car Club members riding the two-wheelers on the outskirts of the Royal Capital.
Meanwhile, the booming poprity of the two-wheeler soon found many prominent magic car manufacturers jumping into the fray to be the next dealer.
On the other hand, theposition of Duid Moonlit''s ''My...'' series, seeped with his passion and deep knowledge for the magic cars, remained a fan favorite of the crowd for a long, long while, which became one of the factors behind the expansion of the magic car culture and its development in the kingdom.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 132 - What happens when Mad Hound is enraged (1)
"Yo, Ren-kun! I was hoping to talk to you about something. Are you free now?"
It was one of those days when I had gone out to hunt in the prairie east of the Royal Capital with the members of ''Apple'', after a long time. I just arrived at the Eastern Branch to deliver some materials when the fatty from ''Gold Rat'' approached me.
We first met around the time when I just registered for an explorer license, one thing led to another, and I ended up beating him to a pulp. After that, he would asionally pester me for a fight only to have the tables turned on him again and again, and who knows what kind of wind suddenly blew inter on, but he started to act chummy with me. Truly a mannerless fatty, his name was¡ Benza, I think?
"I don''t have time to waste with you. Also, stop talking to me as if we''re buddies. I was almost about to give you a panda eye."
I was walking toward the warehouse when the fatty greeted me.
"Come on, Ren-kun. This matter isn''t just about me; it concerns all the mutual aid societies in the capital. Also, it''ll totally affect your ''Apple'' too. At least listen to me first!"
I sighed. It was in as day that his news was anything but weing, but if it was gonna affect even ''Apple'', then...... Hmm, maybe it wouldn''t hurt to lend him an ear.
No, wait. If I readily agreed, then this chap would take it as a sign of friendship and would be even more chummy with me. I wouldn''t be able to show my face to Roye-aniki anymore.
''Alright, I should just chase him away,'' I made up my mind when Roye-aniki suddenly circled his arm around the fatty''s shoulder, the same fatty that had floored him before over some idiotic argument.
"Ren, Benza has truly toned down his mischief recently, even helping out the kids of ¡®Apple¡¯ whenever they''re in trouble or smoothing over the situation if others try to act bossy. I think it''s time to forget the past and move on, eh? It wouldn''t hurt to listen to him."
What? Did all of that happen? Woah, I didn''t know this mannerless fatty had suddenly be a well-mannered fatty.
"......I can''t say no if you''re the one pushing for it, Roye-aniki. Alright, I¡¯ll at least listen to what he has to say..."
Hearing my words, Benza said ''Thanks a bunch~'' with his usual cheap smile. Sure enough, a human doesn''t change his character so easily.
I, Roye-aniki, and Benza went to the Eastern Branch''s dining ce, leaving the rest of the materials to Po and the team of ''Apple'' to handle.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Does Ren-kun¡ I mean, does Aniki know about the Rose Family?"
......Haa, I knew it would be nothing good. He just had to start with a bummer.
My mood immediately took a nosedive. But for now¡ I decked the idiot''s head.
"Who''re you calling, Aniki? Idiot. Aren''t you around 18 already?!"
"I''m serious. I was awestruck by Ren-aniki''s strength and chivalry! Age can go to hell! You''re already the Aniki of my heart!"
Benza announced, his eyes filled with an inexplicable grief. What the heck was that Aniki of your heart supposed to mean?...... Did he think he''s J*yan? (T/N - Doraemon reference, Jiyan, the big bully.)
"You''re not the one to decide that, it''s too gross! If you utter that word again, I¡¯ll leave right at this moment! Anyway, stop dilly-dallying and continue with the topic. I don''t have free time like you."
Benza seemed like he had more to say as I said my piece, but he reluctantly stopped himself and began exining the situation.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Benza was really an outright idiot, his exnation sucked, so I had to add my own information and more from my other sources to finally make out the general gist of it.
Long story short, it concerned the underworld''s situation in the Royal Capital. This wasn''t the first time I''ve heard about them, with each organization managing a part of the Royal Capital¡¯s dark side. The eastern part of the capital was managed by an organization called Crane-Dragon Union.
They typically didn''t interfere in general matters unless the dispute between the two parties went beyond the underworld, or two mutual aid societies couldn''t see eye-to-eye for their explorer activities. The organization would step in to mediate the situation.
Aspensation, the groups under their umbre had to pay a certain sum¡ The typical protection money.
The ceiling of an individual''s strength in this worldpared to Earth was extraordinary, so it was easy for the people of this world to snap and start a fight.
There was the official police department of course, but it was hard to take care of everything with their numbers, so the government deliberately turned a blind eye to the situation.
Mimosa from Serdos had grumbled about how it was a headache to act as the ''Boss'' of everyone. Her role, though, was more or less along the same lines.
The ouw society''s role seemed to be keeping those among themon popce who were capable of taking down monsters in line. It wasn''t rare for greedy merchants or power abusers to vanish in the dark if they didn''t stop their unreasonable actions. Plus, one would need to be of sufficient caliber to keep everything straight.
Returning to the topic, the Royal Capital was vast, and along with the vested interests of many people, the situation gave birth to multiple organizations. Crane-Dragon Union was one such organization which was in charge of the Eastern Region.
However, the order of the underworld has recently been shaken like never before.
Following the extensive history of the Royal Capital, underworld organizations also improved on many fronts over the years. There hasn''t been anyrge disputes for several decades, but the peace was lost when a neer organization, the Rose Family, suddenly built its empire in the underworld in a mere span of a decade. It was apparently now poaching the groups under the other organizations.
The Rose Family also showed little to no interest in pushing its affiliated groups to follow the gentlemen''s creed that the other organizations had been following for a long time.
Like, the other organizations pushed their explorers to participate in the cleanup or construction tasks throughout the Royal Capital, which tended to be dyed due to low eptance rates. They also formed a schedule regarding when to harvest nt or herb materials along with an area allocation to make sure that the resources weren''tpletely dried out.
But ever since Rose had gotten substantial power in their hands, their attitude had been especially arrogant in this regard. They would hunt down monsters for materials but would leave behind the bodies despite them being rich in meat, or they would only harvest nts that fetched a high price.
Now the corpses of monsters were bing the reason for monsters appearing at the outskirts of the Royal Capital near the herb-picking locations, making it difficult for ordinary people to go anywhere near those areas. It had gotten to the point that it was impossible to ignore it anymore.
Now, the typical question here as a Japanese person would be ''Shouldn''t there be somew in ce to hold them down?'', but the reality was that whilews could be implemented, there was no organization who could effectively enforce it. In the end, the situation would still remain the same, the typical ¡®Life''s unfair¡¯ and .
It was the same back on Earth. The international treaties would often have many loopholes due to the vested interests of the participating countries.
The situation was somehow being controlled by the Explorer Association as they handed out the tasks in their capacity, but the situation didn''t look bright as the Rose Family was even in control of a big marketce.
The other underworld organizations tried to warn them so many times, but Rose only showed superficialpliance and never reform their group.
On the flip side, the leaders of other organizations were recently being targeted by some mastermind, turning the underworld upside down.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"The boss of Gold Rat is saying he wants to leave the Crane-Dragon Union and join the Rose Family. He said he had tried to hold the things together, but Crane-Dragon has failed to fulfill their role as their patron, so he also doesn''t have any obligation to stick with them anymore.
Also, when the situation turns south, and we have no food to put on the table, the first ones to suffer would be us, theborers. But...... my gut feeling is telling me he''s ''straying from his path'', as you call it, Ren-kun. I''m dumb, so I don''t even know what''s going on. What do you think of the situation, Ren-kun?"
Frankly, it''s just impossible for the Rose Family to be this strong on their own. The two bearded duo were dumb, but that Red or whatever chap didn''t appear to be that strong either.
Furthermore, they even seemed to be keeping an eye on the situation of the 3rd legion. They would have to be a spy of a foreign nation for sure.
I wasn''t sure if they''d already struck a deal or how they were managing things now, but the truth was that as long as they kept doing their rotten acts, it was only a matter of time before the knight order took them down.
Master has already ordered that I should keep my distance from them, and I didn¡¯t have any intention to get close to them either. Well, it wasn''t something Benza needed to know, so I basically pretended that I didn''t see the big idea.
"What do you mean? I¡¯ll do what I want. I don''t like what the Rose Family is doing, but I doubt they¡¯ll be able to continue their act forever. Besides, it''s not for us to correct the situation.
It''s subjective to an individual''s decision if they want to take the risk for some extra money. If you want to make any changes, first be strong. It''s not easy to live freely as you want."
Hearing my words, Benza was astounded as if he was struck by thunder.
"......Are you giving up here? What happened to the Ren-kun I knew who brought down the best of the other ruffians? Are you turning your back to the opponent just because they''re big and strong?!
Why?! We just need to bring together the explorers whom you taught a lesson, and then we can at least correct the order of this area to some extent! The only one who can bring us together is you, Ren-kun!"
......Ah, so that was his true motive, huh?
It was quitemendable that he was thinking that far for everyone, despite realizing his ownck of wit, but¡ relying on others never ends well.
Our supposed opponent was someone who managed to push the professional patron of this area into a dysfunctional state. Opposing them was no different from willingly jumping into a lion''s den.
"Listen, we have a lot of pipsqueaks in ''Apple'' and most of their tasks are within the capital''s premise. I don''t think we¡¯ll be seeing any effect ourselves for now.
We''re not some heroes; we should only focus on what we can do. What''s wrong in calling a strong opponent strong? If you don''t agree with me, feel free to take matters into your own hands."
I paused there, then lowered my tone by an octave, and continued in my rough tone.
"Of course...... It wouldn''t end pretty for them if the Rose Family dares to disturb me or even tries to push their agenda on ''Apple''. Not at all."
Benza gave me a frustrated look. To be frank, I was vexed at how he suddenly started acting close to me, so I was hoping this would keep him away.
I got up from my seat, urged the fidgety Roye-aniki to follow too, and was about to leave the ce when a group of three people, who had been peeping at our group since a while ago, also stood up from their seats to chase after us. Man, they should''ve stopped there honestly.
One of the dumbo goat-bearded people that I happened to encounter during a request I took to reach Ment Vige, was in that group.
Maybe they were wary of my detection magic, so they''d been trying to appear less suspicious all this while. It backfired, though, and I already noticed them the moment we entered the dining hall.
"You''re finally here, huh, Mad Hound? Man, you sure kept us waiting for over two weeks. Anyway, I¡¯ve heard of you guys. Look, isn''t that what I''d call a realistic person?...... You remember Red-san, the leader of our Rose Family, right? He¡¯s been waiting for you. Come along with us."
The bearded idiot spoke with a loud voice, enough for everyone to hear, and circled his arm around my shoulders as if we were long time buddies.
The onlookers stirred as they heard his tone and attitude.
Benza was looking at me with a ludicrous gaze, as if his close one had betrayed him. Eh, not that I cared though.
I sighed. I truly didn''t care about what others thought. But¡ª
The chummy act of this goat-bearded person was getting on my nerves.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 133 - What happens when Mad Hound is enraged (2)
"I don''t care, don''t act chummy with me."
I brushed off the goat-bearded man''s hand from my shoulder as he tried to act overly familiar with me and started walking toward the exit of the Eastern Branch.
Then, the two burly men, who seemed to have confidence in their strength though they appeared no different from ordinary people to me, blocked my path and tried to intimidate me by cracking their knuckles.
However, I didn''t feel a shred of danger from their conduct. I guess they probably were around C-rank in strength, but not more than that.
Generally, there was said to be a huge chasm between C-rank and B-rank explorers. Anyone could leap to C-rank with enough hard work. However, B-rank and above were ranks limited only to a few extraordinary individuals.
"Did you really think you could walk away just like that? Goddamn, we had to stake this boorish ce out for two whole weeks, I¡¯m so fed up with this."
"Don''t let me start with Lynd as well. He was stuck on a ''I don''t know, buzz off'' loop no matter how many times we tried to ask about your address when we went to your Apple family. You¡ª You¡¯ll pay heavily for messing with the Rose Family!!!"
For a moment, I felt as if Uncle Shell was whispering right into my ear ''Thenguage of fists is the most efficient way tomunicate''. I somehow held myself back, recalling the mantra of ''persevering'', and warned them once again.
The rowdy way of the people here has rubbed off on me recently as if it wasmon sense, but I also lived a lifetime as a pacifist citizen of Japan.
"It seems like I didn''t speak clearly enough, huh? Listen here, I don''t care about nor do I want to mingle with you fes. However¡ I wouldn''t take it kindly if you ¡®try to throw the coal our way'', got it? Get off of me and ''Apple Family¡¯."
When I exuded a threatening aura along with my warning, the two beefy guys slightly flinched.
However, the pea-brained goat-beard instead slid up to Roye-aniki, putting his hand on his shoulder while spouting some other crap.
"We know you''re strong, Mad Hound. But strength is not the only metric in a battle of adults. Do you think you can stay with them all day long, mister B-rank?
Aren''t you worried too, Roye-kun? Oh, and there are those two pipsqueaks submitting your materials at the warehouse...... Po-kun and Rina, right?...... The royal capital is merely our yground!"
Inhale I took a deep breath.
I didn''t really care if the skirmish devolved into an ''adult''s battle'' as this goat-beard was implying. As a member of the 3rd legion of the knight order and having been baptized by their spartan work style, this wasn¡¯t going to floor me. It was thest thing on my mind.
It was just...... this bastard just had to go and cross my personal bottom line.
Oh, right¡ What were Master''s instructions again? Something like ''Just do explorer work normally and let nature take its course, don''t make any move from your side first¡¯, and ''Report to me immediately if something happens¡¯.
As I mused over all this with a cool mind, something that even I was astounded with, goat-beard continued.
"Aww, but don''t worry. You just need to follow us and we won¡¯t touch anyone. Our head just took a liking to you, after all."
The woeful goat-beard hasn''t even noticed that I''ve already snapped and continued to speak as if he was delivering some great news.
It was a fool''s errand to jump onto their words. Even if I yielded to their threats today and followed them now, they would repeat the threat yet again if there came a time when our opinions didn''t align.
The first step built the foundation for the future, after all.
I adhered to the teachings of my Master, so I stepped toward goat-beard to naturallye into contact with him as the ''Explorer Ren'' and¡ drove my knee, strengthened with Body Strengthening, right into the pit of his stomach.
"Uuggghhh!"
Goat-beard threw up right there and copsed on the spot.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
With astonished feelings, I watched as the man with a goat-like beard spoke with familiarity to Ren-kun.
I refuse to believe Ren-kun was in cahoots with thosewless Rose Family!
My first meeting with Ren-kun was still etched in my memories. The youngsters of Gold Rat reported that a new brat at the demolition site was skipping on his work and when he tried to warn them, the brat instead threatened our guy with a hammer, forcing them to run away.
It was a dog-eat-dog world out there, so such a disy of cowardice meant there was no ce for you in the world.
I, entirely believing their side of the story, decided to storm the ''Apple House'' to drive home a warning, fully aware of the nuisance called Lynd, the old foggy, being its chief.
This was the first time I got thrashed by Ren-kun. He came at me with full force after I punched Roye''s stomach and then pressed his head under my boot. I lost consciousness after that.
I couldn''t believe it. I lost to someone younger than me?
Back then, I was still a frog in a well. A brash guy drowning in arrogance, believing myself to be the strongest when it came to bare-handed fist fights. I was sure none among the E-rank could beat me in physical strength.
The precedent for it was set when I won against an ignorant C-rank explorer, while I was still fresh out of the countryside.
Our chief reverified the details with the client after the incident and informed me that the fault was actually ours.
But I couldn''t quench my raging emotions then. Flung around by my cheap pride, I would confront Ren-kun again and again for revenge, only to be beaten ck and blue each time.
"Don''t care, don''t act chummy with me."
Ren-kun said to the goat-bearded man, his tone t and bored.
......It was that expression. It was the same ''Don''t follow me ever again'' with a t expression that he had shown me.
It was as if he wasn''t even putting me in his eyes...... No, as if he was actually worried about my well-being. This side of him, however, rubbed me the wrong way and I persisted on my revenge, even though it meant using up my savings to heal myself.
I just wanted him to properly look at me. As long as I could hit him once, I would be content.
One day, with my determination especially firm, I challenged Ren-kun and¡ got battered like usual.
I was frustrated. I teared up as I stifled my voice from leaking out.
However, Ren-kun held up me. I thought he was supporting me to get back on my feet, but no. He instead took out the salve from my waist pouch and rubbed it on my wounds.
I was perplexed, and seeing that, Ren-kun chuckled ever so slightly. He knocked me on the head one more time before saying¡ª
"Take a rest tomorrow."
When I heard his words, I sprawled on the ground. I didn''t know why, but I just chuckled. My frustration had somehow vanished to oblivion.
He could have easily left if he wanted to, but he still took the trouble to face me each and every day, facing me sincerely. I couldn''t muster up any rage against him.
We were just whole worlds apart, I thought.
I finally requested Ren-kun to be our peacemaker, but he declined.
Of course, I knew I was pushing a troublesome agenda onto him. I wanted him to save us, even though we were troublemakers ourselves.
Ren-kun was more than just strong. Somewhere along the way, I believed that as long as it was Ren-kun, he might truly be able to lead us.
He was just an odd fe who unknowingly inspired a spark of hope somewhere in the corner of my heart.
The two strong-looking men blocked Ren-kun''s route. They seemed to be as strong as me at best. It was a losing battle even before the battle started, even if they tried to tag-team him.
Sure enough, the two couldn''t handle Ren-kun''s pressure and flinched.
But then, the goat-bearded guy revealed his venomous side quickly.
"We know you''re strong, Mad Hound. But strength is not the only metric in a battle of adults. Do you think you can stay with them all day long, mister B-rank?
Aren''t you worried too, Roye-kun? Oh, and there are those two pipsqueaks submitting your materials at the warehouse...... Po-kun and Rina, right?...... The royal capital is merely our yground!"
Ren took a deep, deep breath and slowly turned toward the goat-bearded guy.
I gasped when I saw his expression. Ren-kun was nowpletely serious. He was so calm even his breath couldn''t be felt, his eyes had a dull sheen as he stared at the goat-bearded man quietly.
The goat-bearded man, who had been showing a strained expression up until now, soon wore a rxed expression, seemingly misunderstanding why Ren-kun had stopped his threatening pressure. With a triumphant expression, he spouted, ''''Aww, but don''t worry. You just need to follow us and we won''t touch anyone. Our head just took a liking to you, after all."
I finally bore witness to the spectacle I was waiting for. This was¡ª
Ren-kun briskly approached the goat-bearded man and mmed his knee onto his stomach.
There was no color of mercy in his eyes as he tly looked at the man who staggered back and stumbled while throwing up the contents of his stomach.
This was the true¡ª
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"You bastard! You''re going to pay heavily for baring your fangs against the Rose Family!"
The two beefy guys from earlier jumped at me from behind, flustered.
I kicked the jaw of beefy guy A with my left foot, hurling him three meters away. Then, I put my left leg down and twirled on its heel. At the same time, I mmed a reverse roundhouse kick at the rib cage of beefy guy B.
I believe the two fes must have had some of their bones broken as they lost consciousness.
Again, I returned to goat-beard and with a cold smile on my face, I kindly suggested.
"Wow, I can''t believe you guys thought that such foolish intimidation would work on me. But sure, let''s do it your way. I¡¯ll follow you this once...... It¡¯s not a bad day to greet that small fry (Red)."
But goat-beard didn''t reply, except uttering painful groans. Hmm? I was sure I held back. Did I identally hit a delicate part or was it his usual acting? Whatever.
I was thinking if I should end the matter quickly by visiting Red, else I was sure that the pea-brained dumbasses would never learn their lesson and this might even backfire. But I didn''t know where to begin now.
Just as I mused over the situation, the fatty approached me, wearing a vulgar smile, and handed me a salve, saying ''You can use it, Aniki¡¯.
"............Didn¡¯t I say to not call me that again!?"
I decked Benza''s head with my fist and received the salve.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 134 - Against Rose (1)
I pried open goat-beard''s mouth and made him drink a potion. Then I asked him to ''Take me to Red''. Goat-beard nodded swiftly, his body trembling, as he exined ''Rose''s office is in the west slum. Follow me¡¯.
Fatty left a while ago to purchase another potion from the Eastern Branch shop, looking happy about something, just in case one potion wasn''t enough. Now it seemed like his effort would be in vain.
"Roye-aniki, I''m sorry, but it seems like I need to go, so I¡¯ll see you another day. It would be great if you can escort Po and Rina back to ¡®Apple¡¯."
As I said that, a color of apprehension dyed the face of Roye-aniki.
"Ren...... I know you''re strong, but I think you''re taking them a bit too lightly. I¡¯ll bring pops immediately, at least that would be safer."
However, I shook my head.
"Please inform the Boss of everything that has happened here word-by-word. Also, tell him I said he should stay in ''Apple'' for a couple of days just in case. Lastly...... I''m leaving the mutual aid society, but thank you very much for everything."
I said, bowing to Roye-aniki, whose face turned red from rage.
"Who do you think you are to leave just like that!? Don''t expect me to ept that bullshit, Ren! ¡®Apple¡¯ will help you bear the burden of this quarrel, so why''re you trying to weather everything alone!?"
I was also angry, but my mind was extremely calm to my surprise, and after considering things, I decided to settle things with Rose.
I didn''t have any regrets.
First, there was no way of knowing how heavy-handed the methods Rose might use, plus ¡®Apple¡¯ would be the faultless victim here, making it easier to exin to outsiders. In that way, many organizations would be able to more easily justify making a move.
So I really felt no regret about my decision, but¡ª
I couldn''t say I wasn''t sad now that I was leaving ¡®Apple¡¯, which had weed me with open arms and taught a country bumpkin like me everything down to the basics of the Royal Capital.
The members might be from the slums, but it was their teachings that allowed me to hide my identity as a student of the Royal Academy and be able to freely act as an explorer.
My knowledge of B-grade gourmet shops that served cheap, quick but tasty meals, or the shops that emphasized filling portions first also came from them.
Or like how I was trying to find a spot to take a look at the Royal Capital when I was led to the rooftop of a tower stealthily, the perfect ce to overlook the scenery of the Royal Capital. Another time, they taught me about the dark side of the world that was impossible to learn from the Academy.
Whether it was the gentle Anikis, or the adorable siblings at Apple¡ª each of them were my teacher.
Of course, Boss taught me a great deal of things as well, like the know-how of being an explorer, themon sense of this kingdom, and how the citizens lived their lives among other things. It was also his fists that pushed me to focus on being an upright and well-mannered human being.
Maybe there was no need for me to step in and Rose would eventually be dealt with by the knight order one of these days....... Though in the meantime, they were capable of inflicting actual harm by taking measures such as abducting the little ones and taking them hostage.
Above all, I needed to show them my stance that I didn''t take kindly to anyone who tried to get in my way and that I would very well crush thempletely. I hoped then that no other idiot would appear to reenact this scene. This was the conclusion I reached after thinking hard.
I explicitly changed my tone to a casual one as I spoke to Aniki to shake off the depressing feelings.
"I''m their target, so thest thing I want is for ¡®Apple¡¯ to take the brunt of my mess. I¡¯ll make sure to hit them hard so that they never attempt to do anything. It''s not a big deal since we''ll still be meeting each other. Tell everyone I¡¯lle visit them when the dust settles."
As I tried to dissuade Aniki''s concern, Benza returned with a potion surprisingly quicker than I had expected. He turned to Roye-aniki and shouted with a determined expression.
"Rest assured, Roye. I¡¯ll be the shield of Aniki and make sure he doesn''t get hurt even if it means forfeiting my life. You should first take the pipsqueaks to ¡®Apple¡¯."
......Are you sure you can be my shield, and not end up as a bad-quality airbag instead?
¡ô¡ô¡ô
I got into the medium-size carriage arranged by goat-beard and headed to the west side of the capital.
Benza stubbornly insisted oning along, but I decisively dismissed his plea.
It was a fool''s errand to hope to negotiate with foreign spies. In that case, I needed a deterrent to make them realize that ''Trying to get back at me is like ying with fire''. He would have been a liability to me if he came along.
Besides, I was confident I could escape alone if the situation took a turn for the worst, but it would be impossible if Benza was with me.
I could ignore and leave him behind as well, but¡ I think I would have nightmares for a couple of days if I did that. So why even bother bringing him along when there was no benefit?
But Benza was too persistent. When it was time to leave, he even clung to the load-carrying tray of the carriage and refused to get down. Irked, I waited for the moment when he had let his guard down as the carriage moved forward and shouted ''It''s too cramped, fatty!'' as I kicked him out of the carriage.
I knew that it was a sickening act, but Benza, whose face seemingly hit the ground hard, shouted some idiotic ''You''re really too gentle, Aniki!!¡¯ line as tears slid down his cheeks.
Ultimately, and mainly to ease my feelings of guilt, I hurled a thousand rea at him, saying ''Maybe try some expensive potions sometimes instead of cheap ones¡¯.
I had to use one of his potions earlier for goat-beard, so this should clear that debt.
After traveling for about an hour and a half, we arrived at the Rose family''s office.
At a nce, the four-story office looked no different from the typical bureaucratic office and seemed to be built in the same vein as them. At the entrance, there were two guards and around four people loitering around. Their expressions indicated that they were anything butw-abiding citizens, and probably their hoodlum-like aura was rubbing off the area, giving the surroundings a gloomy vibe.
Just in case I needed to break out, I quietly memorized theyout in my mind and switched to my ouw mode.
Goat-beard just mentioned ¡®He''s the Boss¡¯ guest¡¯ to the guards and took me inside to...... the fourth floor directly.
There were guards on that floor too, and they told us to leave behind our weapons there in a low voice. Were the guards mumbling in their sleep?
The goat-bearded uncle, seemingly in a hurry to get away from me, ignored the guards and opened the door. I kicked his back the instant he entered the room while delivering punches to the stomachs of the guards as well, rendering them unconscious.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
I swiftly grasped the situation inside the instant the door was opened.
Simrly, the gazes of the thirteen delinquent-looking people that were inside gathered on me. Two of them looked quite skilled, seemingly the personal bodyguard.
Aside from them, there was Red, sitting on the sofa. To his right, there was a man of short stature but gave off a disciplined vibe and looked like quite a capable person. The rest of the people seemed like mere fillers.
A tanned man who had hollow cheeks and ck circles under his eyes sat on the desk at the back of the room. I presumed he must have done some field work in the past as his dark skin bore resemnce to someone who had stayed too long under the sun.
He must be Chabul Rose. A touch of anxiousness could be seen in his eyes.
Behind him was a ss window, where the detection prevention magic tool was ced.
Red, who was rxing on the sofa, squinted his fox-like narrow eyes and spoke.
"This is quite the rude entry, Mad Hound. Or what, did that idiot try to pull anything funny on you?"
Ignoring the threatening res, I briskly walked up to Red, clink ced my dagger on the table in front of him and stared into his eyes.
"Red...... is this what you want, a fight?"
Red had a long face as he nced at the goat-bearded man when I questioned him and sighed.
"Good grief...... It seems like he''s still unsuitable for errands."
Vol. 1 - Ch. 135 - Against Rose (2)
The bloke (Red) heaved a sigh.
"I¡¯m not aware of the idiocy that bum has caused, but I want you in our ranks, Mad Hound. Well, I did rify with him that I had no intention to cause trouble, but it seemed to have been a waste.
Anyway, I¡¯ll be blunt. I called you here to invite you to our Rose Family, and of course, I promise to make sure that you get your due treatment too. You¡¯ll basically act as my right-hand man, the chief aid. If you do well, you might seed in my position too.
The Rose Family will one day control the entire underworld, thriving in the shadows of the Royal Capital, and you have a chance to be its leader. Sounds great, right? So, what do you say?"
The other people present stirred on hearing Red''s statement.
"Chief Aid, for real!?"
"He would be the No. 3 basically! Why would we take orders from a brat?!"
"No, this is going overboard, Red-san!"
Wow, these guys were really pea-brained. I rejected the offer without dy.
"Keep that offer to yourself. I have no interest in it. Also, I really wish you would stuff this inside your brain¡ª Don''t contact me ever again."
I said and red back at Red when the short man sitting in front of him chuckled in delight.
"Hahaha! I really gotta say you''re every bit of a unique gem that Red-san described. I intended to keep quiet but boy, your attitude ining here, all alone, is really impressive. By the way, the name''s Tomora.
......Say, don''t you think an eventless life is quite boring? Look at us, we''re the kings of this vast Yuglia Underworld. Just try to imagine: Anything you desire, it would be yours for the taking. Loads of money, an entourage of your dream girls, fine wine and food! Just say it and it''s yours!"
"Keep that offer to yourself. I have no interest in it. Also, I really wish you would stuff this inside your brain¡ª Don''t contact me ever again."
I repeated my previous phrase word-for-word. Yeah, I wasn''t a bit interested in my heart at all. Girls of my liking? What crap.
However, since I had a reputation of wearing my heart in my sleeves, Tomora continued, unfazed.
"......Just say the word, and I¡¯ll even dispatch two or three dames at your address right this instant."
?!
What utter bullshit! Don''t think you can sway my heart with something like this!
As a former Japanese person, it was utterly nauseating for me to treat people as mere objects!
Also, putting aside my abysmally negative interest, the Academy would never allow an outsider in its premise!
"......Given your fame, I¡¯m sure there should be plenty of girls in our expansive Rose Family who''re your fans. They''ve hardly done any heavy work, so I believe you won''t be disappointed one bit. Of course, I believe you have your reputation to take care of, so we can also arrange a hidden residence too."
?!
Deep breath Haa~. What a crass offer. Did he really think that I was so cheap?...... But I was sure now, this guy was the spy. He was too dangerous.
"K-K-Keep that offer to yourself. I have no interest in it. Also, I really wish you would stuff this inside your brain¡ª Don''t contact me ever again."
Once again, I repeated my words, with more resolve than ever.
I had just done so when Chabul Rose hollered from behind.
"What is this crap! I did say you can bring this brat in, but what''s with this nonsense?! Also, what was that about being the next leader candidate?! Since when did our Rose be so cheap! Hey, Mei! Go to the Western Branch and call some capable explorers!"
Mei, the goat-bearded man, scurried out of the room at his order.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
¡°And you, brat. Do you know I just need to call and there¡¯ll be 30 to 50 explorers lining up for me the next moment? Now guess for yourself where I¡¯m heading next.¡±
"......No idea. Pray tell me, what do you want to do?"
I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. Chabul made an evil expression and replied.
"You''re not going back until you nod your head."
Yeah, a brain-dead fe, alright. So he was just there for appearance''s sake. His reply was just as expected, not even scratching the surface.
I turned my gaze from Chabul to Red and Tomora, and asked ''What''s your answer?'' from them.
"H-How dare you ignore the boss of this ce! I see, so you really don''t care about what''ll happen to your meager society, haaa?!"
......I took a deep breath and turned around.
"......What''re you talking about? I left ''Apple'' already."
Perhaps he felt that his words were finally being taken seriously when I replied, he twisted his face back into that freaky expression again and continued.
"Haha, so that was your naive hope, huh? You must have thought that this would keep them from getting caught up in fire, but pity for you! Not that I expected anything better from a brat. Adults y dirty, leaving no opening unchecked. So if you don''t want your brethren to be killed¡ª"
"Kill? You¡¯re saying you''re gonna kill them?"
They epted me with open arms, and looked after me much like a family member would have. I could feel my mind regaining its extreme calmness.
"I did, so what? Finally ready to ept how insignificant your existence is? Believe me, try to ignore me anymore, and I¡¯ll make sure to torment so cleanly no one would be able to find any clu¡ª"
I took a step toward Chabul.
"Stop right there, you little shit!"
Flustered, one of the bodyguards stood in the way and shouted a cautionary warning. But seeing that I wasn''t stopping, he tried to stab me with his spear though it seemed tock force behind it. Perhaps the cramped space and the presence of many people inside interfered with his attack.
......Hah, did he think he could stop me?
I side-stepped to dodge the spear, slipped past the bodyguard and stepped onto the desk ced in front of Chabul. I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and vaulted over the desk.
The instant Inded, I smashed Chabul''s face on one of the ss windows, still holding on to his nape.
"Arrrghh!"
Fresh blood sttered, and the ss shattered into pieces.
With how it had shattered, it appeared to be a tougher variety of ss, but far from the tough ss that the central military post used. Well, those had an absurd price and one needed more than just money to even acquire them. I believe I could have smashed this bastard''s face again and again on one without fear of it being shattered.
4th story, hmm...... We had been trained to jump down from the third floor in practical ss, but I believe I could easily shrug the impact and remain unhurt if I jumped from this floor.
Anyway, this secured my escape route. Moreover, this also helped me regain my enhanced hearing, albeit limited, since the barrier from the detection prevention tool was constantly interfering with it.
It was worth it to nick the tool with my dagger, ced below the table apanied by the sofa, the first time when I entered the room.
Mentally patting my back for that action, I half dragged Chabul outside the window and gave him a shake.
"C-Chief!"
"You little shit! Remember, if you dare let go, you won''t return in one piece from here!"
......Excluding Chabul, 4 out of the 12 people in the room weren''t even showing any concern for him. Believing I couldn''t see them, they were currently taking it easy.
''Good grief,'' Red shook his head while Tomura was suppressing his urge tough out loud.
Sure enough, they couldn''t hide their tails¡ So four spies, huh?
"Come now, no one is going to save you. Who do you think are, Mr. Popr? Oh wait, do you even realize that if I was attacked, I may not be able to hold on to you? Though you can try¡ so long as you don''t mind bing a pancake after falling from this height."
I was sure people like him were the ones most afraid of death, so I taunted him.
"You little! You really take us for granted for showing you some respect, huh!? If you value your life enough, pull me back in the room right now! And you all, catch this little shit! There''s no way he''s gonna release me!"
Chabul shouted as he nced at the ground.
Did this guy really say that he was being polite? He still has arrogance in him despite barely hanging on a thin thread himself, a misstep enough to send him to his afterlife.
I dragged Chabul back in the room, took a step on the right and smashed him again on another window.
The ss shattered once again, spraying the fresh blood like a fountain. My enhanced hearing recovered more of its efficiency.
"Uggghhh!"
"Are you sure I need to understand my position? Please, don''t delude yourself that I would quietly let go of you. Well, pity for you, I¡¯m not that upright of a guy. I don''t do things half-heartedly. You see that direction? If I throw you now, the small fries who''re waiting to catch you, would never be able to stop your fall."
"Y-Y-Y-You dare do that and you''re dead meat! Mark my words! I-If you want to return alive¡ª"
I once again pulled Chabul back into the room and then smashed his face onto another ss window, shattering it.
"Aaaaahhh!!"
"Hmph, you''re really bad at jokes, you know? You think I believe your nonsense? I bet you would still want me dead no matter if I drop you now or if I pull you back in. Don''t you want me dead? Then why do you think that I¡¯ll leave you alive? At least listen to yourself.
Anyway, you''re going to die, and there''s no changing it. What happens after that would depend on what the actual living will do. Goodbye, and have a safe trip to the true underworld."
I channeled my Body Strengthening to its peak and held Chabul in a throwing stance as I was about to throw him straight down.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 136 - Against Rose (3)
Just as I had taken the pose to show that I was going to throw him out of the 4th floor window, Chabul, finally realizing where he actually stood, immediately changed his tune.
"H-H-H-Hold on! W-We can still negotiate! I won''t put my hands on you! Of course, this also applies to your friends! I¡¯ll pay too! So please, please put me down!"
No wonder he was an errand dog......
"And do you think I will trust your words?"
As I said that in a cold voice and tightened my grip on him, Chabul wetted himself.
I pulled him back in and tossed him down at my feet. He tried to crawl away like a cockroach, but I pinned him down by stepping on his back.
"......I nearly forgot the most important thing in all of this. Earlier, you were about to say that you would ''torture mypanions brutally and make sure no evidence remains''... Don''t think you''ll get an easy death, understand?"
While stepping harder on Chabul, I analyzed my own actions.
I wanted to confirm if I was capable of killing someone. If I could kill such a sleazebag who thought nothing of other people''s lives and tried to kill me.
Of course, I wasn''t going to kill him for real. Maybe actually killing him might put a strain on my spirit, but knowing that I could kill if necessary meant it wouldn''t be a hindrance that could cost me my life in a tight situation.
So why did I pull Chabul back in? Because I deemed him not worth killing, and killing him would make things moreplicated. Besides, normally I should have given up on any hope for a middle ground considering I just thrashed their head figure, but this sleazebag was just a decoration.
I would have aplished my first goal if I could shatter Chabul''s spirit and get Red and Tomora to agree to my terms, a no intervention pledge from both sides.
Well, it would be a more preferable oue if it could be realized, considering the Knight Order had been turning a blind eye to these guys.
"What the hell are you all doing there, standing like statues!? Just kill him already!"
With tears and snot making a mess of his expression, Chabul hollered.
Hearing themotion, young men started pouring into the room from downstairs and the surrounding area. But they were just amateurs with their weapons; not even a thousand of them would be enough for my warm-up.
I sent them flying left and right at the walls like a conveyor belt operation. Then, just as they had started showing hesitation, the two bodyguards, or so they looked, smirked and caught me in a pincer attack.
One with a spear on the right, and one with a sword on the left.
¡°Hahaha, you really do deserve your title, Mad Hound. But let''s see how long you can stay calm. It has been like 10 minutes since you entered this room and started fighting. Surely, your mana should be reaching its limit now, eh?
This room makes for a narrow and exhausting ce to fight one against many. And we only need to make an attack from a blind spot, and we could immediately take you down without your mana guard.
It''s just a matter of time before other explorers from the western branche here. Don''t even think about escaping from here. me yourself for getting too carried away, Mad Hound!¡±
The swordsman, maybe a spy, preached with a smug face. But...... Why did he think I would be running out of mana in just ten minutes? C''mon, I ain''t Parry-kun.
Also, I didn''t know what kind of drug he was taking, but they weren''t even strong enough to cause me to break a sweat. My mana was still in tip-top condition.
I casually closed the distance with the swordsman. The swordsman retreated in a circr motion while the spearman closed in from behind.
Heh, so they were fighting to earn time, huh? Well, at least they weren¡¯tpletely brain-dead...... Not that it was going to change the oue though.
I moved forward, timing my movements with the spearman who was closing in from behind, and quickly spun around to close the distance with the spearman.
They were just hired muscle, the kind that gangs could afford.
I guessed that they might be barely higher rank if Chabul managed to gather them with his caliber, but I doubt people that gathered around following their greed for money would be any stronger than C-rank.
Besides, a person with better prospects wouldn''t usually be hired muscle.
I sliced the spear in half with my dagger and immediately delivered a roundhouse kick to the spearman''s face. As the spearman fell, the swordsman hurriedly closed the distance from behind.
However, his movement was extremely slow, enough to make me yawn. I let him get close enough, then dodged his overhead swing and aimed a backhand at his face¡ª
At least that was my intention. But the swordsman suddenly increased the output of his Body Strengthening magic.
The swordsman dodged my backhand strike and, taking a low stance, stabbed at me.
"Haa!"
I jumped back to open some distance between us...... So he was hiding his strength, huh? Yup, I had no doubt this one was a spy.
"Ahahaha, how does it feel to be trapped? Now, time to end this charade!"
The swordsman kept thrusting at me persistently as I retreated. Not an borate n I would say, but his persistent attacks were precise due to him sticking to only one attack, leaving little room for me to counterattack.
I deflected his thrusts with my dagger and body movements, waiting for an opening. And soon enough, an opportunity presented itself when the swordsman started to breathe heavily within two minutes.
I bet he must have abandoned basic training while working for hire.
¡°Haaa¡ haaa¡ Damn you, monster! Just¡ haa¡ just died already! You, you''re nothing in front of me if you''re not even ready to ¡®kill¡¯! Haaa¡ haaa¡ I¡¯ll¡ª¡±
If it was so painful to even speak, maybe he should just stop yapping.
Though of course, my reluctance to kill should be obvious to them considering they were professional in that regard.
¡¡It wouldn''t be good if they underestimated me too much, lest they get back at me with another schemeter on.
When the swordsman¡¯s movements became sluggish, and he made a clumsy thrust, I leaped back, switched from my dagger to my bow midair, and shot a wooden arrow straight to his heart.
The swordsman must have had some strength left as I had aimed the arrow at his chest te thinking he wouldn''t be able to react to it, but it instead pierced through his right upper arm when he tried to twist away.
¡°Aaaarrrrghh!¡±
I approached the defenseless swordsman and shed a noh-mask like expression, my lips curled into a smile without it reaching my eyes.
¡°Thank you for volunteering. I¡¯ll kill you, just as you wanted.¡±
When I pulled out my dagger again, the swordsman, now with apletely broken spirit, staggered back, so I punched him in the face. He copsed, unconscious.
Compared to the Knight Order''s subjugation missions I was asionally involved in, this was still mild... My master regrly assigned me missions where a single mistake meant death¡
¡°Hahaha¡ That''s as far as you go, Mad Hound. A pity you looked down on professionals too much¡¡±
At that moment, one of the goons I had thrown against the wall stood up abruptly.
¡°How do you like the taste of a paralysis drug meant forrge monsters?¡±
Smirking annoyingly as he approached, I decided to ask him a question in return.
¡°Paralysis drug? Maybe you are talking about this?¡±
I said, thrusting the dart into the goon¡¯s neck. The almost invisible dart was shot at me a while ago.
From the start, I had sensed thest suspected spy faking his defeat and watching me thanks to wind magic.
Pretending not to notice his presence while he didn¡¯t make any moves was quite a challenge.
He had aimed at my neck when I was focused on the swordsman, but I redirected the dart with wind magic and let it hit my leather vest instead.
The goon¡¯s face became a drooling mess as he fell down.
I turned my gaze back to Red and Tomora.
Earlier, they still seemed somewhatposed, but now their faces were pale and covered in sweat.
E/N - I must say, quite a badass chapter. MC finally shows just how good he is. I''ve been waiting for this for such a long time too. No killing, but I expected that. This novel didn''t really hit me as a murdery type, and I''m fine with that. How about you guys?
Vol. 1 - Ch. 137 - Against Rose (4)
The Explorer''s Association Western Branch.
"Hey, youds! The Rose Family Office is under attack! Everyone with a connection to Rose, raise your weapons and follow me! I want everyone since the enemy is someone strong, though he''s just a brat in the end, and it won''t be long until we have him pinned down with everyone! Rose will also handsomely reward whoever gets his head! I''m sure you all are familiar with Rose¡¯spensation! Firste, first served!!"
The goat-bearded man, Mejin, shouted inside the Western Branch.
A stir ran across the low-ranking adventurers packed inside the Western Branch who were strapped for cash, when they heard the lucrative offer. Quickly, one eager person, then another, couldn''t resist and dashed out of the branch, drawing others to follow suit.
The Western Branch, which had been bustling with people, suddenly became a deserted building. If there was anyone remaining, then it was mainly the high-ranking adventurers who had long left the shadows of the Mutual Aid Societies, including the Rose Family.
One of the senior explorers in his mid 30s stood up from the round table ced in the resting area of the branch, and hit up a conversation with Mejin while grinning.
"Yo. The name''s Bert, leader of the party ''Burning Soul''. Not that I want to join you but¡ I wouldn''t mind lending a helping hand if things click for me. So, who''re you fighting?"
Mejin chuckled, delighted.
"Oho, the Burning Soul, a partyposed only of C-rank explorers, huh?...... You''re warmly weed to take part. The bounty is around 20,000 rea, I believe. Low? That''s why I said the opponent is a mere brat. It''s just a brat justing of age recently getting famous in the Eastern Branch by the name of Mad Hound. I bet that should be free lunch for you, eh?"
The sounds of crickets could be heard as soon as Mejin dropped the name.
Bert wasted no time in turning on his heel and slumping back on his table.
"......Huh, aren''t you on board? Come on, I¡¯m sure there would be more bounty depending on the situation you know? Also, Mad Hound? That brat should be panting like a tired dog at this moment. With everyone from Burning Soul having potential to break through to B-rank, I''m sure that this would be a cinch."
With a grimace and an expression of annoyance dyeing his face, Bert waved his hand.
"Damn my life if I¡¯m gonna go outta my way to pick a fight with that ''Mad Hound'' for that measly amount. We were nearly smashed to the ground by him when we once tried to start shit with him at the central tavern.
Heck, we were even pulled into a quarrel with that bastard Shell after that. I had my expensive armor smashed to pieces and had to waste two weeks recuperating from my injuries. Then there''s also that Lynd. Nope, no amount''s gonna be enough for that shit show. Hell, treat this as if I never talked to you ¡®cause gods forbid if he thinks I''m in cahoots with you."
Mejin then ran his gaze all over the Western Branch, but not a single soul turned to look into his eyes.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Haha, this yground is really too small for our y, huh?"
With a pale face, like a ghost, the brat murmured.
Then, with lifeless eyes, he approached and grabbed my hair.
"E-Eeek."
"Aren''t you d, Chabul? The support team that you''ve been hoping for is finally here. I''m going out to greet them, so wait here. Hmm, fret not, it''ll be over in jiffy. Of course, I''m a man of my words and won''t run away from here. Yeah. Now take a good rest¡ª wait for me toe back."
Curling his lips into a crescent smile, the brat giggled and went down the stairs with ghostly steps.
The sound of battle and screams galore could be hearding from downstairs, but it barelysted 10 minutes from start to finish.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After fixing the small fries, I returned to the 4th floor to see Chabul had slipped under the desk, his body shivering like the tail of a rattlesnake.
Poor soul, remaining a chess piece of another in the end. It would be a waste of brain cells to expect bravado from him.
I ignored him and turned my feet in the direction of Tomora and Red.
"Don''t try to contact me ever again."
I asked the two, but received no reply except them sweating like crazy.
I kicked the low table.
"Where''s your response?"
Tilting my head, I finally had Tomora open his mouth.
"......We were beaten. No, you really were spectacr. s, that Chabul just had to showcase his weak might and pea-sized brain. But I believe we could have be good friends......"
I kicked the low table again, and this time, it flipped over with a bang sound.
"I didn''t ask for that crap. Or what, does your mouth need some fixing to make you answer properly? Perhaps¡ª you think you have no chance against me in this ventted space, eh?"
I asked, gazing at Tomora''s expression, who had been averting his gaze from me all this time.
I had picked up on the abnormality in the room''s air tightness with my wind magic the instant I botched that magical tool. I couldn''t help but think, ''Releasing a sleeping gas here would surely have tremendous effects¡¯. Hence, the first thing I did was smash the window with Chabul''s face as soon as I found the opening.
Seemingly catching the hint, blobs of sweat gathered on Tomora''s forehead. His right hand that he had kept in his pocket stiffened with a start.
As I red at Tomora''s face with bloodlust in my eyes, Red made a deep sigh and shook his head.
"......We lost. So spare us, will you?...... However, after creating such a loud mor, we need to make apromise. I believe you get what I mean, right? Allow me to be presumptuous, but I also have a reputation to uphold, plus the Explorer Association and the Police would be soon knocking on our doors to ask for an exnation.
I assure you that we won¡¯ty a hand on you ever again, and the same goes for Apple too. Regarding this incident, let''s settle it as our mistake, where we were the ones who inconvenienced you, and negotiate to settle things. From here onwards, we¡¯ll never set our foot on the Eastern Branch region, which includes your Apple. So, let''s bury the hatchet here with my apologies, alright?"
......Hmm, I saw thating.
I didn''t care about their pride, but this was a precarious situation, and cornering them too much mightter put the pipsqueaks of Apple in harm''s way. I also haven''t been informed about the ns of the knight order, so I would be risking foiling their ns if I crush these guys here.
"Fine."
Confirming my agreement, Red proposed the following in a heartbeat.
"Can you tell us any means to contact you? It would be really helpful if we can contact you when we need to, lest we keep circling for weeks like right now. I¡¯m sure you all also wouldn''t want others to know we¡¯re contacting you."
What an obvious pitfall......
......I bet he must be cooking something nefarious again. But I had to agree as his words had weight.
Just as I contemted on how to reply here, I noticed a lone man''s presence rushing up the stairs with my detection magic.
......He seemed skilled. Yeah, I didn''t think I¡¯d be able to beat him.
With a sweat drenched back, I took my position in front of the window, securing my escape route while nocking an arrow, its pointy head facing the direction of the door.
Soon, the man stepped into the room, and he was¡ª
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Show your face, bastards! Which one of you was trying to look down on our ''Apple Home'', eh?!...... I''m Lynd Izzarpurt, Apple''s head. Let''s talk now."
Making himself known with his booming voice, Boss entered the room carrying his signature huge spear.
I put down my bow and arrow and took a sigh of relief.
"Boss, I was just doing the same thing. What about ¡®Apple¡¯? You shouldn''t have left it, to be honest."
Hearing my words, Boss visibly sighed and walked up to me.
"I left Saki there after we heard of themotion in the Eastern Branch. There''s no idiot who would dare to cause trouble in his presence."
Boss made a hideous expression with his exnation and decked my head with his full might.
Thump A dull sound echoed from my head.
"You big buffoon!... I''m sure I exined it to you before to contact me at once if something happens no matter what it was, didn''t I? I¡¯ll do everything I can to protect you as your chief. So, don''t underestimate Apple''s Lynd! You''re strong alright, but that doesn''t mean you ought to bear the burden alone. You''re a brat for damn¡¯s sake!!"
......Ouch. It hurt so bad it nearly made me tear up.
Yet¡ª an iprehensible emotion surged within my heart. It made me realize¡ it was just my mind that had the experience of 36 years from my previous world, but my heart still seemed to be that of a 12-year-old.
Boss ruffled my hair with his big hand, caressing it.
"For crying out loud, you ought to look at your face in the mirror. You should have just relied on the adults if you''re gonna cry at the end. Now look at the clusterfuck this situation has be...... Haa."
Boss said in an astounded tone as he took in the room. Here and there, the supposed members of the Rose Family could be found copsed on the floor.
¡°Yes. I''m sorry." I wiped my tears and quietly apologized.
Meanwhile, as if someone had breathed new life into him, Chabul, who had been shivering non-stop while holding his breath, closed into Boss and shouted.
"Y-You bastard. Do you have any idea what this brat has gotten himself into?! How do you n to settle¡ª"
Boss showed no hesitation and drove his full-powered fist into Chabul.
Chabul was sent flying from the impact and, wham!, crashed into the wall, fainting as froth spilled out of his mouth.
"No need for small fries here. I heard you guys threatened to take our kids hostage, and now you have the gall to ask for a settlement?! Damn you! Can''t your button eyes see that Apple''s leader is here? Where the hell are your bosses, dumbass!?"
Boss ran his gaze all over the room and shouted in a booming voice.
I didn''t want to break his limelight moment, nevertheless I needed to point something out to him.
"Well, the small fry you just swatted away is the face Rose, Chabul Rose, Boss."
"Wow, what in the world!?............ Did you bring any potion?"
"......I forgot......"
............
E/N - And scene! Alright, now that''s how you end a badass chapter with aedic tone. Now I kinda am looking forward to the future plot.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 138 - Against Rose (5)
After Allen left, in the Rose Family office.
Confirming that the Mad Hound had turned into a corner in a distant alley and disappeared from view, Tomora finally rxed and asked Red standing beside him.
"What''re you going to do about those conditions, Red? I can understand why you''d put a non-intervention use against him and ''Apple Home¡¯, but I don''t see why you needed to add the Eastern Branch as well. I''m sure he wouldn''t have demanded that either."
Red squinted his fox-like nted eyes and answered, his back trembling.
"Huff The Mad Hound...... he''s really different from others. I really fumbled here. It''s a pipe dream for us to control him. But it did show that he''s still a brat at the end of the day¡ I noticed him going soft for a moment when Lynd appeared.
Despite putting up that awful bloodlust and beating the shit out of so many strong people, he didn¡¯t kill anyone. It was as if he intentionally went easy on us, but it''s hard to imagine such bloodlust from such a naive guy...... It just doesn''t make sense."
"I had the same thought. That kid¡¯s bizarrely unhinged in some ces...... So, what are you trying to do anyway? I definitely don''t want to face that kid again. Our values are just too different to make him one of us."
"I know what you''re trying to say. But we¡¯re already at a road of no return with our actions...... I, and of course Zest-san too, won''t have a good end if we back down here."
Red said, licking his lips.
"Mad Hound has clearly shown that he wasn''t interested in what was cooking in the underworld here, nor did he look like someone who would be dazzled by power. It''s impossible for us to bait him, but it''s clear that he also won''t stand in our way.
However, he''s yet to shed his naivety from the looks of it, so by pleasing him here a bit, we should be able to get him to be our business partner. The word is that Gin from the Crane-Dragon association seems to be back in business. The only danger to us now is undoubtedly him as he holds the greatest power in the underworld. And the only one who can transact with us is Mad Hound. We can iste Crane-Dragon by publicizing this to others."
Finally having an inkling of where Red was heading, Tomoraughed.
"Hahaha! You''re really cunning. You just want to throw Mad Hound''s name out when he would least expect it and by the time he even realizes what is happening, he would be so deep in the water that he wouldn''t be able to clear his name.
True enough, strength doesn''t necessarily equate to intelligence. And thest thing we need is for Mad Hound and the Crane-Dragon Union to join hands. But since he''s under that solitary walker Lynd, I doubt Mad Hound would want to get close with Crane-Dragon either......
Either way, we need a stronger narrative to make it news that Gin, who is directing the Eastern Region, is worthless, and that he and Mad Hound are at odds with each other. As the gossipers do their work, we''ll slowly chip away Crane-Dragon''s force."
Red nodded.
"I know, I doubt anyone would hold suspicions against us when it''s happening miles away from us. And we can seal the deal by iming Rose really feels worthless against Mad Hound.
But once he is cornered by unwanted obligations, we would be the only ones to ept him, and that''s where we''ll act like his beacon of hope. We just need to somehow get him into our ranks, and hehe, he would never be able to leave us."
"Kukuku, kuhahaha."
"Pfft, hahahahaha!"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Pfft, hahahaha!...... Or so they thenughed at the end. Truly, idiots to the core."
Just as Master had asked me, I reported to him first thing the next day, recounting everything ¡®til the minute details. Right now, I had just finished recounting the exchange that had taken ce between the two morons after I leftpletely from their sight around the corner.
Frankly, I was stunned. Did those idiots not realize that their detection-prevention tool was destroyed...? I thought they wouldn''t be too brain-dead, but......
Then again, I guess they weren''t expecting someone to hear their conversation from so far away. They were truly careless.
Once I was done on my side, Master, who had been listening to everything with a crease on his brow, tightly pulled on my ear, a blue vein throbbing on his forehead.
"It hurts, Master! Are you trying to pull out my ear!?"
"What''s the use of such ears when they can''t hear and register words clearly despite being so good otherwise? What did I say about not going too deep into their water, huh?"
Being pressed by my Master, I justified myself.
"But wait, Master. Your words were ''Just act naturally, and don''t bother investigating them'' and ''If a meeting feels inevitable, report to me immediately¡¯.
I believe that all my actions were in character as Explorer Ren, so I followed them to say hello, and then came here right away to inform you, yes? I¡¯ve followed your advice word-for-word, Master!"
I did wonder if my actions would hurt the standpoint of the Knights and seriously wished to stay as far from them as possible. But they really left me with no choice but to take action otherwise.
"Pfft, Hahaha, cough. I can''t even breathe properly from all thatughing, boy. You really did barge into Rose''s headquarters so easily, something that our 3rd Legion Knight Order couldn''t find even with Dew-san¡¯s help, and then thrashed it on a whim. And in the end, your impression of them is that ''They''re morons''?
Man, please tell me too, how''re you getting so much fun in life? I¡¯ll even take a course for it if you have any, aye?"
I wasn''t enjoying it all that much, though......
"Don''t you dare encourage him, Parth! Anyway, scoot your ass out of here and find what you can about this ''Zest'' guy!"
Master hollered at Parth-san who was holding on to his tummy, tears brimming at the corners of his eyes fromughing too much.
Justin-san, meanwhile, wore a serious expression as he replied.
"Phew, you¡¯ve outdone yourself, Dew-san. I really didn''t think that you were nning so deeply to catch all our enemies in one fell swoop! Man, oh man. I can see now why you''re called the kingdom''s treasure, !
I will immediately act on your order. We, the 3rd Legion Knight Order, would really be aughingstock if we can''t even identify who these ''morons'' are. Pfft."
Justin-san teased Master while pretending to show his awe toward him.
"As if, now stop pping your mouth and move your legs! I really don''t care about the small fries but thoroughly verify their backgrounds before they are abandoned. Check out any and all details we have about Rosemieur and Justeria to see if they are rted to those countries, though I can''t see any connection between them for now.
We already have our hands full dealing with those two countries, now there''s even a third yer in the game it seems, and they¡¯ve been operating behind the scenes for more than ten years! Seriously, what in the world is happening!"
"Hmm-mm. I get it, now that the chance has fallen into ourp, let''s sort them out while Allen is drawing their attention...... Red, Tomora, the swordsman, and Mark the dart user, huh? I wonder if we should bother ourselves with those bearded fes too. I¡¯ll immediately ry their appearance to the Information Department."
Parth-san and Justin-san wiped their grins off their faces and replied in an upright manner. Seeing that, Master shifted his focus back to me with a re.
"I give you points foring here right away. It''s now clear why they¡¯re acting so meekly and are apologizing after getting beaten up by you. Anyway...... what do you want to do now?
It''s clear that many forces will now turn their attention to ''Mad Hound Ren'' now that you¡¯ve put on such a show, and they''ll be using your name in the future. I believe the secret intelligence of the other nations have already taken note of these events.
I don''t think you can keep your disguise if you continue to have confrontations with them. And if they also get to know that you''re from the Knight Order, I believe they will instantly dispose of the Rose bunch who knows their secret. Do you have any way to handle this mess?"
Ugh, I really wish he didn''t ask me that. I reluctantly exined.
"Benza from Gold Rat...... he was kind of a pain in the butt, so I threw away all the burden onto him."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Wow, what in the world!?............ Did you bring any potion?"
"......I forgot......"
After swatting away Chabul, thinking that he was just an underling, Boss stood there with a grimace. He was wondering how they would proceed from here when my detection magic caught some voices.
"Anikiii! This Benza and 10 others have been so impressed by your gantry and have decided to join your cause! Today, we either live or die together with you, ''Hero Jock Ren''!"
I quietly nced at the scene outside from the shattered window and saw Benza, wearing white clothes that provided no defense, and a sturdy club in his hand rushing toward the building.
Behind him, a few more people in groups of 2 or 3 were following...... I recall having taught them thenguage of fists in the beginning when they tried to be bossy with me.
"......Boss, the potion porter is here."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Unsurprisingly, Benza and the people following him were stunned when they saw Rose''sckeys rolling on the ground as they climbed the stairs.
"W-Woah, Aniki and the old fart did all this alone......?"
I immediately pped Benza.
"Who do you think you are to call Boss an old fart? Call him Master Lynd, got it?!"
"......I-It¡¯s alright, it''s a fact that my age is catching up to me, so I don''t really mind. Also, it''s all Ren''s doing, the matter was already resolved by the time I arrived here."
As Boss exined the situation, Benza clenched his teeth, his eyes shut and his jaw projecting out. His body trembled as if reveling in his emotions.
Haa, he was really crossing the line to bing like those gag-characters from the manga of my previous life. I would die of embarrassment if the Boss were to think I was buddies with him.
I received a potion from Benza and made Chabul drink it.
Chabul regained consciousness, but maybe the ordeal was too traumatizing for him, he just continued to shiver without uttering a word.
"It doesn''t seem like our Chief is in a good mood to talk. Let me answer on his behalf. Well, though I believe we¡¯ve already drawn out the conditions earlier. I just need to know how we can contact you, Mad Hound?"
Red joined in between and turned the flow of conversation, something I had really wanted to avoid at all costs. But I also wanted them to just stop creeping up to the Boss or the other members of Apple to ask about me.
So I...... grabbed Benza''s shoulder and said.
"......He''s Benza from Gold Rat. He''s a rough fe, but his unyielding spirit is something that has me in awe too. You can contact him when you have trouble."
It was my signal that Benza would be their intermediary to get in touch with me, not that I was going to let Benza know how to contact me either.
"Understood. We''ll refrain from interfering with the Eastern Region now, so I hope it won''t pose a problem with our rtionship, Benza of Gold Rat. "
''Roger!'' Benze replied enthusiastically.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
By the time I finished exining, Master was cradling his head in his arms as he questioned.
"The Benza of Gold Rat?!...... Who the hell is that!!? Can he even control all the explorers from being too rowdy? Does he have that caliber?! Surely, since you picked him, he must be able to do that, right? Righttt?!!"
"Ahaha! Surely you jest, Master. Like hell that I care. If anything, we¡¯re total strangers. Anyway, no need to waste your energy over something so trivial, I just wanted to get it over with, and he was quite a pain, so I pushed it onto him.
Of course, you can be worry-free! I also feel like losing my brain cells whenever I interact with them, so I already told Benza that they won¡¯t be able to contact me for a while. Even if something happened, and he needed to make a decision, I told him to ''Follow thepass of your heart!'' (ripped-off from my past life).
He looked so pumped up though, shouting things like ''T-This unworthy Benze is honored to learn the path of the Hero Jock from Aniki himself!¡¯ (Pfft)."
Master had a thoroughly speechless expression for a moment as I desperately exined myself.
"P-Pfft, you really are something, boy!"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Mad Hound fearlessly charged the office of the Rose Family, the mammoth of the Royal Capital, and created a bloodbath, thrashing at least 100 people in his wake. In the end, with his negotiation skills that put even adults to shame, he coerced Rose to get into apletely one-sided agreement.
The news spread like wildfire, immediately propping up Mad Hound¡¯s reputation to the top of the world of ouws.
Mad Hound''s action of ''no-kill'' was interpreted by some as him sparing some ants. Some guessed it was to keep the negotiations ongoing. Meanwhile, a portion imed that it was the naivety of a brat.
Later on, this would be another cornerstone that would push others to believe that Allen Rovenne and Mad Hound were always different people.
In contrast to Allen Rovenne, who was never picky with his means if it meant achieving his goals, earning him a reputation of being cold-hearted and merciless, ''Mad Hound'' appeared to be someone who was appalled by the idea of killing.
Was everything a product of intrinsic philosophy, just some whims, or maybe¡ were they truly different people? It wouldter be a topic of constant debate.
At the same time, an orphan cast into an orphanage at an early age, having no surname, butter earning a notorious reputation, the gears of fate had started moving for Benza, too.
¡ªThis was the beginning of his path to bing a Hero Jock.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 139 - Outdoor Classes
Thete autumn season, two months had passed since the second half of first-term had begun.
We, the students of Royal Academy, were currently out for the outdoor ss.
The destination of the outdoor sses were different for each grade, along with the location and the details of sses.
A typical school wouldn''t have been able to achieve a flexible curriculum of this level absolutely, with the hindrance being the budget more than anything else. Well, that was the gulf between a typical school and Royal Academy with the budget and human resources allocated to them.
The training ce elected for first-years this year was halfway up on the Darre Mountain Range, located in the Viscount Vangyush territory thates within Dorveil region. In short, it was the territory that Godorfun-sensei''s family ruled over.
While Godorfun-sensei bear the title of ''Von,'' and were effectively the present head of Vangyush family, his constant stay in the royal capital following his extremely busy schedule rendered it impossible for him to govern the territory. Thus the title of viscount has been inherited by his little brother.
Anyway, it was outdoor training where ssmates would spend the night together.
We had heard about the general gist of the situation from the seniors of our dorm and while the details varied by year, the ss would be split into several groups and from there, they would contest for better rankings.
But more than that, the girls and boys would work together for things like setting their outdoor tents and all, so there were going to be lots of chances to sharply close distance with girls with all the chit-chat and giggles.
Just the mere thought of it caused an exhrating sensation to circte inside me. Atst, the diary of my life had finally turned to the most awaited page of my youth!
It wasn''t just me, even my otherwise sensible and mature ssmates were showing an upbeat mood as we rode into the magic car train, booked for our trip to the destination. Though of course, neither of them could best me my relentless excitment!
¡Speaking of, I think we would be having the typical love talk as well. I mean, it''s the staple after all, wasn''t it?
While listening to everyone''s type of girl, maybe I would also pass some valuable advice¡ªsome excerpt from ''The Secret to Being a Sessful Man'' if there was someone struggling with their love life.
At that moment, I was drowning into the blissful moment, my heart surged surging with a fuzzy feeling.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The camping ground we had arrived at¡ªthe grasnd that spreads at the foot of Darre Mountain Range, with red leaves around putting a disy to the peak autumn season¡ªwas a picturesque spot.
A faint patches of snow could already be seen at the peak of steep Darre Mountains. Today''s weather was otherwise perfectly clear. If anything, with pleasant wind swirling, it was just the sweet spot for an excursion.
Once the hundred Royal Academy''s first year students had lined up ording to their sses, Godorfun-sensei started with his speech.
"Fuhahaha. To preface, wee to the distant Vangyush Territory. I''m the ss teacher of ss 1-A, and will be in charge of guiding everyone in this year''s outdoor sses."
Godorfun-sensei''s, too, was showcasing his upbeat mood.
"ording to the guidelines of Royal Academy, the goal of outdoor sses has always been to speed up the endurance training and inner discipline of students as they work out in the embrace of nature, and to further raise their bond with their fellow ssmates. The curriculum has been based around this topic."
Hmm-mm, the ssic Royal Academy move. They really have think through things huh.
"The general gist involves the specific assignment passed to each ss, where you willpete to clear it first. Also, the degree of achievement would also be taken into evaluating the final score.
Of course, I have properly evaluated everyone''s ability and made it so that it remains a close struggle between all the sses."
Woahh! So we''re really going with ss battles?! Now it suddenly feels more and more like another world''s school program as a reincarnator!
I took a quick nce at the faces of ss D and E and they appeared just as excited. With the difficulty adjustment, they must have felt they could have a shot to top out as well.
"I need not to emphasise it, but the score you earned will also affect your current term''s overall result. In addition, to further fuel thepetition spirit, the academy has prepared a small reward as well.
The final destination of every ss at the end of their assignment is the Vi of Vangyush family, located at thekeshore of Citing Lake, famed for being a scenic ce. It''s also the Vangyush''s territory''s foremost therapeutic Hot Spring Resort. The outdoor sses will be one week long, so the earlier you clear your assignment, the more you will be able to rx in the vi.
I''m not fond of much luxury, but let me preface here that this sole resort has one of the best facilities avable. No effort has been spared to build it as magnificently as possible, and it has seven bath houses that draw water from natural hot springs as well as four saunas. I can also boast this facility is first-ss even to wee His Majesty unashamedly here.
But of course, do remember that vi isn''t that grand so theters would have to make do with the servant''s room, and also thest ss would have to sleep in the hall together."
"We''re going to win at all costs!!"
I unwittingly ended up shouting at my loudest voice.
I don''t really care about thevish room, but...we need to be first if I want to thoroughly enjoy the hot spring.
As I suddenly ended up raising my fighting spirit, Leo pulled in like a moth, suggesting.
"Of course, it would be our win. The question is how do you suggest we win. Hmm...sure enough, we should go for crushing win, eh. What do you say, Allen?"
"You bet! Buckle up for the rough ride, you lot!"
" "Yes Sir!" "
Seeing the disy of our fighting spirit, I thought other sses would falter a bit, but I only saw an intense fighting spirit in their expression.
Then again, they''re still the elites gathered from all over the kingdom. At Leo''s remark of ''Crushing Victory,'' their expressions were enough to convey ''we will make you swallow those words back.''
Kukuku, but fine with me. It wouldn''t be exciting then!
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Hahahaha! It seems like everyone''s pumped up enough. So moving on, I believe you all understood it by now, but the nature will be your opponent in this outdoor ss.
Unlike Royal Academy, where everything is provided, a safe haven to proceed as you like, a slight bad luck or mis-step may put you face-to-face with an ident. The dead have appeared in the past, an unfortunate case of ill-luck, so keep your senses wide open.
We also don''t have much time, so let''s begin. Rias-sensei would take the exnation from here."
Once Godorfun-sensei started, Rias-sensei, the ss-teacher of ss E, stepped forward.
"Each ss will be tackling five different ''scenarios'' respectively. I will now state the first ''scenario'' for ss E.
Scene - It has been reported that a group of Orcs has made their nest about 50 kilometres in north-northwest direction. The report has also cited the appearance of a General Orc, and should the assistance be dyed to the citizens, the situation risks an outbreak of demon''s disaster! So before the damage can be widespread to nearby regions, mount an attack at the spot, wipe out the group of Orcs and destroy their nest!
Inspect your equipment from the warehouse on the right rear side, and depart as soon as preparations areplete!"
......I see. So they would be confirming how the students were going to tackle the given task.
On the right rear side, there was a huge tarp tent erected, amassed with items required for camping like tent, harvesting tools etc, or tons of weapon and armament. Sess will likely hinge not just on physical fitness and martial prowess, but also on thinking skills and teamwork.
No wait, wasn''t this clear cut military exercise?! What happened to the outdoor sses?
This must have been the doing of Godorfun''s doing, something he would definitely like......
Ugh, I was getting bad vibes all over.
Aside from whatever my thoughts were, Rias-sensei added one condition to the situation.
"The leader of 1st Scenario is Sorio Rijack. The discussion is allowed but we do not concede final decision-making authority or decisions based on majority vote. That''s all."
......Wow, now they''d even pulled amand chain on purpose huh. Plus, considering the phrasing ''1st Scenario''s leader...'' means leader would change with each scenario.
They were really hellbent on putting all sorts of disgusting blockades.
The responsibility of everyone''s safety, the oue of their strategy etc would be for the Leader to bore. It was definitely going to put a huge pressure on the Leader.
......This, too, must have been the idea of Godorfun-sensei.
The path ahead from here would have no correct answer, nor would it be possible to decide the direction of the event with 51% vs 49% votes. At the end of the day, everything would depend on the leader''s guidance.
A misstep could topple the entire group easily.
With the leadership changing hands each time, there would be a slight shift in how the ss will operate for sure. It would further propagate the dissatisfaction between them since the leader wasn''t decided by them.
Maybe, feeling it beneath them to take orders from someone they always thought was no match for them, someone who''s especially egotistical about this fact might create a blunder that would cost the whole ss.
Well, this happens all the time in society, so maybe this was quite the suitable theme for an educational institute or to develop one''s temperament.
Afterwards, ss teachers of other sses took their turn to reveal the scenarios of their respective ss. The difficulty of scenarios increased as they climbed up in ss order.
"I will now reveal the 1st scenario for ss 1-B!
Scene - The Barony of Fliguel, adjacent to Viscount Vangyush territory, has detected the sign of impending stampede! Your task is to swiftly join the Dorveil region''s army and support them!
The convergence ce is Yatoma vige, about 70 kilometres toward the east and then 40 kilometres to the north. The time limit to meet them is 10 PM tomorrow. You have a total of 36 hours.
Inspect your equipment from the warehouse on the right rear side, and depart as soon as preparations areplete! The leader for 1st scenario is Aris Masculean!"
"What~? It''s too tough!"
"Isn''t the jump in level a bit too steep?"
"It isn''t fair, only we get that tough task!"
Hearing the condition of 1st scenario, the students of ss B mumbled theirints.
ording to the simple map passed to us, the 40km turn to the north is almost through the mountain. The distance might beparable to the activity of Hill Road Club, however taking into ount the appearance of monsters midwaypletely overturn the implication.
The anticipated difficulty level, or in other words, the required timepared to what would be needed if performed by individuals of the same level, is likely 1.5 to nearly twice as long in E ss.
The leader Aris of ss B pulled in the reign of her ssmates, who had begunining before even making a start.
Well, she was one of the staff of Hill Road Club, and exceptional in keeping the situation or calm mind in such scenarios.
And finally, Godorfun-sensei stepped forward and started unravelling the scenario for ss 1-A.
He still looked like your friendly neighbourhood grandpa, but the impression he exude was an inverse of his ''Godorfun the Buddha'' expression that he had when he gleefully exined about the rewards etc.
Everyone from ss A was familiar with this look, it was the same look of ''Fiend Geezer'' that would go gung-ho and on our regr practical sses.
A strain of nervousness crossed across the faces of ss A students.
At this moment, everyone was unanimously clear we''re going to receive one hell of a mission.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 140 - First Scenario (1)
With an ufortable feeling brewing inside us, we waited for Godorfun-sensei¡®s revtion with bated breath.
A momentter, Sensei revealed the details of ss A''s task.
"Now I will announce the 1st scenario for ss A.
Scene - A report has reached us about the fall of our border post at the hands of some mysterious forces that have appeared near the border of the Kukora Metropolis Federation, located at the Roderia Mountain Summit of the Darre Mountain Range in the northeast.
You need to transport 800 kg of backup supplies, ced in the warehouse tent behind you on the right side, and make it to the border post within 48 hours.
At the same time, another squad must inform the No. 6 battalion of the northwest division stationed at Imp, territory of Viscount Achilies, of the same. After making a call for support, meet with the main force within 48 hours. Everything that''s required for the mission is in the tent behind you on the right side.
The leader is Leo Zaitsinger. That is all."
The disclosure of our absurd task dumbfounded not only the students of ss A, but even the students of the other sses who had been preparing to depart.
The teachers had expressionless faces, but their eyes betray a sliver of sympathy within them.
"Ridiculous...... impossible!
Surely you know just how far it is from here to Imp! There are two baronies to cross through, and the one way route is at least 250 km!
Even with a sleepless journey, the one way route is going to take a day and a half for me alone, plus another 120 km of mountain trail to the border post of the Darre Mountain Range. Does the teacher mean we have to cross all that in half a day?
And for the record, this season, which is after the fifth month, is currently experiencing an increase in monster attacks. It''s not a damn hiking route anymore!"
The voice of reason came from pink-haired twin tail girl Ste.
As a native of the Achilies territory, she should be aware of her territory''s ups and downs like the back of her hand.
This smelly old fart...... he definitely put it to stop me from following the main squad.
Following my missions as a member of the knight order along with my training tasks, I was a bit trained regarding such steep marches after all.
My absence in the main squad would surely push them to brave the task with no guidance, meaning it was another difficulty spike for them.
Shit¡ my youth, thete night love talk...
As I watched my bridge of dreams crumble in front of me with zed eyes, Leo turned to me with his you-know-we-know serious gaze.
"......Are you up, Allen?"
I exhaled the longest sigh of my life and...... nodded.
"......Haaaaaa~...... It''ll already be rough on you, but I would like to borrow Ste. I think you¡¯ll still be able to get there earlier even without her. We¡¯re short on time so let''s depart right away."
Once I confirmed my strategy, Leo immediately made his decision.
"Ste! You¡¯re with Allen as the messenger squad! This is the only way we have, so get everything ready since time is of the essence."
Hearing Leo''smand, Ste, still harboring her stern expression, replied.
"Sure, I¡¯m a native of this ce but¡ I believe Allen can do it faster alone, no? If I may be blunt, it''s totally impossible for me to follow you at your pace with that much distance. Plus, I might just even drag you down with me and fail this task."
I, however, shook my head.
"Every task appears monumental until you actually carry it out to the end..... are the words of Schord. You said it earlier, it would be impossible if we did it the normal way. On the way back, we¡¯ll have to opt for the shortcut through the mountain trails. I¡¯ll be the scout and handle the targets while you, who''s from the Achilies family and one of Darre''s defenders, will guide the way.
An aimlessly wandering at first would be fatal for us, and it¡¯ll cost us time. But, while it''s not your territory, you should be familiar with it like it''s your backyard, right?...... As far as I can tell, this is the only way we can barely make it.
Frankly, it''s going to take all of our sleeping time and even rest would be rare. We have to prioritize speed, so please prepare a cloak that can withstand wind and rain, and just the bare minimum equipment needed for fighting in the mountains.
I have the essential tools like a fire-starting magic tool and rock salt."
Ste nodded as I briefed her and rushed into the warehouse tent to get a cloak.
Meanwhile, Fey approached me with a concerned expression.
"If only it had been near the Dragoon territory, then it would have been just me and you with me as your guide...... s. But at least, given it''s the superte-bloomer you, I know it''s gonna be a casual trip without any ripples, no matter how feverish the invitation is. Still, it doesn''t make me any less jealous of Ste.
Also¡ be careful of injuries.¡±
Ugh, it''s really unsettling when she sounds so¡ sane.
¡°... You''re awfully meek these days.¡±
I looked at her with a doubtful gaze.
¡°Fufu. Don''t take me for a fool, alright? You clearly aren''t used to girls, yet no matter how I try to make an advance, you still don''t seem to take an interest in me. So I changed my strategy.
Or mayyyybe, do you miss my old self?¡±
She chuckled as she brazenly made fun of me.
¡°No, thanks. And it''s just like you, to twist my simple words. I''m just honest to a fault, Fey.¡±
¡°Pfft. Remember it, I''m Feyrune Von Dragoon. Whatever I want, I¡¯ll grandly tackle it head on.¡±
She said with her feline-like eyes sparkling.
¡°......Hey, your expression is going back to that crazy girl.¡±
When I pointed it out, she swiftly returned to her meek attitude.
¡°I believe in you and I''ll be waiting for you, so¡e back quickly, alright?¡±
Though she said so, I was speechless for other reasons.
¡°......Come back quickly because you¡¯ll be waiting for me, you say? Oh heavens, please take a nce at Godorfun-sensei''s (Smelly Old Fart''s) face. He''s definitely enjoying our troubles. If I''m not wrong, both the main squad and the messenger squad are going to face the same order of difficulty. Plus Ste will be with me.
I fear it¡¯ll be us who¡¯ll be waiting for you. I just hope, which I truly do fear, that you don''t fumble big time. Ste and I would have to clean up your mess in that case. Well, not that I''m hoping for much honestly, so do your best~.¡±
As I taunted them with my remarks, they responded with sharp eyes.
Kukuku. I expected them to take this as an affront to their pride. Though I do need them to work their ass out for my hot spring enjoyment.
A few momentster, Ste and I were just about ready to depart when Coco approached us while pointing at a ce that I had no clue about on the map.
¡°ording to the Canardia records, there''s probably a huge marsnd in this area. So we, the main squad, may most likely take this route. I fear that the turning point for us that would decide our overall points, would be based on the decision we make after arriving¡¡. in this location.¡±
He spoke in a concise tone, making himself clear in a few words.
His exnation was precise to what my approach was. Plus, he also considered what would be my decisionter on and sorted it out in this short timeframe.
Phew, he was truly a monster in his forte.
¡ª¡ªThree minutes after the revtion of ss A¡¯s 1st scenario, Ste and I swiftly left the grasnd, outrunning everyone else.
¡ô
After Allen and Ste left.
¡°Alright¡ We should also make our preparations now. We can''t have Allen-san really overtake us, with what he has said so far. What''s our n?¡±
Following Jeu''s question, Leo closed his eyes and crossed his arms. After contemting in silence for some 10 odd seconds, he suddenly put forth his n.
¡°First, the centerpiece of this assignment is the 800 kg supplies that we ought to transport. That''s the heart of the matter.
At least 16 members out of the 18 in our main squad have to carry 50 kg of the weight and reach the target destination within 48 hours. But neither me nor anyone else here has any experience in crossing the mountain trail that¡¯s as long as 120 km.
No wait, the teacher said to ¡®take back the border post within 48 hours¡¯....... We¡¯ll have to reach our target at least a few hours before the deadline to aplish that. We also have to carry the supplies for the sub-task along with the backup supplies.
¡¡It''s not really a task that I can muscle through alone. We¡¯ll have to tackle it together, otherwise¡¡¡±
Leo paused there, gritting his teeth, as he looked at the faces of his ssmates.
¡°He''ll definitely mock us to our faces.¡±
At the implication of Leo''s words, the rest of the ss A members recalled the jeering expression of Allen, as if he was pitying them.
Leo then turned to Coco, who nodded assertively.
¡°...Me and Char of the Geography Club have selected the optimal route. Let''s set our departure time in 15 minutes. Every minute counts for us.¡±
Following the determined voice of Coco, who rarely took the spotlight in such scenarios, Kate nodded and took over the conversation.
¡°I¡¯ll make sure of the equipment we¡¯ll require for our expedition at the very least and the distribution pattern for the backup supplies.
We unfortunately don''t have the leeway to carry camping tools after including the other luggage, so we can only stride forward with mantles.
Let''s aim to clear it quickly and hope we can take a rest at the border post. Al, Sophie, I presume you''re the only ones who have experience in walking through the mountains aside from Coco, right? We¡¯ll need your opinions as well. Leo, you¡¯ll be giving the final order.¡±
The ever optimistic Al nodded, and strongly asserted.
¡°I''m enough for the water so leave it out of the equation! I¡¯ll make him eat those words!¡±
And soon after, with gobsmacked expressions, the students of the other sses watched ss A leave the grasnd with big strides, carrying nary a camping item nor sleeping bags.
¡ô
¡°Despite how sudden that ¡®scenario¡¯ was handed to them, they spent no more than 20 minutes before departing¡¡
For all that it matters, despite theirvish lifestyle, the leader Leo Zatsinger of the Duke House, along with the two prodigies from the Marquis Houses didn¡¯t even bat an eye in leaving behind their camping tools as the whole ss departed.
Frankly, the ¡®scenario'' for ss A is just too over the top. I doubt even third years would be able to achieve that, but rather than being none the wiser, they should have known that as well.
But I must say, their attitude to strive for the best is admirable. If I may, what sort of tactic did Sir use to make them stand on their own feet in just half a year?¡±
When Rias, the ss teacher of ss E, asked, Godorfun responded with a chuckle.
¡°Fuhahaha! The truth is that I¡¯ve done nothing special, what you''re seeing is the fruits of theirbor. Though of course, I won''t ept the howls of a loser saying ¡®But we did our best¡¯.¡±
As Godorfun preached, stroking his beard while putting on an enigmatic smile, the surrounding teachers gulped.
¡°However¡ Every task appears monumental until you actually carry it out to the end, huh? It''s truly a sublime saying, full of nuances. It truly reflects the arduous path Master Schord continued to challenge no matter the time.
Ah, but enough with words, I also need to make haste. This drill is going to be interesting! Fuhahaha!¡±
¡®¡¡But this was supposed to be an outdoor ss, not a military drill.¡¯ The teachers present feltpelled to blurt those words out, however they swallowed them back in the end.
T/N - Oh heavens, I never thought I would be seeing a girl that actually learns the way and knows where to stop being annoying in novels.
E/N - I agree with the T/N. Fey''se a long way from her ¡°I found a neat toy¡± attitude she had at first.
Vol. 1 - Ch. 141 - First Scenario (2)
"How effectively can you see in the dark, Ste?"
I asked Ste as we ran along the road.
"In the dark...... It''s a bit worse but definitely not something that can pose a hindrance in walking through the mountain trail. However, mybat ability would drastically lower."
I see. As she worked as the president of the Hill Road Club, I had already grasped her running ability.
Oh, and speaking of her being the president, Ste had assumed the position starting the second half of the school year, meanwhile Leo was serving as the vice-president.
Leo was definitely the strongest between the two, however he turned down the suggestion to be president. When it came to him, it was mainly his busy schedule, which meant he wouldn''t be able to lead everyone as efficiently. Also, he considered himself unfit to be a leader.
I could see where he wasing from. After all, the way he ran technique-wise, mainly the finer details, was parallel to most of the other students. The cause of the gulf was due to his mana capacity.
"I don''t think you need to master the technique to be the president. No one is perfect. You just need to be at the front while people behind you can deal with the finer details."
When I tried to persuade him, he turned to Ste, a smile tugging on his lips.
"I had sorely misunderstood you. To be frank, I thought you''re perhaps the one with the most wild personality among us, but¡ I changed my view after having a good look at you in thest half year as you took care of the other club members, taking note of even the subtle details and concerns.
I believe Ste is the most fitting person to lead and nurture this still growing club. For me, I¡¯ll stay under her and learn from her management ability."
Leo put forth his reason with a dead serious face.
Seeing Ste stuck between a tug or war in her reply, I mildly joked, "How rude, Leo. Don''t misunderstand her frank attitude with the boys as her being a brute girl!" Though, I received a heavy punch in the pit of my stomach for my trouble.
Good lord, I guess Japan''s humor was foreign to the people here.
Meanwhile, Dan, who had been acting as the vice-president, relinquished the position after he and I became busy with the activities of the Sail Club.
Anyway, this was the long and short story of how Ste became the Hill Road Club''s president.
At present, she couldplete ap around the Academy, which was 40 km long, along with 10 sprints on the hill road within 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Through herpletion of the run and dash that totaled 50 km, I assumed her average speed right now was about 33 km/h. Excluding me, the honorary coach of the club, she stood behind Leo and Dan among the other first-years, taking the No. 3 spot.
I believed she was even close to overtaking Dan as well. Well, Dan was dividing his efforts in the activities of the Sail Club along with learning and researching about wind magic in the Emission Magic Research Club.
Compared to Ste who was focusing on her forte, the premise was just iparable, so it was bound to happen.
Then again, neither Dan nor Ste had made any significant progression in the Instantaneous Mana Compression, so it was impossible for either of them to run 250 km at the same pace.
A rest was a must along the way to replenish lost mana. Plus, the 250 km distance was more of a strain on the body than the mana consumption, not even I could achieve that distance without having a break in-between.
I looked at my n, traced it in reverse, and notified Ste.
"I¡¯ll leave the selection of the journey''s route and pace to you. I¡¯ll take care of the monsters no matter if we take the highway or some dpidated road. Just make sure to finish the run in 12 hours, including breaks.
We¡¯ll have to drop our pace either way when we enter the mountain, so you don''t have to worry about leftover mana. We don''t know what variables we may encounter in the mountains, so I at least want to cover our journey ¡®til there as soon as possible."
As I stated my n, Ste nodded and slightly up her pace.
From there, we continued to run, stopping only beside the few bodies of water we passed by where we took our short breaks.
The route Ste had chosen was a highway through the countryside that ran precisely for 250 km.
It seemed like there was some sort of shortcut route as well, but she must have judged that taking a route simr to what we ran through during our Hill Road Club''s activities would serve us better as it would minimize our exhaustion since it was closer to the ''running form'' we had cultivated.
Running with the help of Body Strengthening magic was honestly fun. It was a sensation specific to me, a reincarnator.
At a nce, learning about how to effectively increase the pace or how to minimize unnecessary movements might seem dull, but only until you get into it do you realize the intricate nature of running.
While covering my body with mana, we ran the 250 km distance.
We reached Imp City before 8 PM. I guessed that it took us close to 9 hours and 50 minutes to arrive here.
Imp was quite a well-facilitated city with a water moat, a rarity in the countryside.
Overall, I believed that this town must hold a strategic significance whether it was due to the stationed troops here to deal with the monsters that appear around the area, or the distance to the national border.
"Impressive, Ste. You managed to lead us here an hour earlier than I expected."
After crossing the drawn bridge, I passed the water to Ste who had crumbled on the spot, praising her for her effort.
"Huffff Huffff D-Damn you, you don''t even look too out of breath......"
I guess she must have been near her mana exhaustion threshold. She gave me a reproachful re, her eyes barely holding any shine, as I replied.
"Hey, I really am not as okay as I might appear. Even my leg muscles are cramping now...... If only we had time, I would have asked you to guide me through the local delicacies. s, time is something that weck right now. I¡¯ll contact the garrison right away, so you stay here and recover your mana as much as possible."
Technically, I had plenty more of my mana left, but my muscles were truly aching, and my soles were already hurting.
However, I was solely driven by the offer that Godorfun had held out, the firste, first served hot spring. In the corner of my mind, I felt like that geezer was using his cunning tricks again, but......
At the entrance of Ste''s town, I asked her to take a rest and wait there as I headed to ry the news to the military garrison.
At the entrance, I found a battle-worn knight on guard duty.
"Hmm? I had heard that the other side would depart around 10 AM from their location, and you managed to reach here on foot in just 10 hours? Hmm, you¡¯re also not that tired either. I see, you haven''t cked off and put every possible effort in training, huh?
But since I am speaking to the one the foremost genius in the history of the Achilles family has already acknowledged, I guess that''s normal.
Hmm......
Very well......
Win against me and I shall have no question against your courtship of Ste!"
The knight, donned in well-used silver equipment, said and drew out his long sword in one clean movement.
"Report!
Located at the Roderia Mountain Summit, an unidentified force has appeared near the national border close to the Kukora Metropolis Federation, and the report says that the national defense post has fallen into their hands!
The No. 8 troop of the Northwest Division shall head to the location immediately and aid the forces there in recapturing the defense post!
Report over!
......I have confirmed that the message has been received."
I swiftly announced and turned on my heel.
"W-W-Wait, hold on boyyyy!"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"It seems like we''re in for a rough ride......"
Leo informed Coco, his expression scrunched up.
Having made it to their current location at quite the speed, they had thought as long as they kept their pace for the day, they should arrive at their destination in around 2 to 3 hours before the appointed time. This included their march at night, and took into ount the monster encounters that may cause them to drop their pace a bit.
However, all it would take was an ident for their supposed perfect n to be moot.
Coco had thought that as long as they weren¡¯t unlucky, they should be able to avoid the strong monsters, however realistically, he knew he couldn''t leave the uncertainties to luck.
"We already knew it was going to be tough. If anything, this is just as we had expected. We need to think out of the box to lessen our load. If only Allen was here, he could have given us his usual freakish ideas, but it''s a pity...... Hey, y''all. Do any of you have any other ideas?"
Following Coco''s question, Shal, who had selected the route alongside Coco, and was also a member of the Geography Club, timidly raised his hand.
"Err, so the thing is...... the route we have nned is full of twists and turns as it has been recorded on the map. It shows that just right ahead of the 2-C rest spot, we¡¯ll be forced to take a steep turn. I think the reason is that a strong monster must have made that ce its habitat, or maybe it''s dangerous terrain.
But I believe we may be able to make it through perhaps without having to take a detour. So there''s enough reason to...... investigate it......"
While repeatedly tapping his index fingers of both hands against each other, seemingly showing hisck of confidence, Leo turned to Dan.
"......I am well aware of the danger of scouting an area alone, but can you take on the task? We just don''t have the manpower to allocate people on this and the main squad needs to maintain its current pace.
If you deemed it impossible, we¡¯ll scrap the idea and take our original route. I¡¯ll carry your load until your return."
"Roger! Give me 30 minutes and I¡¯ll be right back."
Receiving Leo''s suggestion, Dan immediately dashed off in the distance.
Seeing his suggestion being taken seriously, Shal took a deep breath, puffing his cheeks while staring at Coco.
"Honestly, you should be aware of it too, right Coco-kun!? Why did you leave it for me to exin! Sheesh!"
"......Well, you too must have noticed the changes ever since we passed the earlier checkpoint, eh? It would be best if you started to speak out your heart asionally. No two minds think alike and there are definitely chances where I miss something, but you pick them up instead. It''s true for everyone else too. If everyone can¡¯t frank with each other, it would be a steep journey ahead for us."
"Kyahahaha! You know you sound so much like Allen, Coco?...... Anyway, I¡¯ll carry Dan''s luggage. I''m not much of an expert when ites tobat, but I do have enough strength to carry an extra burden. Besides, it would only worry the others if you were to carry the load, and then be unable to fight because of it. The fewer things to worry about, the more everyone can keep going."
"......Huh, you can still go on, Feyrune?"
The reason why Leo appeared dumbfounded was because in addition to the 50 kg backup supplies, Fey was also carrying an additional 20 kg¡ª all of which were tools that she deemed necessary for the journey.
She slipped her hand through the straps and carried the 50 kg bag in front of her. As she did that, crunch the ground cracked a bit.
"Well, this truly took away my chic vibe, huh? It''s great that Allen isn''t here. I don''t think my heart could take it if he called me a gori girl again."
Fey said with a mischievous vibe.
As everyone recovered their breath at the 2-C spot¡ª a name given just for convenience''s sake, Dan came back from his scouting trip.
"I found it. The route ahead has indeed be a steep cliff, but I believe we can climb it using ropes. I also found a group of ivies growing enmasse right ahead, so let''s use those. They might appear thin, but they¡¯re quite strong. They shouldn''t snap if we climb one by one even with the load we''re carrying. Everyone, hold on to your luggage and march ahead."
Leaving behind his words, Dan traced back the road he hade from.
By the time everyone reached the cliff, Dan had just finished coiling several vines together.
While staring at the almost vertical cliff, Pish asked Dan with a cramped expression.
"......Using rope to climb up is fine and all, but how will the first person go up? This cliff has to be at least 70 to 80 meters tall......"
"Hmm? Duh, of course by climbing it normally. It''s a bit risky but you should rx. I¡¯ve already tried it and it''s perfectly doable. I¡¯ve made two bundled vine ropes, one can be used to carry the luggage. See, tie the vines like this when I throw them down from the top."
After securing several vines by tying them together to ensure their length, he looped them through his backpack and tightened them down.
"W-Wait, just a moment, Dan! I didn''t even catch what you said properly."
Pish hurriedly pulled Dan.
"......I¡¯ve done rope work back at my home too, but¡ it''s still iparable to your speed, Dan. This should be the strengthened bowline knot style, huh? Alright, go ahead, I¡¯ve already noted down how to tie things up here."
Coco added. Dan nodded in acknowledgment, clung to the cliffside like a lizard, and smoothly started climbing.
"......He typically doesn''t speak about himself, but how in the world did a Count''s child grow up this wild?"
Pish muttered as he looked at Dan, who had already scaled half of the cliff, in surprise.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 141 - First Scenario (2)
"How effectively can you see in the dark, Ste?"
I asked Ste as we ran along the road.
"In the dark...... It''s a bit worse but definitely not something that can pose a hindrance in walking through the mountain trail. However, mybat ability would drastically lower."
I see. As she worked as the president of the Hill Road Club, I had already grasped her running ability.
Oh, and speaking of her being the president, Ste had assumed the position starting the second half of the school year, meanwhile Leo was serving as the vice-president.
Leo was definitely the strongest between the two, however he turned down the suggestion to be president. When it came to him, it was mainly his busy schedule, which meant he wouldn''t be able to lead everyone as efficiently. Also, he considered himself unfit to be a leader.
I could see where he wasing from. After all, the way he ran technique-wise, mainly the finer details, was parallel to most of the other students. The cause of the gulf was due to his mana capacity.
"I don''t think you need to master the technique to be the president. No one is perfect. You just need to be at the front while people behind you can deal with the finer details."
When I tried to persuade him, he turned to Ste, a smile tugging on his lips.
"I had sorely misunderstood you. To be frank, I thought you''re perhaps the one with the most wild personality among us, but¡ I changed my view after having a good look at you in thest half year as you took care of the other club members, taking note of even the subtle details and concerns.
I believe Ste is the most fitting person to lead and nurture this still growing club. For me, I¡¯ll stay under her and learn from her management ability."
Leo put forth his reason with a dead serious face.
Seeing Ste stuck between a tug or war in her reply, I mildly joked, "How rude, Leo. Don''t misunderstand her frank attitude with the boys as her being a brute girl!" Though, I received a heavy punch in the pit of my stomach for my trouble.
Good lord, I guess Japan''s humor was foreign to the people here.
Meanwhile, Dan, who had been acting as the vice-president, relinquished the position after he and I became busy with the activities of the Sail Club.
Anyway, this was the long and short story of how Ste became the Hill Road Club''s president.
At present, she couldplete ap around the Academy, which was 40 km long, along with 10 sprints on the hill road within 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Through herpletion of the run and dash that totaled 50 km, I assumed her average speed right now was about 33 km/h. Excluding me, the honorary coach of the club, she stood behind Leo and Dan among the other first-years, taking the No. 3 spot.
I believed she was even close to overtaking Dan as well. Well, Dan was dividing his efforts in the activities of the Sail Club along with learning and researching about wind magic in the Emission Magic Research Club.
Compared to Ste who was focusing on her forte, the premise was just iparable, so it was bound to happen.
Then again, neither Dan nor Ste had made any significant progression in the Instantaneous Mana Compression, so it was impossible for either of them to run 250 km at the same pace.
A rest was a must along the way to replenish lost mana. Plus, the 250 km distance was more of a strain on the body than the mana consumption, not even I could achieve that distance without having a break in-between.
I looked at my n, traced it in reverse, and notified Ste.
"I¡¯ll leave the selection of the journey''s route and pace to you. I¡¯ll take care of the monsters no matter if we take the highway or some dpidated road. Just make sure to finish the run in 12 hours, including breaks.
We¡¯ll have to drop our pace either way when we enter the mountain, so you don''t have to worry about leftover mana. We don''t know what variables we may encounter in the mountains, so I at least want to cover our journey ¡®til there as soon as possible."
As I stated my n, Ste nodded and slightly up her pace.
From there, we continued to run, stopping only beside the few bodies of water we passed by where we took our short breaks.
The route Ste had chosen was a highway through the countryside that ran precisely for 250 km.
It seemed like there was some sort of shortcut route as well, but she must have judged that taking a route simr to what we ran through during our Hill Road Club''s activities would serve us better as it would minimize our exhaustion since it was closer to the ''running form'' we had cultivated.
Running with the help of Body Strengthening magic was honestly fun. It was a sensation specific to me, a reincarnator.
At a nce, learning about how to effectively increase the pace or how to minimize unnecessary movements might seem dull, but only until you get into it do you realize the intricate nature of running.
While covering my body with mana, we ran the 250 km distance.
We reached Imp City before 8 PM. I guessed that it took us close to 9 hours and 50 minutes to arrive here.
Imp was quite a well-facilitated city with a water moat, a rarity in the countryside.
Overall, I believed that this town must hold a strategic significance whether it was due to the stationed troops here to deal with the monsters that appear around the area, or the distance to the national border.
"Impressive, Ste. You managed to lead us here an hour earlier than I expected."
After crossing the drawn bridge, I passed the water to Ste who had crumbled on the spot, praising her for her effort.
"Huffff Huffff D-Damn you, you don''t even look too out of breath......"
I guess she must have been near her mana exhaustion threshold. She gave me a reproachful re, her eyes barely holding any shine, as I replied.
"Hey, I really am not as okay as I might appear. Even my leg muscles are cramping now...... If only we had time, I would have asked you to guide me through the local delicacies. s, time is something that weck right now. I¡¯ll contact the garrison right away, so you stay here and recover your mana as much as possible."
Technically, I had plenty more of my mana left, but my muscles were truly aching, and my soles were already hurting.
However, I was solely driven by the offer that Godorfun had held out, the firste, first served hot spring. In the corner of my mind, I felt like that geezer was using his cunning tricks again, but......
At the entrance of Ste''s town, I asked her to take a rest and wait there as I headed to ry the news to the military garrison.
At the entrance, I found a battle-worn knight on guard duty.
"Hmm? I had heard that the other side would depart around 10 AM from their location, and you managed to reach here on foot in just 10 hours? Hmm, you¡¯re also not that tired either. I see, you haven''t cked off and put every possible effort in training, huh?
But since I am speaking to the one the foremost genius in the history of the Achilles family has already acknowledged, I guess that''s normal.
Hmm......
Very well......
Win against me and I shall have no question against your courtship of Ste!"
The knight, donned in well-used silver equipment, said and drew out his long sword in one clean movement.
"Report!
Located at the Roderia Mountain Summit, an unidentified force has appeared near the national border close to the Kukora Metropolis Federation, and the report says that the national defense post has fallen into their hands!
The No. 8 troop of the Northwest Division shall head to the location immediately and aid the forces there in recapturing the defense post!
Report over!
......I have confirmed that the message has been received."
I swiftly announced and turned on my heel.
"W-W-Wait, hold on boyyyy!"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"It seems like we''re in for a rough ride......"
Leo informed Coco, his expression scrunched up.
Having made it to their current location at quite the speed, they had thought as long as they kept their pace for the day, they should arrive at their destination in around 2 to 3 hours before the appointed time. This included their march at night, and took into ount the monster encounters that may cause them to drop their pace a bit.
However, all it would take was an ident for their supposed perfect n to be moot.
Coco had thought that as long as they weren¡¯t unlucky, they should be able to avoid the strong monsters, however realistically, he knew he couldn''t leave the uncertainties to luck.
"We already knew it was going to be tough. If anything, this is just as we had expected. We need to think out of the box to lessen our load. If only Allen was here, he could have given us his usual freakish ideas, but it''s a pity...... Hey, y''all. Do any of you have any other ideas?"
Following Coco''s question, Shal, who had selected the route alongside Coco, and was also a member of the Geography Club, timidly raised his hand.
"Err, so the thing is...... the route we have nned is full of twists and turns as it has been recorded on the map. It shows that just right ahead of the 2-C rest spot, we¡¯ll be forced to take a steep turn. I think the reason is that a strong monster must have made that ce its habitat, or maybe it''s dangerous terrain.
But I believe we may be able to make it through perhaps without having to take a detour. So there''s enough reason to...... investigate it......"
While repeatedly tapping his index fingers of both hands against each other, seemingly showing hisck of confidence, Leo turned to Dan.
"......I am well aware of the danger of scouting an area alone, but can you take on the task? We just don''t have the manpower to allocate people on this and the main squad needs to maintain its current pace.
If you deemed it impossible, we¡¯ll scrap the idea and take our original route. I¡¯ll carry your load until your return."
"Roger! Give me 30 minutes and I¡¯ll be right back."
Receiving Leo''s suggestion, Dan immediately dashed off in the distance.
Seeing his suggestion being taken seriously, Shal took a deep breath, puffing his cheeks while staring at Coco.
"Honestly, you should be aware of it too, right Coco-kun!? Why did you leave it for me to exin! Sheesh!"
"......Well, you too must have noticed the changes ever since we passed the earlier checkpoint, eh? It would be best if you started to speak out your heart asionally. No two minds think alike and there are definitely chances where I miss something, but you pick them up instead. It''s true for everyone else too. If everyone can¡¯t frank with each other, it would be a steep journey ahead for us."
"Kyahahaha! You know you sound so much like Allen, Coco?...... Anyway, I¡¯ll carry Dan''s luggage. I''m not much of an expert when ites tobat, but I do have enough strength to carry an extra burden. Besides, it would only worry the others if you were to carry the load, and then be unable to fight because of it. The fewer things to worry about, the more everyone can keep going."
"......Huh, you can still go on, Feyrune?"
The reason why Leo appeared dumbfounded was because in addition to the 50 kg backup supplies, Fey was also carrying an additional 20 kg¡ª all of which were tools that she deemed necessary for the journey.
She slipped her hand through the straps and carried the 50 kg bag in front of her. As she did that, crunch the ground cracked a bit.
"Well, this truly took away my chic vibe, huh? It''s great that Allen isn''t here. I don''t think my heart could take it if he called me a gori girl again."
Fey said with a mischievous vibe.
As everyone recovered their breath at the 2-C spot¡ª a name given just for convenience''s sake, Dan came back from his scouting trip.
"I found it. The route ahead has indeed be a steep cliff, but I believe we can climb it using ropes. I also found a group of ivies growing enmasse right ahead, so let''s use those. They might appear thin, but they¡¯re quite strong. They shouldn''t snap if we climb one by one even with the load we''re carrying. Everyone, hold on to your luggage and march ahead."
Leaving behind his words, Dan traced back the road he hade from.
By the time everyone reached the cliff, Dan had just finished coiling several vines together.
While staring at the almost vertical cliff, Pish asked Dan with a cramped expression.
"......Using rope to climb up is fine and all, but how will the first person go up? This cliff has to be at least 70 to 80 meters tall......"
"Hmm? Duh, of course by climbing it normally. It''s a bit risky but you should rx. I¡¯ve already tried it and it''s perfectly doable. I¡¯ve made two bundled vine ropes, one can be used to carry the luggage. See, tie the vines like this when I throw them down from the top."
After securing several vines by tying them together to ensure their length, he looped them through his backpack and tightened them down.
"W-Wait, just a moment, Dan! I didn''t even catch what you said properly."
Pish hurriedly pulled Dan.
"......I¡¯ve done rope work back at my home too, but¡ it''s still iparable to your speed, Dan. This should be the strengthened bowline knot style, huh? Alright, go ahead, I¡¯ve already noted down how to tie things up here."
Coco added. Dan nodded in acknowledgment, clung to the cliffside like a lizard, and smoothly started climbing.
"......He typically doesn''t speak about himself, but how in the world did a Count''s child grow up this wild?"
Pish muttered as he looked at Dan, who had already scaled half of the cliff, in surprise.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 142 - First Scenario (3)
Dan arrived at the top of the cliff in a blink of an eye, tied the ivy to a sturdy-looking tree, and dangled the other end downward, shouting ''Climb up!'' at others.
"......Leo, you stay here first in case of any monster attack and climb upst. The first and thest person to climb is always in the most danger, so we can''t afford to mess up here.
Let''s do something about the luggage first, Fey and Berd, you''re up since you''re the power types here. Dan is better with his adaptability, so let''s not make him use his mana here."
Bester spoke while pushing up the bridge of his sses. L continued after him and stated her opinion.
"In that case, how about the five of us ¡ª Dol-kun, Coco-kun, Parry-kun, Sophie-san, and I ¡ª climb up first? We''re limited by our mana, which would determine everyone''s pace, so this would save us at least 10 minutes. The best course for us is to cover for each other and earn time for the task."
After being prompted by Coco earlier, Schal stepped forward and gave his perspective, clearing up everyone''s hesitation.
There was something that they must avoid in this assignment at any cost¡ª a seed of discord being sown between the group.
With their minds sharper than their swords¡¯ edges, ss A immediately noticed the underlying meaning hidden behind his words. The realization instead dampened their positive outlook, but at the same time, they were beginning to understand that this wasn''t a task they could get through by just ying it safe.
However, little did they know that this decision would end up backfiring on them.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"H-Hey, hold on boyyy!"
The silver-armored old fogey raised his voice, trying to make me halt my steps, however, I had many more things to tackle rather than listen to a senile person¡¯s ramblings.
I turned a blind eye to his actions and turned on my heel just when the knight started his self-introduction which, by the way, I didn¡¯t ask for.
"Hmph, what a cold guy. I''m Maxim Achilies, Ste''s uncle. I¡¯ve known Ste since she was this small and was there when her talent blossomed. She''s the apple of my eye, my lovely angel. So...... how far have you gone with her? Hold up brat, don''t tell me you¡¯ve already k-k-kissed!?!?"
......What a pain in the butt. I felt like my head was going to split in two.
"Don''t follow me, you nuisance!"
I spouted and swiftly walked away from that ce.
"So that''s how it is, huh?....... You¡¯ve done something you feel guilty about, and yet, you''re not even attempting to take responsibility...... You scumbag!!"
That old fogey''s body started to shiver like a newborn fawn, seething with rage for some reason.
I didn''t even want to talk to him...... I ran out of that ce at my fastest speed ever.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Get up, Ste! A madman¡¯s chasing after us! We need to run now!"
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Ste was focusing on her mana recovery when she raised a face full of question marks in response to my words.
"Hrrgh?! W-W-W-What is happening?! Howe there''s such a madman in Imp!?"
I couldn''t afford to slow down so I scooped Ste into my arms, in the so-called princess carry style, as I ran straight for the exit.
"It''s me, Ste~! You bastard, why the hell did you not bring her if she was with you?! And you sted scumbag, how dare you leave my lovely Ste in such a dark ce, all alone!"
Ste tilted her head at the appearance of her uncle.
"Uncle Maxim......? H-He''s my rtive, and I know him very well. He¡¯s usually so calm, did something irk him?"
"Like hell if I know! He just suddenly sprouted nonsense like ''Fight me, and only if you win will I ept your courtship toward Ste''. When I ignored him, who knows what delusion he¡¯s cooked up in his rotten mind, he kept saying stuff like I¡¯ve done something to be guilty of, take responsibility, and he kept calling me a sleazebag."
"What the hell!! Even I haven''t gotten a hug from my lovely Stetely! But hmph, Ste used to bathe with me until she was 8! Are you jealous~?...... Haaa, you''re not jealous?! Y-You whelppp!! So you¡¯ve even crossed that line!!"
A vein popped up on Ste''s forehead.
"......Put me down, Allen. I''m going to kill him."
"It would be a waste of time and mana."
"Damn you, are you trying to flirt in front of me?! You''re definitely doing that to taunt me, huhhh!? Shit, what a slippery brat! Let meeee innnnn tooooo!!"
"......"
"......"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Atop the cliff, evening.
For the five whose mana was limited, they had climbed up first so that the others didn¡¯t need to slow down for their sake.
Coco noticed the abnormality first.
"?? ......Something isn''t right. It''s too quiet......"
Barely a second passed when Coco expressed his doubt when tworge rocks, big enough for an adult to have difficulty wrapping their arms around it, fell from above, snapping the tree branches along the way.
The other four had barely managed to notice the abnormality after Coco, but their luggage slowed them down. In the end, the rocks directly hit Sophie and Coco.
"Sophie-san! Coco-kun!"
L, who barely managed to avoid the rock herself, shouted with a ghastly expression.
Coco had promptly covered his arm with mana, but it did little as blood dripped from his head as he copsed like a puppet.
Sophie tried to distance herself but to no avail. As her right leg got caught under the rock, a groan escaped her lips.
"......Gigantic Crows.... with earth element...... W-we need to move to an open space......"
"Don''t talk too much, Coco! Parry! Take care of Coco, and L, you tend to Sophie! Take them by the ridge we passed earlier! There are no trees around there. I¡¯ll stop it with my magic!"
Dol hurriedly passed instructions to his ssmates while he channeled his mana into his two-handed staff, conjuring a fireball. He hurled fireballs toward the two demonic crows, who had been creating another set of rocks, in sessive motions.
Due to the huge distance between them, the two demonic crows easily dodged the fireballs, but in doing so, they ended up dropping the conjured rocks in panic, which missed their marks greatly.
Parry hurried to help L and lifted the rock pinning down Sophie''s leg. Then he took Coco in his arms, shouting ''Hold yourself together, things may get rough!'' while making sure his head received little to no movement as he gently supported his back.
L, too, carried Sophie in her arms and followed after Parry.
With hazy eyes, Coco murmured, "Dol...... m-mana¡ save it......"
"Idiot, it''s now or never!"
Dol continued to conjure one fireball after another and hurled them at the two demonic crows, hindering them from casting their own magic.
When a gap appeared between Dol''s attacks, the Gigantic Crows started circling in the sky.
"Kraaaaaaaaaaa!!"
Shrieks echoed in the mountain.
"......Dol, you hold on to Coco. These bastards should be thinking that they''re in the clear from your magic. In closebat, a long spear would serve better."
When Parry exined himself, Dol nodded and took Coco from him.
Perhaps looking for a gap like this, the two demonic crows glided through the air and mounted a pincer attack from the front and back.
"I¡¯ll deal with the one attacking from behind."
Parry muttered, adjusted his breath, and after lowering his stance and drawing back sufficiently, he swung his spear around and thrust it forward.
"You''re¡ slow!"
"Scraaaaaaaw!!"
Parry''s spear pierced the heart of the Gigantic Crow.
With one of them dead, the other would probably either retreat or at least hold off from attacking¡ was Parry''s thought. But instead, the remaining Gigantic Crow retaliated with a follow-up attack.
As his spear was still stuck in the chest of the dead Gigantic Crow, Parry couldn''t immediately defend himself.
With his spearmanship that he had trained in the Martial Hall day and night, Parry''s strength could contest with B-rank elemental monsters, however, he fell short in experience.
Parry tried to swing his spear along with the corpse, but the charging tackle of the other Gigantic Crow struck him squarely and he was sted backward.
" "Parry!!" "
Dol hurriedly chased after him, but only an ''Arrghh...'' groan was heard from Parry. Dol guessed that Parry wouldn''t be back on his feet for a while.
"......She might¡ be.... having some...... children. If she takes it as an attack on her nest...... there''s no stopping her."
Coco murmured with difficulty.
Looking up, the Gigantic Crow had once again started to conjure a huge lump of rock.
There was one opponent, but three of them were injured. Now the responsibility of protecting them fell on Dol and L¡¯s shoulders.
It was then, "Screeeeeeeeech!!!!", their enemy suddenly let out a shriek so deafening it even shook the air. Then, seemingly responding to it, the kids of that Gigantic Crow immediately jump out from a corner of the forest that Dol and his team had been moving toward.
Their numbers were so huge the northern sky was almost covered by their appearance.
At that moment, Dol could feel cold sweat drenching his back.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Atst, we were able to shake off that Maxim guy or whoever that madman was. I barged into the mountain ¡ª the shortcut route we had nned to take for the return trip ¡ª and dropped Ste there.
But...... an awkward silence had grown between us.
Afterward, for the next hour or so, Ste uttered no words as she continued to walk ahead at a brisk pace.
The silence was painful. I even started to doubt if that silver-armored old fogey was a ploy of that damned geezer too. I¡ª I definitely didn''t want to walk in the mountains like this, it would be pure torture.
......But Ste should have regained enough of her mana, I believe. We needed to quicken our pace now rather thanter to save time.
With as cheerful a tone as possible, I tried to strike up a conversation with her.
"You know, you''re quite lighter than I imagined!"
"Haahh? Are you saying Ick muscles?"
......Shit...... It seemed like people of this world didn''t take joy in being called light. Oh wait, as I recall, it was a trend specific to certain regions even on Earth in modern times. I guess this was all on me.
It hardly sounded like apliment to her when I praised her for being lighter than average since she was aiming to be a knight as well.
Damn youndmine, curses! Just when I least expected it, it reared its ugly head.
I hurriedly amended my words.
"I-I didn''t mean it that way! I mean, you have enough muscles for a knight and are quite heavy too. It¡¯s just that I wasplimenting you in line with your femininity¡ª "
Before I could finish my words, Ste sharply turned around and approached me with ghastly speed, tightly sping my shoulders, while grinning.
"You tactless bastard! Who in their right mind calls a girl heavy?!"
Then, while still holding on to my shoulders, she delivered a not-so-light knee strike to my stomach.
"Gueeehhh!"
A strange yelp, like a ttened frog, escaped out of my lips.
What the hell?! So she really did like thepliment?!
Wait, then was her earlier reaction her trying to hide her embarrassment......
I don''t think I¡¯ll ever understand women.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 143 - First Scenario (4)
My blunder clearly worsened Ste''s mood, however the air between us was no longer that awkward silence.
While rubbing my stomach with teary eyes, I discussed our n from here on out.
"......Your selected route saved us a great deal of time, so we¡¯ll most likely be joining the main squad around here, somewhere between the 7th node and the 8th. We have 24 hours starting right now, which means we should get there at around 9 PM tomorrow."
When I exined this, Ste, who had been ring at me, made a look of confusion. It seemed like my words weren¡¯t able to get through to her.
"Hold on for a second, Allen...... I understand how urgent our situation is, but this n is obviously very risky. Besides, wasn''t our meeting location supposed to be at the defense post on the national border?
How are you so sure that the main squad would be around there when we didn¡¯t even talk to them about it before we left? And my word, you want to reach that point within 24 hours?! Sure, we¡¯re not carrying any burdens but that''s a whole 200 km through the mountains that we''re talking about! I said this earlier too, that¡¯s no hiking trail.¡±
"Rx, they have Coco. We¡¯ve already discussed the gist of their route so there won''t be any issues with the rendezvous point."
My words caused Ste''s eyes to snap wide open.
"A-Already discussed...... Do you mean that you talked to him about it in that short moment? How did you even manage to settle on the meeting location in that short amount of time with such a crappy map?! Walking through the mountains is no child''s game."
......Well, I reckoned it must be confusing to her indeed. And I agree, I wouldn''t have been able to achieve that sort ofmunication if the person I was talking to wasn¡¯t Coco.
"I have everything measured. Coco and I have been on many explorations together, and we''ve discussed various things rted to geography.
The time was too short to discuss it in detail, but I could guess Coco¡¯s general route at least."
Seeing my confident reply, Ste''s mouth pped like a goldfish¡¯s as if dumbfounded, and then she protested.
"......Even if we do it your way, how are we going to get there within 24 hours? From my experience, even if we head straight for the border post, we¡¯d still have a tight time constraint. Plus, we may encounter monsters along the way. So I believe we should head straight for the border post, and maybe we can help them out if¡ª"
I guessed where she was heading and shook my head, interrupting her.
"But the main squad will fail to arrive on time."
"................And your reason for that? Frankly, I think you should have a bit more faith¡ª"
I once again interrupted her.
"My reason is¡ you, Ste. You''re with me here. Remember what I said first? We, the messenger squad, will reach the finish line first if you''re with me.
Considering your experience with the terrain, monsters, and other habitats here, if you had followed the main squad, I, in my solo messenger mission, would have taken much more time to finish my mission. In the end, both sides would finish by the skin of their teeth.
I¡¯m subpar when ites to directional sense so I would have fumbled along the way. I believe this was what that old geezer must have nned out for us."
As Ste offered no words, I continued.
"My second reason as to why I think the main squad would be there is because...... of that gleeful look on Godorfun¡¯s face. Just like you, this ce is that geezer¡¯s backyard and it wouldn''t be a challenge if we manage toplete this task without tripping.
If we want to one-up that old geezer, we need to think outside of the box and do something unconventional. One of the means to achieve that is you being with me here. This n hinges on how soon I can merge with the main squad.
I do trust them, and that¡¯s why they¡¯ll undoubtedly make it to that spot, though it would be a tough ordeal for them."
Ste sank into silence when I finished my exnation before looking back at me.
"......Alright, I understand the gist of it. So, when you said you¡¯ll still be able to get there earlier even without me before departure, you meant the ''overall'' progress, huh? But there''s still something that you haven''t answered yet. How''re we going to cover that much distance in this short a time?"
......Phew, it was a lifesaver that she was so smart as it saved me the hassle of exining everything.
If our perspective didn''t align just now, we might have reached a stalemate and that would have been detrimental. She would never blindly ept my opinion. If I had been in her shoes, I would have surely argued against some of it.
But with the avable information objectively pieced together, she likely concluded that we should act on the premise I just mentioned.
There was no hesitation on her face.
"Ste, guide us through the shortest route with the assumption that there are no monsters from here on out. That should significantly speed up our pace. Haa¡ and I¡¯ll also use my wind magic."
With a grin, I told her my n. However, her face turned pale as she looked at me as if she was looking at some molester while hiding her exposed thighs above her knee-high boots with her hands.
Huh? Hey, hey. You can''t be serious!!
¡ô¡ô¡ô
A flock of Gigantic Crows flew in the sky above Dol and the team. They were so numerous that their appearance nearly turned the bright day into night as they covered the sky in their wake.
There wasn''t any Gigantic Crow as big as the first two they had faced, but there were still plenty of decently sized demonic crows visible here and there.
With tears pooling in her eyes, Lana apologized to everyone.
"......It''s my fault. In my greed to shorten the time as much as possible, we''re......"
Dol, however, shook his head and called out to her with the gentlest tone he could muster.
"We all agreed to your suggestion so it''s not your fault...... Anyway, we can reflect on our actionster. We need to first hold these guys down until our ssmates get here. Also, we have Jeu with us and we brought some potent potions as well. I doubt these crows have so many elemental variants among them, so we should be able to deal with them once the others join up with us."
On the other hand, Parry stood up using his spear as a clutch while gritting his teeth.
"......It was my ipetence that led to this. You don''t need to look after me. I...... I can still fight!"
Having her leg ttened and with sweat dripping from her forehead, Sophie also used her naginata-like weapon as a clutch, albeit with a pale face, and distanced herself from L.
"......My right leg''s been fractured. I can''t fight, but I can handle myself so you help them out, L. I fear it would be toote even if the others catch up if you waste time in protecting me."
"Alright. Coco, don''t move! I¡¯m here! Sophie, you also stay close to me! They should have already noticed what¡¯s happening and must be heading here at any moment!...... Prepare for the attack!"
Dol had just finished speaking when the demonic crows immediately lunged at them from all directions.
L clutched the leather whip tied to her waist. She took it into her hand, and her earlier apologetic expression disappeared and was swiftly reced by a sharp aura.
Then, with blinding speed, sheshed out with her whip and struck down the iing gigantic crows momentarily.
Fresh blood sttered around like rain.
"......These chicks are not that good at flying, unlike their parents. I, L Von Liancool, called ''Shining Radiance eclipsing the moon, when I have a whip in my hand'' by Granny Muh of Doco vige, will now whip them into order!"
L said and, snap!, dramatically cracked her whip.
L¡¯s transformation was so contrasting from her previous appearance that Dol suddenly found himself looking at Sophie and asking ''Who the hell is that girl? What''s going on? Do you know?''
Though, Sophie looked just as astonished as she shook her head at Dol''s question.
"As long as we''re here, not even a single talon will be able to touch ourrades, right, Dol?"
L continued to whip down the iing demonic crows, turning them into meat stters, as she ran her tongue over her pretty lips in a ghastly manner and shot a smile at Dol.
"......Absolutely!"
Though Dol had questions he wanted to ask, like how was she going to discipline the meat stters, they had their tasks toplete and so, without looking into her eyes, he backed off.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Sorry, I¡¯mte! We suddenly encountered a group of stray demon foxes below the cliff! Leo is handling it so don''t worry! What about you?!"
"Timely save, Al! That crow''s magic is dangerous and counters our style! I can''t do anything with my magic, so you take it down! Jeu, focus on Coco and Sophie first! And rest of you all, take care of the tiny ones!"
Dol momentarily assigned the roles of Al, Jeu, Dan, Viz, and Elena who had just arrived, and they acted on it immediately. (T/N - So, it wasn¡¯t Pis but Viz. I forgot until the author added the ss A¡¯s student list in his notes. I apologize about it, and will correct them asap.)
"Come on,e on, is that all?! If ya don''t improve now, then you never will!"
For now, it was better if they also turned a blind eye to theirrade L, who normally used sophisticated words like a princess out of a fairy tale.
With the arrival of backup, the group had enough leeway to calmly decide that.
"Ice Barrage!"
Al swiftly targeted the demonic crow with rapid-fire ice pebbles.
Typically, the magic in this world normally didn''t need any incantation or spell name to work. However, as Allen had often exercised his authority as honorary advisor of the Magic Research Club and stubbornly corrected everyone to make sure they called out their spell¡¯s name, the habit had now been somehow ingrained into them.
Ice pebbles the size of chinquapin seeds ¡ª the shape was suggested by Allen to further increase their piercing power ¡ª shot out of Al¡¯s wand at lightning-fast speed.
The wand was made of Anju tree wood, a local specialty of his family-managed territory, and was quite smallpared to Dol''s two-handed wand. The tip of the wand was affixed with a shining jewel-like ice element magic stone.
As the president of the Magic Research Club, which had unparalleled geniuses like Leo, Jeu, and other talented members, he knew how to lead by example.
It wouldn''t have been surprising to face a negative setback from the pressure of leading such talented people, but Al¡ got pumped up instead. Just like the others, he also polished himself and made rapid advances while studying and researching magic.
The ice pebbles struck true at the parent crow. Flying at the high vantage point, the demonic crow''s supposed safe haven and a strategic spot to drop rocks from, the crow was easily pierced by the rapid fire of Al''s Ice Barrage.
Blood-soaked jet-ck feathers of the parent crow flutter down.
Facing a threat to its life, the parent crow dived down while spinning to mount an attack on Al.
Al was about to greet it with an Ice Lance, one of his top magic with high lethality, when Parry¡¯s voice came from behind, "Leave it to me, Al! Don''t waste your mana on such a small fry!"
Al stopped and dodged to the side after baiting the parent crow to the lowest point possible. Recing him, Parry lunged with his spear and pierced the parent crow, the boss of the flock.
When the Gigantic Crow''s fledglings saw that, they raised a cry and scattered.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 144 - First Scenario (5)
Once the rest of the members had also rejoined them, the main squad of ss A opted for a respite.
Of course, many wanted to press forward, but Bester saw otherwise. Since everyone was too caught up in impatience and wanted to get back on track immediately, it might just backfire.
They just had a brush with danger and another mistake would surely spell game over for them. The aftermath had greatly influenced everyone, and they first needed to unwind their tense spirit. Leo judged that Bester was correct and went with thetter''s n.
"......I''m sorry. I was the scout, so the reason for all this was due to apse of judgement on my part. I also became a burden when it came to battle."
Coco apologized, appearing dejected with his performance. Parry gritted his teeth on the other side.
"If you''re a drag, then I basically yanked everyone''s leg down! I- I was strong enough to deal with those two immediately...... but I lost myself and my calm in the heat of battle!
That guy (Allen) warned me that experience was important for an amateur like me and suggested that I be an explorer¡ but with my stubborn belief that only the poor would take on the role of an explorer, I didn''t bother to delve into real battle during summer vacation! Call it my ipetence if anything!"
"No, but I gave everyone the sugges¡ª"
After waiting for L, Dol, and Sophie to also finish stating their reflections, Leo concluded the matter with his speech.
"......All the responsibility lies on me as your leader. We shall learn from our mistakes, but for now, we have to confirm what to do moving forward. First, the most obvious issue is our unexpected mana consumption when we¡¯re barely into our task. Particrly Dol, you already know this, but you''re in a bind right now with yourck of mana.
I¡¯m not reprimanding you, I was just hoping to rely on your light magic at night to light up our way while forming a group around the people with good night vision, so I only brought twonterns for ourselves.
We at least need to reach the 4th checkpoint by tomorrow''s dawn or else we would be truly hanging on by a thread. I need everyone''s thoughts on this matter."
Checkpoint, while it was a unit with an undefined term, represented the time needed to reach the said location by foot in this world.
For a simple exnation, in the overall distance of 120 km, about 80 km was up to the 5th checkpoint, and while remaining 40 km was half its distance, the increasing strength of the monsters and the ruggedness of the terrain added to the difficulty, thus causing it to take the same time as the first 80 km.
In general though, it was a criterion for the normal popce. But ss A, with their top-notchbat potential, could up their pace shortly after in the second half.
They all knew the risk of bringing as fewnterns as possible. But the condition of ''transporting 800 kg of backup supplies'' was really too heavy for them and now their n had backfired for taking that risk.
Then, just as everyone had fallen silent, cornered that they''d need to take a non-optimal route, Jeu raised her hand.
"......Umm, I have to say this is truly a scenario made up by Godorfun-sensei, the suprememander of the army. I dare say, he must have known about the nest of Gigantic Crows and included it in his n. If anything, he probably designated this route so that we would inevitably end up here.
But¡ on the flip side, he must be sure that we could ovee this if we move smartly. Let''s learn from our failures and move forward while making sure to minimize the risk. Since Fey-san and mine''sbat abilities are nothing to speak of, and we have surplus mana left, we¡¯ll carry Dol-san''s baggage for a while. In the meanwhile, Dol-san should focus on recovering his mana now so that he canter light the way, and from there, we should race up to the summit immediately.
As long as there''s a glimmer of hope, we can''t afford to lose our motivation here."
Following Jeu''s suggestion, Fey also chimed in, her expressionced with her typical snickering smile.
"Impressive insight! As your family motto says, dauntless and decisive. You''re truly a prodigy of the Levarance family!
But your holy magic is the lifeline of our group, Jeu. So I believe you should save your mana as much as possible. I¡¯ll carry Dol''s luggage. It would be easy if I just hung one on my back and the other at my front. Ah, but that would make me look ugly, so don''t you dare tell Allen, alright?"
Jeu nced at Fey with a somber look.
There''s no way it would be easier for Fey to carry two people''s baggage alone. They might end up repeating the same mistake if Fey''s mana also hit rock bottom.
Just as Jeu was contemting this, Berd raised his hand.
"......I only have mana and power going for me, so I¡¯ll carry Dol''s baggage first. Besides, Fey-chan had been carrying Dan''s luggage all this while too. I don''t think you can even carry more luggage for so long, right, Fey-chan?"
Fey giggled and nodded.
"You''re always so mindful of others, Berd. Alright then, but since my hands are free, I¡¯ll use the time to slightly modify Dol''s wand to make a makeshift torch. So please prioritize fire element monsters if you encounter them. I should be able to make something usable within this evening if we have a fire mana stone."
"Oh, I think one of the chicks of the Gigantic Crow L shot down had one...... You¡¯re going to remodel my wand? Err, i-it can be reversed, right?"
Fey just chuckled, muttering ''maybe?''
Seeing Dol''s face twitch at Fey''s reply, everyone else broke into chuckles. Jeu once again raised her bright tone.
"We fumbled earlier in search of a shortcut, but aside from the rotating baggage, there''s no easy way out for us in this assignment. Just as L-san said, let''s make do with our small tricks and try to shorten the gap with that."
Appreciating Jeu and Fey for lifting everyone''s spirits, Leo then asked Coco.
"......Frankly, we don''t have time to take that other route. But is the forest now safe for us to go through? Our decision will be affected by our degree of confidence, but it would be unwise to jeopardize everyone''s safety due to that."
Coco assertively nodded.
"Enough time has passed for those stray Gigantic Crows to return to their nest. And also, they''re not nocturnal monsters. It should be fine as long as we don''t make any ruckus."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"It''s like we''re on a hiking trip...... What do you think Allen, should I learn wind magic too? It seems like anyone can learn this technique as long as they put themselves to work, huh?"
In an amazed tone, Ste asked me.
Our journey through the mountains had been smooth. Well, I would credit my wind magic for that though.
Your average wannabe monster would immediately flee when threatened with wind magic. While we may have had to fight some belligerent monsters, there were no surprise encounters. Overall, it was just like Ste said, it was no different from hiking.
Of course, we did take a roundabout way if I spotted a troublesome monster, effectively avoiding battle.
At first, Ste gave me a doubtful gaze when I told her my wind magic could thwart most monsters from attacking.
"I¡¯ve heard that through the application of outer mana cirction, it''s possible to intimidate monsters. But are you saying you can keep that monster-warding aura 24/7? What a ludicrous story."
It was always better to show than to just tell, wasn''t it?
When we trekked through the mountain trail like we were on a hike, even crossing the 5th checkpoint that she was so wary of, with little to no monster and even wild animal encounter, Ste finally had to recognize the greatness of wind magic.
My answer to her question was¡ª
"Should you learn wind magic, huh? I believe only you can answer that. After all, what''s your end goal?"
As if she wasn''t expecting such an answer, her face harbored a doubtful expression, but as she saw me waiting for her answer, she quickly replied.
"......I want to be a strong knight. To be the strongest knight out there."
I asked further, "For what reason do you want to be the strongest knight?"
Perhaps thinking I was cracking a joke with her like usual, she stared at me with a re.
"Is there something wrong with just wanting to be strong?! I''m serious here!"
I stared back at her with a solemn gaze.
"I''m also serious. It''s just as important to think thoroughly about your path."
Seeing that I looked serious, Ste fell silent.
"I''m not researching wind magic to be strong. To live however I want, this is my sole reason to seek strength. Also, wind magic for me is something that I just want to do. When I saw that by manipting mana I can control wind, I knew I just had to do it, because it''s fun.
It would be putting the cart before the horse to neglect wind magic to pursue strength, at least this holds true for me. Meanwhile, the process and goal is reversed for you, isn''t it?"
"......I don''t get it. So you''re saying wind magic won¡¯t help me be strong?"
I shook my head.
¡°I''m not confirming or denying anything. This is why I¡¯m saying it''s just as important to think of how you want to see yourself in the future, and how you want to chase that path."
"How I want to see myself in the future...?"
I nodded solemnly at Ste''s mutter.
Leading a vague life with no firm goal was just a recipe for a regretful future. I was about to say that, but I swallowed back those words in the end.
"I was dispatched along with the other members of the knight order during summer vacation to subjugate a Dark Wolf pack."
As I spoke to change the mood, a faint jolt crossed through Ste''s eyes.
"Dark Wolf...? A stray group you mean?!"
......Hmm, was it something to be surprised about?
"No, it was a mission to clear out a pack led by a variant they named ck Lightning."
"......I didn''t know you''re already on a high enough level to tackle subjugation missions, much less take on a nomad wolf pack with a named variant¡ It''s out of the topic, but did you know that the Dark Wolves created a demonic disaster on arge scale in our Achilies territory a few years ago......? So you could say we have some fate with them."
With an unconcealed bitter smile, she urged me to continue.
"Well, I didn''t get the chance to y anything though. The subjugation was led by Suzunami-san,mander of the 6th legion, and Dante-san of the 3rd legion.
They''re strong as heck, just out of anyone''s league, and honestly, just as cool. Meanwhile, my wind magic helped in keeping the pack in check and also in noticing the peculiar attack of the enemies.
I believe that thepletion of that mission gave me a lot to think about, like the impact of an individual''s strength versus the strength of a group. Well, in short, I just want to say that strengthes in various forms."
"......Forms of strength......?"
Maybe it must have started to click in her mind as Ste murmured and fell into thought. From here, she had to seek out the answer that lies beyond on her own.
Before long, as I continued to drive away the monsters, making sure Ste¡¯s thought process didn''t get disturbed, Ste finally came out of her thoughts.
"It doesn¡¯t look like I¡¯ll get my answer easily...... but I understand when you say it''s just as important to envision how I want to see myself in the future, and why I want to be a knight¡ I¡¯ll give it serious thought. But thank you, Allen."
Ste said, a lonesome smile stuck on her face. But unlike her usual expression, where she had her brows creased, her current expression showed a faint glimpse of her child-like innocence.
"By the way, the other guys researching wind magic have been putting in bone-breaking effort, even more than me, but it seems like they''re still struggling.
Even Dan has been desperately learning it for his objective which is ''Sailing''. This is why I suggested that you not join unless you have a concrete objective in mind."
"O-ohh... t-that Dan is putting in so much effort......"
With a cramped expression, Ste hung her face downward.
I firmly nodded. After all, one must know what they were getting into when they were thinking of walking the path of a Wind Mage!
Vol. 1 - Chapter 145 - 1st Scenario (6)
For the second day, the main squad relentlessly marched forward in the daylight.
It started when they saw it wasn''t possible to raise their speed at night in their current situation and taking another shortcut through the forest was a risk they couldn¡¯t take again.
In that case, they thought, why not push themselves during the daylight when it was possible?
To further push them forward, they got attacked by a swarm of poisonous moths at dawn, causing several of them to get paralyzed. Fortunately, they got cured with some antidotes they brought and Jeu''s magic, and they managed to get through in the end, but at the cost of their precious time.
So, to ensure they could cover as much distance as possible while the sun was still out, they pushed themselves and left the mountain trail, traversing the shortest route while kicking away any monster they came across, all without a single moment of rest. Their persistent effort made it possible for them to reach the 6th checkpoint by evening.
Now, as long as they can keep their current pace up, they should be able to reach their destination 3 hours before the initially appointed time.
But they didn''t achieve it without a price; the wounds on their bodies were the consequence of their impossible march.
They had fine-tuned the weight of the luggage for everyone ording to their capacity to keep an average pace, a necessity due to everyone''s varying mana capacity and uracy of physical strengthening, so everyone had been equally tired.
However, this had put their important resource, their mana, in jeopardy. Adding to their problems were their exhausted bodies,ck of sleep, andck of nutrition¡ª while they had some portable emergency rations, it was far from enough to provide the necessary nourishment for their growing bodies.
It was probably only a matter of time before their physical abilities, as well as their judgment and thought process, took a nosedive.
It didn''t seem like they were in the condition to sustain an adequate pace. Far from finishing early, it was doubtful if they could even make it in time.
Their jitteriness bred impatience, impatience led to mistakes, and those mistakes in turn put more burden on themselves.
The students of ss-A continued to press on in silence, not even a chu~ could be heard between them.
¡ªBut the more painful a time was, the more they had to face it head-on.
Thinking so, Al, the always happy-go-lucky guy by nature, had just looked up, shifting his gaze from his feet, when he noticed a column of fumes rising somewhere in the middle of the 6th and 7th checkpoint.
"Hey, there¡¯s a plume of smoke there! Is someone fighting monsters, I wonder...?"
With a fed-up ''What, monsters again?'' expression, everyone also looked up. Their reactions stemmed from their almost continuous encounter with monsters, which had increased further after they crossed the 5th checkpoint like what Ste had told them.
"This is¡ the fumes are from a bonfire. I¡¯d bet all of my money it''s Allen."
Coco''s words, as he spoke with a sigh, made everyone react.
"A-Are you sure? It had barely been 30 hours since those two left the grasnds. Imp is at least 250 km from there, and there¡¯s also an additional 150 km distance from the grasnds to here. It¡¯s impossible even if they take a shortcut through the mountain.
I know he¡¯s not an average guy, but I really doubt that even he can make it here so quickly while dealing with monsters. Ste¡¯s with him, too, remember? This is a mountain trail, so they may be just explorers camping out."
Shal wore a ludicrous expression but Coco firmly asserted.
"Allen¡¯s the only one I can think of who¡¯d dare start a bonfire at such a conspicuous spot. It''s also in in sight of us, which ensures that we¡¯ll see it no matter which route we choose to take. I believe it''s his signal to meet at that ce.
He didn''t leave any instructions about this just in case he couldn''t make it due to some mishap. He didn¡¯t want to raise our expectations in vain, but from what I had seen of his skills, I believe he would surely be able to meet us early as if it was a smooth sail for him even with Ste in tow.
Well, even I didn''t expect he woulde here this early though......"
Hearing that, Jeu''s lips curved into a pleasant smile as she chuckled.
"Fufu. It''s hard to tell what he did to meet us so early, but that Allen-san for you. And, ''Every task appears monumental until you actually carry it out to the end''...... was what he had said, and lo and behold, he truly has achieved the impossible."
Al also continued with a vibrant tone.
"Haha! Alright! Let''s all push forward with the same passion! I bet those two must have pushed themselves hard to reach here so soon as well! He wouldugh at us if he saw our long faces!"
Allen was waiting for them.
It was a simple fact, but it swept away the doom and gloom that had been hanging above everyone, unwittingly putting them all in a good mood.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Heya~, great job reaching here! I can already smell the insidious scheming of that old geezer from your expressions. Anyway, here''s some grilled meat, take some and rest! I¡¯d like to make some soup, but do you have a pot I can use?"
When I asked while appreciating them for their hard work, everyone instead crumpled on the spot like deted balloons.
"......H-How are you still so energetic, Allen? Didn''t you, like, rush here, crossing the mountain, to meet us? Don''t tell me you hitch a ride on a magic car to get here?"
Viz asked in exasperation, and my reply was¡ª
"As if I could''ve found one in this wilderness. So rude. Anyway, my initial guess was that we¡¯d meet somewhere between the 7th and 8th checkpointter tonight when we left the grasnd...... But Ste proved herself to be an excellent navigator that it felt like we were on a hike for the most part.¡±
""H-Hiking......?""
Everyone gasped.
Leo followed while gnashing his teeth.
"In the end, it really ended up as you said; you¡¯d be cleaning up our mess. As much as it frustrates me, my leadership can only carry us to this extent. Everyone has truly put in every ounce of effort they can."
Uh-huh, this guy was at it again...... With a bitter smile on my face, I pped on Leo''s shoulder.
"You managed to arrive here without Ste, who just happened to be the important piece inpleting this task as our navigator, oveing all of that old geezer''s schemes. Your presence here right now is proof that you¡¯ve done your best. You know, I expected you guys to be around here and that¡¯s why I chose this location.
I bet there must have been plenty of puzzling options you could go for, but no matter the choice, any other shortcut must have had more cons than the current one.
Heck, the fact that you wasted no time in assigning Ste to the messenger squad was a testament to your skills. Also, not just anyone can push this group to follow them at the same rhythm. It would have definitely been a deal breaker had it been anyone else, so chin up."
Leo¡¯s stern expression slightly loosened on hearing my words. The rest had been wearing grim expressions as well, but their faces now appeared slightly brighter.
"Then again, there''s no way you would back down from giving your all when you give it your 100% no matter the situation. That¡¯s something Viz would do after all, ahahaha!
Alright, I''m getting hungry. We''d been waiting for you here, believing that you would arrive at any moment. This is the meat of a Darre Buffalo I yed earlier. It¡¯s apparently a must-try ording to Ste."
"H-Heyyy, even I gave my 100%, alright?!"
As said I took a jab at Viz for his earlier remark, everyone broke into chuckles.
Yes, that''s the spirit. It''s these bright and cheerful smiles that should be the centerpiece of outdoor sses!
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"It''s so delicious, I can''t believe it!"
Jeu''s eyes glittered as she gingerly took a bite of meat.
The reaction wasn''t unique to her. The members of well-off families, too, were showing enraptured expressions as they took bites off the huge grilled meat hanging from their daggers¡ª and I mean it was truly a huge chunk, like those of a Brazilian churrasco.
The meat was simply seasoned with salt, but as they say, there was no better spice than an empty stomach. Including the mountain scenery and thepany of friends, it must have been a new experience for almost all of them, which further added to the meat¡¯s taste.
Meanwhile, Fey hovered around me, saying ''Quick, praise me. I really did my best here.'' And I truly didpliment her from the bottom of my heart, saying ''I can tell so you don''t need to exin. Heavy lifting is the specialty of a gori girl after all!'' though she gave me a hard pinch on my cheeks for that while smiling. Sheesh, I really thought my cheeks were going to fall apart.
"Damn, you don¡¯t look tired at all......"
As I muttered myint while rubbing my cheeks, tears almost falling from my eyes, Leo spoke up.
"But this time, it''s definitely your fault though. She really did a lot of the heavy lifting this time, whether it was sharing other people¡¯s burden or lifting everyone''s spirit...... By the way, I was wondering, why is there no sign of a monster attack here?"
While gracefully nibbling on his meat, he asked.
The others were also eating in the same way with the same unboned meat, but somehow it appeared more graceful when he did it.
I guess this was simply the difference between upbringing, huh?
"Well, there were many who were lured in by the aroma but I had been warding them off with my wind magic. Lately, unless it''s a strong monster, my wind can intimidate them well enough."
Leo fell silent for a moment when he heard that and shed a bitter smile.
"............Haaa. So that''s it, huh? This was how you managed to arrive here so quickly, and even this tranquil mealtime is all due to that, right? I really did overlook your true intent, masked behind that skirt-flipping magic moniker......
It truly transcendsmon sense, and the application is truly fearsome. It''s a pity I suck hard when ites to finely controlling outer mana cirction. Right, no wonder you said ¡®Having Ste with you would be better for the bigger picture¡¯. So you had foreseen this oue from the beginning, huh?"
Hey, hey, I never did appeal to it as a skirt-flipping magic, alright?! What happened in the Rising Star Cup was¡ out of my control!
"......There''s no such thing as absolute, you can never tell what you might face whenever. However, the only absolute was my conviction; I would make it happen in any way possible. The rest were the byproducts of that.
Anyway, enough chit-chat, my special springtime soup is ready~."
I urged everyone to try the soup I had made with utmost care. However, the liveliness that the crowd had managed to get back suddenly took a nosedive after that.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 146 - 1st Scenario (7)
"H-Hey, what''s with the silence? I mean, I know it doesn¡¯t look appetizing, but you¡¯ll never know unless you try it!"
While stirring the soup, dyed purple due to the nts I had used as ingredients, with bubbles bursting out, I once again asked everyone to try it only to again be met by crickets noises from them.
The bubbles were, of course, just a simple urrence due to boiling, and not the result of some ult-ish fermentation.
"There''s plenty to go around! Feel free to ask for more!"
For the third time, I strained my voice, but there was only an iprehensible tension weighing down on us all as none of them made as much as a chuu sound.
It was as if execution was waiting for them should they open their mouths.
Even Al, the bundle of optimism, was staring intently at the flickering bonfire while trying to avoid eye contact with me.
Then, with the intent to protect his ssmates from the disaster, Leo stood up with a determined expression.
"It''s impossible to make up our mind unless we know precisely why we''re eating it. I want your reason."
Like a diplomat sweating his way through negotiation, Leo repeated the same words I had once prattled to him when he had found himself stiffly facing Sora''s breakfast.
But¡ why in the world would my soup require willpower to drink? Sheesh, was heparing my cooking with Sora''s breakfast......?
They seemed to have taken me for someone with a bizarre pte, but I definitely didn''t intend to pull them along with my whims in cooking though.
......No wait, I think I once taught Al and Coco the culture of hotpot in a dark party as a prank when we worked together on explorer requests.
The hotpot in a dark party was where everyone brought their own ingredients, and the catch was you¡¯d never know what the others brought with them. Then we¡¯d blindly throw our ingredients into the pot, letting it simmer, and then eat it in the dark.
In such cases though, the others would mostly bring something that shouldn''t be put into a hotpot andter tease the others who got their ingredient.
I often heard the other students in college in my previous life chatting about their hotpot-in-a-dark-party adventure, I was quite envious of them.
Once, I heard them say that the climax of one of their parties was when someone picked up a cowhide shoce. However, seemingly most of my exnation went over their head as Al ended up with exactly that, but he mistook it for noodles and slurped it forcefully in one go which...... certainly didn''t age well.
It was my fault back then, and I wouldn''t be surprised if word about that circted among the others, probably with the story being exaggerated, and that hotpot was dubbed as my culinary masterpiece.
I replied to Leo innocuously to dispel their unfounded worries.
"Why should you eat it, huh?......
Well, the simple exnation is to fill the stomach with a delicious meal, but if you want more reason, then this soup is made from ingredients that boost the natural recovery of mana and stamina¡ Oh, and the ingredients are from Dolman Sheep and the roots of the wild nts I had gathered on our way here.
I can assure you that there''s no harm and only benefits in eating this if you want to continue enjoying the outdoor ssester."
My exnation garnered bewildered looks from everyone. Bester then asked me, summing up everyone''s thoughts.
"W-What''re you thinking, Allen? Recovery-assisting drugs are said to inhibit your future growth, and their use has been forbidden in the Academy''s training, have you forgotten?
There were other medicines in that warehouse tent, but there was not a hint of recovery drugs among them. They¡¯d mark us as losers if they find out."
Argh~, these guys just had to be so hard-headed, for damn sake!
There was no way this would cause you to lose your potential, and the effect also dissipated with time.
Well, constantly using professionallypounded drugs might truly hinder one¡¯s growth, but the soup was far from that and was made from natural ingredients.
I looked around and saw everyone shared the same look as Bester.
Damn that smelly fart, considering everyone''s personalities, he purposely made a half-assed exnation and let them make their own assumptions......
"Bester, first of all, stop putting the training we had done in the safe environment of the Academy with the harsh outdoor ss environment on the same pedestal. Tell me, what was stated in the Academy''s guidelines on the goal of these outdoor sses?"
"What the goal is...... It''s to train the student''s stamina and spirit while in nature¡¯s embrace, I guess?"
"Right. Now what do you think is the meaning of being in nature¡¯s embrace? At least for me, I believe it means to take the items weck from our surroundings."
Everyone fell silent at my words.
They wouldn''t have been able to reach a conclusion when the answer was ambiguously hidden. An ambiguous situation was in itself a trap for elites. But still, they were too slow......
If anything, It would be easier to directly ask Godorfun, who had been surveying the situation here from afar, but it seemed like no one had caught a whiff of his well-concealed presence apart from me.
Godorfun appeared to be trailing after the main squad quite seriously. Well, I could understand where he wasing from.
¡ªIn case the students met a mishap where all the roads were closed, he would appear to deal with it.
Certainly, if everyone began to share the same thoughts, the outdoor sses would lose their meaning.
The much-neededponent, pressure, would be non-existent then.
First of all, the world outside of the towns or cities here was fraught with danger that looked innocent at first for a normal noble ormoner, and if luck wasn''t on your side, not even the presence of Godorfun could save you from the jaws of death.
Though I believe they must have taken their respective measures to reduce the variables as much as possible, the risk of ''monsters'' could never be reduced to 0. It was even more so when you were within the mountains.
Monsters often had their defined territory, but the ''spawn spots'' like in RPGs don¡¯t exist in reality.
Hence, the most effective way to minimize the risk on an individual level ¡ª to raise one''s strength aside from drilling the required training during normal sses ¡ª was to dispatch the students outside of the constructed safe haven to have them actively face the dangers.
For someone who simply was all talk, but never once faced that precipice, they would never been taken seriously, no matter their status or position.
This analogy wasn''t just for the military as the same could be applied in other disciplines like fishing, farming, or business.
A useless civil servant, who was nothing but a mere arm-chair expert since the beginning would never receive the tremendous authority that came with the status of a Royal Academy graduate right after graduation.
My exnation got long-winded, but in short, since that geezer was keeping his presence concealed, me exposing him would probably be evaluated negatively.
This was something I would like to avoid for everyone''s sake.
In that case, I could only try to get through to them with my words.
"Do you know the phrase¡ª A healthy diet is the secret to a long life?"
They looked puzzled when I asked them this.
Well, of course. I would be surprised if they somehow knew a saying from Japan or China''s traditional Chinese medical culture if we were to trace its roots.
"Before saying anything else, the line between meal and medicine is a delicate one. Like, do you think the meat you''re eating now has any specific effect? Do you know how the salt sprinkled on it behaves inside your body?
If you tunnel your vision on one thing, then by that standard only the portable emergency rations from the warehouse tent are the sole option you have for food. Do you really think itplies with the goal of ''being in nature¡¯s embrace''? Taking a few steps back, do you think this is what Godorfun wants?"
"The answer Godorfun-sensei seeks......"
I nodded to Bester''s mumbling.
"What I¡¯ve understood is that this is a test to see how well we can adapt when we find ourselves stranded from our usual support like in urgent subjugation missions or hostile territories.
Thest time Godorfun had breakfast with us in the dorm, I still remember his words: They survived by eating tree bark when enemies assaulted their camp on the battlefield. Only by doing that were they able toe back home.
In short,e hell or high water, we must make it back alive. This tenacity to live and strong will is what they''re expecting us to exhibit in this outdoor ss.
Viz had asked me if I hitched a ride on a magic car and honestly, if I had the means, I would definitely pay for a carriage or anything else toplete my mission. Well, it''s bound to gain a negative evaluation though, right?"
I finished and then stirred the creepy-looking soup again.
I already said my piece, so now it was up to them on how they would take it.
I doubt that it woulde to this, but if we were to fail, I was confident I could protest against it and make him reverse his decision.
But then again, in contrast to me who didn''t care about which ss section I was in, they probably had much more at stake.
Leo seemed like he wanted to say something, but then he just closed his mouth.
Maybe he wanted to say ''Just eat, I¡¯ll take responsibility'', but it was something they had to decide for themselves instead of following the policy in an imagined scenario.
Due to this, if they dropped from their ss, the aftermath would still be unchangeable even if Leo said he¡¯d take responsibility.
Just as the silence got too suffocating, Dan, who had looking at everyone¡¯s backs from behind, uncharacteristically spoke.
"......I¡¯ll eat it. When the opponent is nature, it''s not surprising to lose your life if you have bad luck. You¡¯d want to recover as much as possible no matter what. Compared to life-threatening risks, I doubt ss ranking matters that much. Besides, if I do drop out from this ss, I have the confidence to once again raise my rank by the 3rd year."
"Atta boy, Dan! Right, we just need to get ourselves up even if we fail! ......I guess I was still underestimating this assignment. I will eat too!"
When even Al chimed in, it didn''t take long for others to show their will sessively.
Bester, who had always been a staunch conservative in such scenarios, agreed at the veryst, pushing up the bridges of his sses.
"The ideal situation would be to keep the risk minimum on both fronts. I just can''t bring myself to blindly take risks like you, Allen. However now that we''ve been stranded with dim hope, eating is probably the only logical solution. Alright, I will eat. However---"
Pausing in his words, he fixatedly stared at the soup I was stirring.
"Only if someone takes the lead first and they don''t suddenly turn purple or starting spouting bubbles."
" "...............H-Hey, that''s unfair Bester!!" "
D-Damn you all, is that what you say to someone who take care of you!
Hah, fine then. I will also not try it first then, no matter what.
Then, a fierce battle of...stone-paper-scissors began between them, their expression as if they''re facing their mortal enemy.
And the loser was, needless to say, Bester himself.
Well, the more you think about ''oh god, I don''t know what I will do if i lose here so save me'' the more you''re destined to fail. The ssic Murphy''sw.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After the meal, we all took a 30 minute rest in shifts and then left the respite point.
By the way, my soup received avnche of rave praises.
Then again, I had received the recipe from Riyad-senpai himself, so there''s no way it would be unptable. However Bester expression, as it was dyed in the colour of despair, looked so funny that I kept quiet until everyone had a taste.
"You know you really are a sick person, Allen. Everyone would have jumped to try it if they had known the soup was from Riyad-senapi''s recipe. Do you know almost all of my energy was spent on thinking how to get away from drinking that?
Then otherwise, who could have thought meals can make the body so lighter~, no? Sure enough, Riyad-senpai is amazing."
Al said while cing his hand on his shoulder, rubbing in in circr motion.
Well, it''s also easier to feel sleepy when your body is bathing in afortable sensation, though I kept quiet about it.
The preconceived notions were hard to change so easily after all. Though other reason was also that Al etc had taken their 30 minute power nap,pletely trusting my wind magic.
"The key point is to crush the veins of the leaves from a citrus nt called the ''Yansa tree'' and add them. Yansa trees, which are widely distributed throughout the country, are rtively easy to find due to their distinctive fragrance.
This helps to eliminate the meat''s odour while simultaneously enhancing its medicinal properties.
Of course,pared to properly formted medicines by specialists, the effect might be somewhatcking."
The effect of these leaves had been simr to that of bay leaves urel) in my previous life.
Aside from Al and Coco, who had worked with me as explorers, everyone else looked at me with sceptical eyes.
To these people, whose futures were basically set, it must seem strange that I possess knowledge akin to that of a cook.
Even as an explorer, top-level explorers would typically hire porters or cooks and spend money to avoid having to procure their own food on-site, so it¡¯s more of a hobby.
I did it simply because I enjoy it, so I wasn''t surprised if they found my words doubtful.
"Alright, now I shall reveal the special recipe that I have made by myself."
With a grinning expression, I eximed.
Engaging in idle nothingness, we trekked along in the dim path under the night sky. As the elevation increased, so did the number of belligerent monster, unfazed by my wind magic intimidation, so it wasn''t exactly a hiking like scenario this time, however we did managed to reach 1km right before our rescue point around 5AM, before the first crack of dawn.
The main squad decided to temporarily halt there, meanwhile Dan I creeped toward our objective, and after taking a nce at the situation around we returned back to give our report.
In our scenario, it was a defence point hijacked by foreign force, though it was actually a deprecated stone building.
It must have been abandoned quite a while ago. Though I''m not an expert, maybe it was the type of ce they called ruins.
There were two entrances, from front and back.
"......If we ought to recapture it, then I think mounting a full frontal attack aligning with the dawn would be a better option. The more we wait, the quicker we might be discovered. Do you know what it''s from inside?"
I shook my head in response to Leo''s question.
"It''s hard to check it from outside. They have magical tools to prevent detection magic ced around. Well, they should have ced somewhere recently."
Leo nodded.
"Understood, then I ask you to keep a tab on enemie''s reinforcement and their vignce level and the situation around. Ste, Parry and I would be the forerunner of our assault team while Dan, Regi, Viz and Berd would be holding the rearguard.
We will be leaving our luggage here. Shal, Kate, Dol and L; you will be guard here. The remaining one shall encircle around the target, keep some distance and follow Feyrune''s order. Any objection?"
Leo fluidly remarked his order.
Confirming that no one had any doubt, everyone moved ording to n. And once it was dawn, the assault group broke in.
The inside of the building apparently had be the nest of a hairy, short three-eyed monster---Murun. There had been quite a lot of them but the assault team suppressed their enemies swiftly and precisely.
Afterward, we carried the support supplies to the defence border.
In achieving so, the long drawn 1st scenario of ss 1-A safelyes to an end.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 147 - Behind the 1st Scenario
The National Border Station of the Yuglia Kingdom''s Northern Legion, located somewhere 5 km west of the assigned make-believe defense border that ss A had secured.
While there wasn''t much to speak of about its size, a part of it had been used as an office for the current outdoor sses.
"I can''t believe someone managed to clear the scenario devised by Esteemed Older Brother, moreso by first-years...... Their unity is really impressive."
Viscount Zeifun Wangyus, the younger brother of Godorfun, shook his head in disbelief.
As someone who had been providing support from behind the scenes, like opening a part of the territory for the current outdoor sses, he had been privy to the details of the scenarios devised by Godorfun.
Then again, they were receiving their duepensation from the Royal Academy for their help, plus they also had the authority to receive the monster materials hunted by students during their tasks, so the situation was quite favorable to them as well.
"Unity? No, their performance has long since surpassed any other records. This task, , of Sir Godorfun would normally be used to beat down any leftover naivety from the new recruits of the knight order.
Originally, the task was for 2 squads with 8 members each to carry 800 kg of supplies, allowing for some flexibility in numbers. However, for rookie knights, it''s an exercise they fear as a grueling hell march, leaving them almost spitting blood.
But ss-Apleted it in merely 44 hours and 20 minutes, not to say four other scenarios are also waiting for them ...... How did you bring them up to this level, Sir Godorfun?!"
The next voice came from Tim, the vicemander of the 5th Legion, which was in charge of leading the northern troops. He came to take a look at the performance of promising seedlings from the outdoor sses.
He was an expert in tracking and scouting, so it was easy for him to make out the details even from afar.
The tradition was that aside from their ss teacher, there would be one knight with exceptional scouting ability from the knight order joining in to judge the abilities of the students of outdoor sses per ss. However, since their presence might overwhelm the students, they adopted the stance of staying hidden from the students¡¯ sight.
"Fuhahaha. If anything, I¡¯m just as surprised. I know how tough their endurance runs were, but their coordination has surpassed even my expectations. Frankly, I was expecting them to already be arguing with this pressure, but...... now I¡¯m looking forward to how they¡¯ll surprise me again."
Godorfun said, his lips twisting into an impish smile.
"......I presume this is the effect of living together in the general dorm that I¡¯ve heard about, huh? I thought it was some kind of gimmick or trend, like experiencing poverty, but I guess I can''t look down on them anymore.
They stillcking in martial abilities, but their endurance for their age is truly monstrous. Speaking of which, I¡¯ve also heard about the Hill Road Club, something that Sir is an advisor of, seemingly running around the premises of the Academy every morning before the start of the day."
Godorfun stroked his beard, looking amused.
"You''ve heard it right, Tim. Their monstrous endurance is due to their own effort in their morning club activities. Therefore, their practical lessons have currently been suppressed to some extent, but even then, their sses drain almost all of their stamina.
Do you know what that implies, Tim? Despite stamina training being often boring and repetitive, with effects not always immediately evident in the short term, the prodigies of this generation still sweat it out non-stop, pushing themselves to the limit nearly every day. And all that at their current age.
......I want to train my body and mind, especially the mind, huh?
It is quite a simple phrase when you say it, but not many know about the intricacies behind it. The teachings of Master Schord drilled into that kid are all simple and clear at a nce, but only when you stop to think about them do you see the vast meaning hidden within them."
Tim audibly gasped.
"The rumored teachings of the ''Unceasing Prudence'', is it? I dismissed him to be just some passing rumor, but the performance right before my eyes is¡ certainly a p to my face.
To be frank, I expected Sir to go rescue them when those ''Mystic Foxes'' suddenly appeared. But while I was flustered in my heart wondering if I should take action seeing Sir''s inaction, Leo Zatsinger wiped them out easily. They are alreadyparable to the knight order''s recruits with their strength and of course along with their monstrous endurance."
Godorfun showed his acknowledgment of Tim''s words,
"It was just three Mystic Foxes, but each of them was stronger than your normal monster. With their elusive nature and hard-to-spot nest, it was just a matter of time before the damage spread to themoners and even explorers before a subjugation request coulde to the knight order,
It was fortunate that they killed them, though these kids will surely count it as their misfortune."
"......However, I¡¯m more astonished to see Leo Zaitsinger fitting in so perfectly in his ss. It''smon for prodigies of his level to not match gears with their ssmates and fight under a lonely banner.
It''s just that the sight I had envisioned was wildly different. When people like him be loners, it''s actually normal that they would build walls around themselves. Yet, he had been working together in tandem with his ss like salt in water.
So it has been such a treat to see that instead of falling into what was usually the norm, Leo was able to lead the ss of prodigies naturally without any shes of egos. It naturally makes me admire him for pulling that off. And he''s every bit¡ no, abnormally strong."
At the rave reviews of Tim, Godorfun stroked his beard with a pleased look.
"Haha, it''s really not a bad feeling to hear your pupils get praised. I guess I¡¯ve finally slipped into my role as an instructor, huh?
But indeed, they all are children of various talents, waiting for someone to guide them on their journey. So, have any of the students caught your eye besides Leo Zatsinger, Tim?"
At Godorfun¡¯s question, Tim tilted his head, his expression one of extreme dilemma.
"Weellll~...... It''s really a tough question because they¡¯ll get an instant okay if they apply for the 5th Legion...... It''s not easy to drop Dan-kun either, but¡ I guess Berd-kun is the most interesting among the bunch."
Godorfun squinted his eyes and asked Tim, "Oho? What led you to that conclusion?"
"The students of the Royal Academy are all prideful and possess incredible strength, but Berd-kun instead had been keeping a clear outlook to keepmunication between the team members coherent rather than just focusing on himself. His caring personality was apparent from his subtle movements.
But, he¡¯s soft, not spoiled, and Sir''s teaching was not lost on him as well. Also, that supportive spirit he has for others isn''t something that can be taught, it should be his inherent personality I guess.
He may not have shown much martial prowess, considering his preference to support the others from the back, however, I¡¯m sure he could be a fine tactician knight. There''s nothing to speak abouttent potential, with good teaching he¡¯ll surely be a historical figure."
That praise seemed like it struck a chord with Godorfun.
"Fuhahaha! You do know your stuff well, Tim. It''s a thorough evaluation, just as I expected."
Then Zeifun Wangyus asked Tim, "How do you see Allen Rovenne, Tim?"
Tim became silent for a while and then shook his head.
"It''s just...... hard to evaluate him. Since Sir had informed them of the path through the steep mountain trail, I had arranged a squad from the Torveil army to watch the route to see which path he would choose. However...... I didn''t receive a single magic bird informing me about him, but here he is, suddenly appearing on the route of the main squad out of nowhere.
Meanwhile, we also had an unexpected increase in monster attacks after he joined the main squad. We had to distance ourselves or else we would have been discovered by them, so I couldn''t assess him well.
I have heard about him being trained by the 3rd Legionmander Dew-kun, but I can''t believe that simple detection magic would grant him a way to look for a shorter, more optimal route. I wonder how he did that. Does Sir know?"
With Tim''s question, a bitter smile spread on Godorfun''s face.
"He really got me there, too. I hadn''t expected that he would decide to bring Ste Achilies without a second and that they would be gunning to join the main squad as early as possible. He also knows her ability like the back of his hand, and only by trusting herpletely was he able to achieve this miracle.
ording to Dew, that brat had been truly devoted to learning everything he could about detection...... wind magic, as he says, and he¡¯s already surpassed Dew with the range he can detect.
He¡¯s been thoroughly researching and learning about wind magic in the Academy¡¯s Emission Magic Club. Honestly, I had alsoughed at his idea, which had been hidden in obscurity, but what that brat had done in the tournament...... cough it''s really hard to endure my mirth recalling his antics."
Godorfun said as he once again stroked his white beard.
"While notparable to that brat, I believe that as long as it can be confirmed that anyone is capable of using wind magic with enough training, I¡¯m sure that the kingdom will support him.
Mujikka, the advisor of the Emission Magic Club, has been putting effort into learning wind magic too, and is seriously examining this possibility. After all, the theory that wind magic is based on has already deviated from the source of modern detection magic...... Hmm, but don''t reveal that to anyone, alright?"
Tim and Zeifun were instantly speechless.
"Anyway, he didn''t use any trick or anything. And while it''s generally impossible to extend the mana radius to such length and drive monsters away, that brat is capable of doing that. It''s as simple as that.
I presume that you¡¯ve yet to read Rosetta''s report about the Brier Barony''s Dark Wolf Subjugation Battle this summer. That brat has already figured out our position, by the way, even though you brought a magical tool to prevent that."
Tim''s jaw almost dropped to the ground when he heard that.
"I wouldn''t im myself to be unrivaled, but a 12-year-old kid being able to see through even Sir''s movement? But neither his expression nor bodynguage shows that he has......"
Godorfun sighed.
"Because that''s the kind of twisted person he is. After keeping an eye on him for so long, it''s easy for me to tell. He¡¯s definitely noticed us. The monster attacks were no coincidence but were instead instigated by him.
In short, that brat has just used us as his sword. Even though I hadn¡¯t expected that brat to beat me like this, I admit that I did fumble here."
Godorfun shook his head in dismay while Tim audibly gasped.
"......So Sir mean¡ he already expected how the second half would y out?"
"s, he beat me to it and I can''t tell how far he has anticipated for the situation to turn this way. But I may have some ideas."
Godorfun said with a bitter smile and after a long pause, he mumbled and sighed.
".........Let''s adjust the tasks. It wouldn''t be training otherwise."
Zeifun, the younger brother, was astonished when he heard Godorfun''s words.
Certainly, the score was determined not only by the time the tasks were finished but also considered the difficulty and the aplishment of the tasks. Therefore, the score tended to increase as these factors improved.
However, if a student managed to shorten their time through ingenuity and quick thinking, only to have the difficulty of the tasks raised afterward, no amount of effort could reduce their time.
This approach didn''t seem fair to the studentspeting for speed in the sspetitions. And Zeifun knew his brother well; he hated such maniptions.
"But Esteemed Older Brother, that would be¡ª¡±
"I¡¯m well aware. I¡¯ll ask for forgiveness from the kids after the outdoor sses are over. But I must have them learn the strength to never give up through this training, to make them remember ''the desperate urge to live''.
For that to happen, I¡¯ll dly ept their hatred. After having so many war brethren take theirst breath in my arms...... this is a must to avoid that fate."
As Godorfun solemnly turned and walked away, his back seemed less like that of an indomitable warrior feared by many to Zeifun, and more like that of an elderly teacher trembling at the thought of losing his students in the future.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 148 - Second and Third Scenarios
The third day of the outdoor sses, 10 in the morning. It was also the deadline of the 48-hour time limit given to us for the first scenario.
For the remaining time after we captured the supposed defense post, we all took turns standing guard and sleeping like logs in one of the dpidated stone buildings when Godorfun-sensei appeared before us.
¡°Ho-ho-ho. So it seems like even you guys aren¡¯t impervious to exhaustion. You guys need to take good care of yourselves in these sorts of situations, alright? Moving on, I will now reveal the next scenarios.¡±
Confirming his entrance, I first decided to clear the worries of the others that had been causing them to lose sleep.
Sure, from my ssmates¡¯ point of view, it might appear as me intentionally poking the bush to draw out the snake when Godorfun-sensei himself hadn''t brought it up, but the point was that he already knew. Also, my ssmates were serious to a fault, so the guilt of possibly cheating would continue to haunt them which could prevent them from bringing out their full potentialter on.
¡°Excuse me, Godorfun-sensei, I want to confirm something first before that. When we were taught about the outdoor sses¡¯ curriculum, my understanding was that any and all supplies must be procured from nature in the outdoor sses. However, I still want to confirm, does using the ingredients that are typically used in recovery drugs, which are banned in the Academy, result in losing marks?¡±
Godorfun-sensei chuckled at my question.
¡°Fumu. I guess I forgot to exin it, huh? First, yes, there''s no problem. Frankly, I¡¯m surprised you have the energy to ask about such a trivial question after going through this exhausting first scenario.
The outdoor sses are held for you to learn this very lesson: toplete your tasks using everything in your arsenal, whether it be your intelligence, prowess, or anything else. However, beware that there are also poisonous ingredients in the mountains. Keep in mind that you¡¯ll only have yourself to me if you ever fall into that sort of situation.
It seems that there''s no more questions so let me reveal the second and third scenarios.¡±
¡®I forgot¡¯, my ass. This geezer must have thought it would be interesting to see our reactions and kept mum about it.
Meanwhile, the invisible tension on my serious ssmates had been visibly relieved.
¡°Listen carefully then.
2nd Scenario ¡ª As you¡¯ve recovered the fallen base, the enemies might attempt to take it back, so you ought to strengthen the defensive capabilities of this border post in the next 72 hours as much as possible. All that you¡¯ll need is the 800 kg supplies you¡¯ve brought with you. The leader is Allen Rovenne.
3rd Scenario ¡ª There''s a marsnd ¡ª Mer Marsnd to be precise ¡ª 60 km southeast of here. A report has revealed that the poption of the Dark Ferrets nearby there has sharply increased.
You¡¯ll separate into two teams: one team will chase and corner the Dark Ferrets towards the marsnd, while another team will lie in ambush in the marsnd. Defeat at least 20 Dark Ferrets and return to the defense post within 36 hours. The leader will be Shalum Halloween.
There''s no restriction on how you want topose the teams. However, the leaders must take charge of their respective scenarios. That is all.¡±
¡¡What the heck?
The gimmicky second scenario had me totally bbergasted.
¡®Strengthen the base¡¯ as much as possible was all about putting in effort with no set baseline that needed to be achieved.
I dare say even just making a wall using the trees around the base might be considered a pass too. The score would basically be settled depending on the amount of effort we put in. The only aspect that made it dicey was the obscure condition to pass. In that case, I presume the hint was in the ¡®72 hours¡¯ time limit¡¡.
I had to bolster the defense of the base to some extent within 72 hours, and how far I could take it would determine the task evaluation, presumably.
And again, the third scenario was just as confusing to me.
ording to the Canardia''s Monster Encyclopaedia, Dark Ferrets were exceptionally nimble monsters with extreme wariness. They often turned into hungry demons before winter came, so I could understand how their huge poption would pose a threat to the local ecosystem.
However, why were they sox with the situation that they''d wait until it was time for our outdoor sses instead of dealing with it immediately if the situation was so dire?
Besides, the order on how to hunt them down was also bugging me.
Ambush, simply put, was the act of setting up abat area or kill zone in advance and positioning the troops in such a way that they remained concealed from the enemy or prey, allowing for a surprise attack on the target.
I nced at Coco, but he too shook his head, unable to decipher Godorfun¡¯s intention.
However, the answer that I sought came from the leader of the third scenario, Shal.
"............What Godorfun-sensei told us is the hunting technique of Halloween viscounty, which has been gued with the Dark Ferrets¡¯ overpoption, every year.
They''re not strong monsters, but they''re extremely agile and can climb up trees in a sh, so hunting them inside your regr forest is an almost impossible feat. However, their agility suffers greatly when they try to swim their way out of stream or marsnd-like water regions. So one group would usuallyy in ambush near a body of water, the predetermined hunting ground, meanwhile another would deliberately chase them toward the said hunting ground.
However, the problem is¡ª"
Shal exined as her face came closer to shedding tears.
"The hunting session typically takes ce in summer. Since the Dark Ferrets have exceptionally cautious spirits, the hunting team must stay in the water no matter what, lest they get found out. Often, you¡¯d have toy in ambush for as long as half a day.
However, the water is too cold in this season, so it''s impossible to stay in the water for more than 30 minutes....... unless we use our mana to defend against the cold. It wouldn¡¯t take long to defeat 20 of them if their number has propagated to extreme levels, but remember that if it came to that, and we must chase them away from the forest...... then the hunting team in the water would have hell to go through."
Silence befell everyone at her exnation.
"Y-You''re being too petty, you damn old geezer...!"
Now that I had an idea of how tough it would be for the Shal-led team, I immediately raised a voice of protest. However, Godorfun simply squinted his eyes, saying ''What''re you talking about?'' while stroking his beard before making his exit from the hypothetical base, a ruin.
Damn, that dastardly old man had done it now...... He definitely wanted me to stay away from my ssmate''s circle...... Yet again, my springtime, my hot spring seemed to be a distant dream......
The supplies we brought had axes, shovels, hammers, basically everything we needed to bolster the defense of the base.
I guess my n to divert the monsters toward Godorfun and the other pursuer, seemingly also someone strong, to make our location safer had backfired.
He must have assumed that the second scenario''s location would be far enough to make us sweat. So he instead fiddled with the subjugation number to make Shal spearheading the third scenario a tough walk.
I could only think of these assumptions considering the wildly different scenarios along with Godorfun''s expressionless face.
Above all, I don''t think he would have given us two parallel scenarios, even without me sending monsters their way. It was nearly impossible.
Besides, he shouldn''t have anticipated that I would deal with the monsters by using them as decoys. All my assumptions were hinting that all these were ater patch up.
The second scenario would obviously be hard to tackle considering the third scenario would ideally require you to assign as many people as possible. If my assumptions were correct, then the desired ordeals that Godorfun had wanted us to face would perfectly even out ording to his n.
......I swear I was going to make that shitty old geezer cry a river of tears one day. I affirmed it in mind and suggested Shal.
"......The second scenario has no baseline to cross for the time being. So first focus on tackling the third scenario with everything you have.
However, these must be a reason for bolstering the defense of this post within 72 hours. It would be nigh impossible for me to do everything alone, and I don''t think it would be a sound idea to wait until everyone returns. I need at least one more person to stay here."
Hearing my words, everyone looked at each other in puzzlement. Then, Fey took a step forward, her eyes shining with a zing radiance.
"Aww, it seems like this frail maiden would have to take up manualbor yet again, huh? But then, I believe you¡¯ll soothe my muscle aches with your massage, right, Allen?"
"Stop daydreaming, you and Leo are obviously needed in the ambush party. The squad members would either have to have huge mana or fine mana control to use their mana as a shield for a long duration."
However, as I cleanly cut her idea down, she protested with a teary face.
"How cold! You would really have a frail maiden like me lie in the marsnd, drenched for who knows how long? Ohhh, wait, maybe you¡¯ll share your warmth with me through skinshipter? Hmm, I think I can give my 200% that way."
Hey, hey, no one wants to cry about this more than me, alright? me Godorfun for all this absurdity.
With desperation in my voice, I shouted.
"We don''t have time to be wishy-washy!
......I can totally understand your hesitation if you had to remain still in cold water all alone, shivering from the chill. But look around, you¡¯ll have your friends who''ll jump in the water with you! That''s youth! Cold? No, I''m jealous, dammit...! What I would do to take your ce!"
Everyone was momentarily dumbfounded at my sudden outburst about the mysterious youth analogy, my jealousy, and how I would kill to be with them. But soon they shed bitter smiles, saying ''Oh good grief¡¯.
Al for some reason burst out inughter.
"Pfft! Hahaha!...... It all depends on how you decide to see the situation, huh? It''s just like you. Alright, since my affinity lies with water, I shall be in the ambush team too! Let''s work together and make a quick return!"
Damn you, Al! Do you really have to rub it in¡?!
Leo, meanwhile, let out an exasperated sigh and continued.
"......What''re you saying, Allen? Your ability is obviously for the chase group. It''s impossible to leave you in the youth group. Anyway, who do you want in your group?"
After that, I named the ssmate I wanted in my group. They looked surprised for a moment, but perhaps because they were affected by Al''s earlier positive mood, they nodded with a determined face.
Later, I saw off everyone''s departing back that was flourishing with a sense of solidarity, a definition of youth, with gritted teeth.
T/N - So apparently Shal was a girl, as the author stated in his note. ssmates list if anyone is wondering¡ª
Leo Zatsinger (Leo)
Daniel Sardos (Dan)
Feyrune Von Dragoon (Fey)
Bester Von Stocud (Bester)
Jeuri Levarance (Jeu)
Shalum Halloween (Shal)
Kate Salkanp (Kate)
Allen Rovenne
Rudolf Austin (Dol)
Margrait Stea (Magi)
Aldol Engraver (Al)
Coconial Canardia (Coco)
Regina Sanhurt (Regi)
Visques Lawyunkurl (Viz)
Elena Iskandar (Elena)
Parry Abenil (Parry)
Sophia Bransh (Sophie)
Berd Yuniwance (Berd)
L Von Liancool (L)
E/N - Poor Allen. This has been the 2nd time Godorfun has singled him out ever since this outdoor ss arc started though I understand why he did it. Allen could probably carry his ss through these scenarios by himself with all the experience he has with his explorer and knight order work.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 149 - Bolstering the defense of the Border Post
"Now that they''ve left, I guess we should start working as well."
It would do me no good to stay irritated about the matter either way.
The outdoor sses would be past half their one-week duration by the time our ssmates returned from their Dark Ferret subjugation mission, even though I''ve been looking forward to it before. So for now, I ought to do what I must and keep my eyes on the goal which is the hot springs.
I fetched some paper and a pencil from the supplies and ced them on the top of a stone underneath the sun.
While I was setting my stuff up, Bester, the sole person left with me in this second scenario, asked with a puzzled expression.
"............Why me, Allen? Frankly, we''re hardly more than simple acquaintances. Neither do I have experience on handling base defense, you know."
Well, I guess so...... I mean, there was no way either of us had experience with such stuff.
"Well, good that you ask. Because, as the leader of the 2nd scenario, I concluded that you''re the best pick for bolstering the defense of this post."
I candidly replied, though Bester shook his head.
"......It doesn''t exin anything. I¡¯m second in academics after Leo, so if Leo is required for another mission, I would be the next pick. I know that well, but we have yet to learn how to set up fortifications. In fact, it''s what second year and above grade students learn in the knight course. I¡¯ve personally peeked into it as I was a bit curious, but I''m from the civil servant course so what I¡¯ve read is just the very basics."
I couldn''t help but chuckle wryly at Bester''s reply which was so much like what you would hear from a top achiever. Though props to him for trying out the second year knight course curriculum while being a civil servant course student just due to curiosity.
I guess he must be quite a study nerd. Well, it barely had anything to do with why I picked him, however.
"My decision isn''t based on your academic grade or course. And you¡¯re right, we''re acquaintances at the level of nodding to each other when we meet at most. Besides, the knowledge you''ve learned from textbooks bes almost useless when ites to actual practice.
You need to be in sync with your body and mind while actually trying things out. Only then will you gain a significant amount of experience. And these outdoor sses are exactly for umting this kind of experience."
The more I spoke, the more confused Bester looked.
"I will rephrase my words: you would have still been my pick even if Leo hadn''t been needed there. It''s just a simple reason, honestly. I hypothesized what would happen if the base was attacked and then who would be the best pick for protecting it. The answer I arrived at was¡ you, Bester. You''re the guy for this job."
A surprised expression appeared on Bester''s face once I exined it again.
"Are you for real, Allen...? Frankly, I can''t think outside the box like you, nor am I capable of instantly analyzing the situation and courageously taking risks like Dan. And there''s also the fact that I''m rock bottom in firepower in contrast to Leo.
If you really want to ssify me...... I''m more of a steady guy. Even Ste is far better than me inbat."
I firmly nodded to Bester at his analysis.
"Ahaha, and that''s what I exactly mean. You''veid it out clearly. First, when would we need bizarre ideas when we''re in a defense post?"
Bester fell silent at my question. Though I bet he should have realized where I was going.
"Right, it''s when we''re on the verge of losing. Taking risks is no different. You have to choose the least objectionable option when cornered.
Also, Leo and Ste''s abilities are only a part of their character. If things were left to Leo, he would juste up with the most basic ideas that would be full of openings. Well, he himself hase to realize that as well while acting as the vice-president of the Hill Road Club, and I think he would rather pass the duty over to a more fitting person than to shoulder everything by himself.
A steady person isn''t as bad as you think. They will think of all the possible scenarios and try to minimize the risk variables as much as possible. And a base under such a character is what raiders hate most. Well, when ites to offense, you also need to disrupt the enemy''s rhythm rather than just holding down the fort."
I candidly shared my unfiltered thoughts with Bester. For some reason, his face looked like he was about to cry, and he took a deep breath.
"......I honestly thought you found it tough to deal with me."
I asked him, "Why?"
"I mean...... you''re the type who would happily jump into a fire and retrieve the chestnuts without a second thought. On the other hand, I''m the type who would carefully inspect a stone bridge three times before even considering whether to cross it. It shouldn''t be possible for contrasting personalities like us to bepatible, no?¡±
Both Bester and I then burst out inughter at his analogy.
"Sheesh, you really have a sharp tongue. I¡¯m not the kind of guy who would recklessly jump into a fire...... yeah. I would only do it when I know it''s safe and the chestnuts are really wafting out a delicious scent. And in case it isn¡¯t¡ª I¡¯m sure it should be something I¡¯m doing against my will. Don''t you think life is more interesting with different types of people? Besides, I used to be quite simr to you.¡±
"Heh~, you were? What kind of childhood did you have?"
I squinted my eyes as I took a trip down memoryne, about the past which wasn''t about the childhood of ''Allen''.
"......I didn''t study because I liked it like you, I wasn''t really interested in anything. I just believed the words of those around me who said it would be advantageous for my future employment to do so. Because of that, I studied like a machine. A child with no merit other than being serious and diligent."
"Tell a more convincing lie next time," Bester remarked after a pause and yfully punched me on the shoulder.
Afterughing together for a while, we each got back to our respective work.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
I had Bester go over everything about the defense n, while I went out to procure the food and supplies we¡¯d need in case of a siege. When I returned to the base at around 3 PM, Bester had finished preparing the groundwork for solidifying the defenses, which included the various risks we needed to address.
The list he had written out, covering the risks against both monster and human attacks, was so thorough that it was almost exasperating how he had managed to think of such meticulous and negative scenarios.
"I followed your advice and wrote down the risks categorized in a tree diagram."
I wielded my leader''s authority and passed on the systematic cause analysis method known as FTA (Fault Tree Analysis) from my previous life to Bester. It was a method typically used to determine the possible causes after an incident has urred, but we were applying it to possible scenarios instead.
"Impressive, Bester. I truly hadn''t expected that you¡¯d put out that much in such a short time."
Bester snorted and adjusted his sses when he heard what I said.
"I know it''s impossible to formte a n against all possible scenarios in just 72 hours, but you did say to write down as much as I could. Now we need to prioritize and select which ones to focus on, right?"
"Yup...... I guess, let''s temporarily take out the monsters from the scenarios. If we prepare for human threats, we should be able to handle a lot. After all, this is a ''border defense post¡¯. There''s hardly any reason to protect this base at any cost from something like a stampede. I¡¯ll ask Coco and Ste if there are any monsters around here that we should be careful of once they return."
Well, some would ask, wasn''t it better to keep the monsters out of the equation from the get go? But it was precisely due to that, we had to have theplete details about the possibilities before we could act.
It was easier to get a full picture when you could see everything in a single nce.
When he heard me, Bester nodded without showing any dissatisfaction.
"Roger. In that case, a n that would do well against human enemies with feasibly fewer risks within a given time frame.... would look something like this."
Bester quickly sketched a simple design. It involved surrounding the base with threeyers of wooden fences, each with staggered entrance directions to hinderrge-scale attacks, and constructing an emergency escape route underground along with building a watchtower overlooking the ruins.
It would indeed take little time to get it ready once everyone was back. However...... seeing that n was treading too much on the safe side, I immediately rejected it.
"This won¡¯t work. Itcks an adventurous spirit."
Hearing my clear rejection, the creases on Bester''s expression deepened.
"A-Adventuruous spirit? I think that¡¯s thest thing¡ª"
"Listen well, Bester! We¡¯ve been stranded in this ce by that smelly geezer, depriving us of the chance to make those precious, colorful memories of our youth! Do you not feel the urge to get back at that old geezer at least once?"
"What? But you''re the one who picked me, Allen. I don¡¯t¡ª"
"I knew you¡¯d understand! If something bothers you, just make your homeroom teacher cry! This is why Bester Von Stocud is the Royal Academy ss 1-A''s !
That''s why I can''t believe you cooked up such ame n after pointing out the plethora of risks. What are you, a mother-inw who is content with just finding faults with her daughter-inw?¡±
I said while running my finger on the stone pedestal''s surface, akin to removing the umted dust on a TV stand, and blowing away the dust that had gotten on my fingertip.
"W-What''s with that guardian nonsense? Didn''t I just exin that I have no experience with constructing bases?! Besides, this building is nothing more than a ruin, and I doubt it hardly has any connection with the border defense. It''s also not suitable for defense. Frankly, I would really suggest the earlier n given the limited time and human resources¡ª¡±
I pped my hands at Bester''s idea.
"So that''s the gist of it! You''re really amazing, Bester!
You''re right. We really don''t need to limit ourselves to this ruin. Let''s do this: we¡¯ll build the watchtower from your earlier n, and use this mountain terrain to our advantage, turning it into our stronghold. I think I¡¯ve found a way to drag that old geezer down to our level!"
Bester, however, protested with a pale face.
"Woah, woah, stop right there. What the heck are you thinking, Allen?! Why are we even challenging Godorfun-sensei!? Also, it''s just impossible to turn this mountain into our stronghold in a mere 72 hours!!"
"What? No, we don''t need toplete it. The scenario given to us was to ''bolster the defenses of the re-captured outpost in anticipation of an enemy attack as much as possible within 72 hours¡¯.
With such a vague goal, there''s no problem thinking about what''s necessary to defend the border and expanding the outpost ordingly. If anything, Godorfun would rejoice at our work.
We''re going to have the 4th scenario after the 36 hours mark for sure, and the 5th scenario will definitely be a defensive battle. We don''t need to take every scenario of that geezer too seriously. It¡¯ll only pressure our side in this war of attrition! Anyway, we''re going to proceed with my n no matter what!"
Bester''s expression tethered on the edge of horror¡ª or using the analogy from a manga, it was like his soul had slipped out of his mouth, as he came to aplete standstill when I conclusively announced the roadmap for the second scenario as its leader.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 150.1 - Bolstering the Defense of the Border Post (2)
)
That night, Bester and I decided on various policies regarding our ns for the defense post.
I have to say, while exploring together with Al and Coco was nice and all, but the little talk you have with friends while looking at the bonfire just scratched a different sort of itch.
"Speaking of which, what do you think of the Diarmaq territory, Allen?"
Oh? The Diarmaq territory ¡ª or the House of Marquis Diarmaq as it was officially called ¡ª was the faction that the Stocuds, a quasi-noble family and Bester''s home, had been serving for generations.
The quasi-nobles, in simpler terms, were the families that had sworn allegiance to other nobles, outside of royalties, whose authority were above Count rank.
There was no limit to how many quasi-noble families could be, but they also needed to secure sufficientpensation, so their poption stayed on the lower side.
In terms of standing, they were even lower than a baron family who had been appointed directly by royalty, but this was only on paper. There was no question on who had more authority between a quasi-noble who served a marquis and a baron family from a faraway hintend.
As for my answer¡ª
"Why would I have any opinion on them? If something had happened before, I''d probably long since forgotten it."
He was probably talking about the time some fellow named Ruderio Von Diarmaq or something, the 2nd year senior with a creepy vibe, came barging in while saying he wanted to join the Hill Road Club.
He kind of acted like a clown, shouting that I should transfer the presidency of the club to him, or that I¡¯d never have a peaceful life if I dared oppose him, which I ignored. Though it seemed to have further fueled his unreasonable me of fury.
Back then, he had been acting behind the scenes, hindering other students from joining the club. The situation had continued until Godorfun handed down his verdict on the assignment he gave to me, so up to that point we barely had any 2nd year students or anyone from the Diarmaq territory.
During that time, Fey and Jue were quite ready to take on the challenge as theymented "It''s clear he wants a beating. Huh, you''re not going to act? Ufufu, you want me to take care of it?" or "Let''s turn him into a lesson for others. Alright, Allen-san?" with cheerful voices. I had to use my authority as the coach and pressed for a ''wait and watch'' attitude.
Frankly, I had been in quite a pickle back then with the incessant stream of applicants despite the fact that I needed to focus on clearing Godorfun''s assignment, so Rudge-senpai was instead a savior in my heart, if anything.
"Haa. You really don''t have any reaction at all. And that attitude of yours had been getting on the nerves of Ruderio-sama."
Bester said with a wry smile.
"What about you then? Was there any recuperation after you joined the club? I¡¯m sure you were the only student from the Diarmaq territory we had back then..."
After all, I didn''t think anyone could have so easily gone against the will of Rudge-senpai who bore the title of ''Von'' meant only for the present head of the family...... unless there were undercurrents beneath that pushed for it.
"Ah, well. Marquis Romelio Diarmaq, Ruderio-sama''s father, told me to prioritize forming connections with the other factions above all else.
Just take it from the Rovenne family''s perspective: who would forsake the chance to sweeten up their connection with the Dragoon, much less the Zatsinger and the Levarance? I¡¯d be the odd one out if I had left the club when the rest of the ss was a part of it."
"Ohh~. But isn''t Rudge-senpai the present head of the family? You decided to prefer the Marquis''s word over him?"
When I prodded him with a question that piqued my interest, Bester made an expression that said ''You really do have to ask the obvious, eh?''
"I see you''re stillcking inmon sense for such obvious things...... It''s all but decided that Ruderio-sama will be bearing the crest of the Marquis in the future, you''re right, but¡ it''s only for show due to the Academy enrollment. Most of the authority still lies in the hands of his father, Marquis Romelio.
Fey, too, has that since the title of ''the present head'' bore a thousand times more weight than ''present head candidate'' in politics. It''s not without its caveat, but the benefit of transferring the title at an earlier stage still outweighs all kinds of demerit in the Academy''s politics. Of course, a brighter talent earns recognition faster, and some even earn it during their stay in the Academy."
That was certainly a gap I missed.
Oh well, we were just a viscount in name from an almost nameless ce who had no connection with power struggle, neither did I have any intention to dip into that muddy water. Everything was new to me in this case, so I have an excuse even if he said it wasmon sense.
"Uh-huh, it''s like you''re stuck between two hard choices, huh? You''re just following the present marquis¡¯ order, but that doesn''t remove the fact that you''re antagonizing Rudge-senpai, who¡¯ll be your superior one day. It must be a hassle."
Bester, however, put up a self-deprecating smile.
"Frankly, it''s not a hassle for me...... not when I am already an eyesore to him."
And then, Bester began to tell his story.
¡ô
Bester, while bearing the name of Stocud, came from its branch family.
He was bound to have a life simr to amoner when you put quasi-nobility on top of being a branch family member together.
In the usual course, his excellence started to show itself in elementary school, and when it was seen that even his mana had an outstanding growth, his family was swiftly contacted by Marquis Diarmaq, and the conversation started to shift about adopting him.
Marquis Romelio Diarmaq initially intended to use him as a whetstone for his talented son while having him as a spare tire in case of an unfortunate situation at the same time.
Though of course, the good ol'' deep-seated factions couldn''t let it happen and due to the overwhelming opposition, Bester was eventually set to be raised in the main house of the Stocud family.
While Bester had no chance to seed in the inheritance as of now, what had almost happened already pushed Rudge-senpai to consider him as a snake eyeing his possession, considering Bester might gain the position if he was wed into the Marquis family or adopted again.
The struggle climaxed around the time when the rumors about me having a verbal spar with Godorfun over the assignment result, pushing him to change it, gaining the authorization to enrol into knight order from His Majesty, and even getting into apprenticeship circted around.
While the other 2nd years sharing the same hometown refrained from joining the Hill Road Club in their consideration of Rudge-senpai, the same didn''t hold for the other students and in the end, it was just the Diarmaq people that remained singled out in one corner.
Apparently, Rudge-senpai had even started a club simr to the Hill Road Club in response as he led an anti-Hill Road Club movement. Though the club was immediately disbanded with a word from Marquis Diarmaq, he even endorsed the other students from his territory to join the Hill Road Club.
Meanwhile, the movement turned into a loss for Rudge-senpai in politics, which greatly chipped away at his prestige as well back home.
And so, the old hatred inside him ovepped with a newfound grudge for the both of us ¡ª I was hated because I was the one who established the Hill Road Club and the precursor to everything, and Bester, because he never budged from the club ever ¡ª as if we''d killed his parents.
"......Unless life takes a new turn, I¡¯m contemting bing a schr andter expanding on it. I¡¯ve probably exined it a thousand times that I have no interest in taking over the title of Marquis since childhood to Rudge-sama, but it''s clear that he never believed me. And now...... he isn''t even ready to listen to me."
Bester concluded his story on a dejected note.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 150.2 - Bolstering the Defense of the Border Post (2)
Uh-huh...... I could rte having no interest in the hodgepodge that was politics and frankly, I couldn''t see myself being interested in it in the future as well, so I never paid attention to what happened in the background.
The thing that intrigued me was Bester''s future n. I didn''t know that he liked to study so much that he wanted to be a schrter down the line.
Adding firewood into the bonfire, I cheered him on, my tone nonchnt.
"You sure have it tough too, huh?...... Well, you should go for whatever you like because it''s your life!"
Bester''s head drooped in dejection.
"You don''t say...... I heard from Fey and Jeu how you let Ruderio-sama continue his shenanigans, and asked them to ignore him despite having plenty of means to sort him out.
You know, even those two were taken aback at your way of doing things. They didn''t know your n all along was to thoroughly crush him on that spot so that he would have nightmares recalling it.
I mean, yeah, it was Ruderio-sama who picked a fight with you first and the fault lies with Diarmaq, but please, I beg you, hold back next time...... Due to what happened, there had been voices calling to nominate me to be the sessor. You have no idea of the lengths I had to go through to deny those voices!"
Bester let out a defeated dog-like howl, his expression extremely pitiable.
"Hahaha! It''s been so long that I¡¯ve even forgotten about Rudge-senpai, so there''s no way he would be plotting anything now, right? It''s all a coincidence, honestly!
Anyway, so you guys still have to care about your family¡¯s situation while in the Academy? Man, must be rough, eh? Well, not that it matters to a country bumpkin like me, ahaha!"
Talk about wasting your youth and friendship just for family politics. I¡¯m amazed anyone would do that.
Bester heaved a heavy sigh.
"Haa~. You really surprised me¡ No, I¡¯m scared that I don''t even feel that you''re joking.
I mean, the situation was already under scrutiny as everyone''s eyes were on Fey and Jeu, guessing if there would be a confrontation after the entrance exam between the Dragoon and the Levarance, who were like cats and dogs. As individuals, they got along just fine, but you know their caliber and personalities...... However, your presence immediately brought both of them closer.
The Marquises had to hold meetings many times and decided to hold a youth gathering at the end of summer vacation, right after the first term. You should know the significance behind it, since you actually did show up there.
Zatsinger, who had a neutral stance in politics, had BBQ together with the Dragoon and Leverance people in Rovenne''s house. Furthermore, there are even rumors that Leo is considering bringing the two families, Rovenne and Zatsinger, together through marriage.
''I''m just a country bumpkin, you say?'' You really have the nerve to say that when the Kingdom is ushering in a wave of transformation capable of repainting the current power structure."
......That damn Leo...... I didn''t expect him to make a move on my Elder Sister behind my back. Out of all things, he just had to focus on that even though they were supposed to be ''neutral''.
Hmm. Frankly, I was fed up with all the talk about politics, and I really didn''t care about what could happen.
It was pretty much an everyday thing where someone out there would make their own head canon and spread it around. I would then wait until everyone was bored with that topic.
Just as I was thinking about that, an idea suddenly struck me.
¡°Well, I had no hand in most of them, alright? But you''re right, it did cause significant trouble for you. You know what, let me tell you a mega ssified secret that not even Jeu, Leo, or Fey knows to even it out.¡±
Eh, what kind of monumental secret could I possibly have? Hehehe, it was of course¡ about my mother¡¯s family.
There had been too many times when I was asked about it, which obviously caused others to be interested in it as well, but I had no idea if it was even fine to reveal it, so I had been stalling for a while now.
However, when I ryed Imperial Guard Commander Randy¡¯s message to mother via letter while also apologizing for letting that slip up happen, her reply came as¡ª "Please tell my brother that I¡¯ll visit him on my next visit to the Royal Capital. I had been expecting someone to figure that out sooner orter, so you don''t have to take it to heart. Now that my brother knows, there''s no need to keep quiet about it."
Basically, it was no longer a ssified secret. I had passed the message to Randy-san as well, so it was just a matter of time before it became another talk of the town.
"A mega-ssified secret? I get all jittery hearing these things from you...... I never pegged you to be the type to gather some intel or share them."
Bester said as he looked at me with caution.
"C''mon, it''s hardly like that. I''m sure you¡¯ll be stunned silly though. But¡ª"
I grinned and said, "I would like to hear something from you too. Oh, and don''t worry, I''m not gonna dig into your secrets."
Kukuku. I should be able to pry out the answer from his tightly sewn mouth with this information which had yet to spread.
However, immediately noticing my snicker as I concocted my n, the idiot steadfast Bester shook his head.
"......You know what, let''s not do this. I have a bad feeling seeing that creepy smile of yours."
Uh-huh, but there was no room to escape. I ignored his words and dropped the bombshell.
"My mother''s name is Celia, and apparently she''s the little sister of Imperial Guard Commander Randy. I¡¯m sure no one has yet to get the wind of this.... except you now."
As I magnanimously revealed that fact, Bester suddenly shifted to a neutral expression as he quietly pushed up the bridge of his sses.
"............Let me confirm again. So you''re saying that your actual mother is the little sister of Randy Von Dosperior, the Imperial Guard Commander, which basically means that she has the bloodline of the main Dosperior family...... is it?"
"Oh, you got it, yup. But you don''t have to be surprised. I even saw some rando seemed to be aware of it for god knows why, so I thought everyone was probably already up-to-date with it."
"No-no need to surprise?....."
Bester crushed the firewood in his hand as he tossed it into the bonfire before continuing.
"Who the hell wouldn''t be surprised?! For the love of god!!!! Do you even have the slightest idea what you just bbered?! Not only is the Dragoon and Leverance already on your side, now even the Dosperior is connected with you?! My god, if Zatsinger bes your supporter as well, the power dynamic of the kingdom would be shattered thoroughly into dust!
I wouldn''t be surprised if the royal family takes this as a sign of rebellion! And the heck did you just say, only I know that? What the hell are you thinking, bringing me into your mess! I was right, I should have kept my ears shut!!!"
I waved my hand, asking him to take a deep breath and calm down, for now.
"Come now, I¡¯m not going to dip into a joint faction with everyone, and I¡¯ve already had a chat with His Majesty, so your fears are unfounded."
"Y-You had a chat with his Majesty!!? In the name of all that is holy, stop! JUST SHUT YOUR MOUTH, PLEASE! I only want to be a schr. Why are you muddying the water for me as well?! And before you get bummed out, I don''t have any information to share in exchange!!! Not even a fraction of it!!"
Bester beautifully performed a bow that he had been learningtely with a haggard appearance, and then red at me with teary eyes.
¡°Don''t sweat over such stuff and take a seat,¡± I said as I held him by the shoulders and brought him to a log in front of the bonfire, retaking our seat.
Then we silently stared at the bonfire for 30 odd seconds, and after loosening the atmosphere, I suddenly asked.
"Is there someone¡ you like, Bester?"
The mes flickered as the firewood made crackling sounds intermittently.
Perfect setup...
I finally pushed for what I had been dying to ask. Bester wore a bashful look, giving off an air of self-importance as if he was really proud of it, and readily replied.
"Huh? Ah, umm. Though it¡¯s more than a crush, I have a fianc¨¦ in ss 1-C. She''s the second daughter of Count Kayneridge, located in the Diarmaq territory as well. Her name is Kanon Kayneridge."
"Kanon Kaynridge...... You mean that sweet, adorable, and demure girl is your fianc¨¦?"
"Yeah. We do have a disparity in status, but our betrothal was decided when I was able to enter ss A of the Royal Academy. Honestly, I think she''s wasted on me¡ She''s been quietly supporting me from behind when my standing was being dragged into the water due to the Hill Road Club situation, never once trying to get away from me. Enough of that, what was that you wanted to ask?"
"...............By the way, what do you call each other?"
"Kan-chan, and Bes-kun.... Hey, don''t switch topics. I was asking something! Stop putting on airs!"
I crushed a nearby firewood, tossed it into the bonfire, and answered with a smoldering sensation inside me¡ª
"Go and explode, you Normie!¡±
T/N - Damn, all that setup for that¡¡MC really has one heck of personality. It suddenly ur to me, I guess Godotfun¡¯s assignment in starting was all along to push Allen up.
E/N - MC''sment about his ssmates worrying about their family situation even while in school makes me wanna facepalm. He really should at least keep it in mind, otherwise his dad will likely get a heart attack before he graduates ??
Vol. 1 - Chapter 151 - Before the Fourth Scenario
At dawn of the following day, Bester and I surveyed the terrain and the local produce.
Bester was the one who suggested it. Though we had taken turns sleeping, so that the other could keep watch, Bester for some iprehensible reason couldn''t sleep. He said something along the lines of ''My head may explode if I stop thinking'' with dark circles under his eyes while presenting the sketched-out n.
The n was actually quite exciting from my perspective as well, as if he had a sudden burst of inspiration while still making sure all our bases were covered. It was very much like him.
It expanded far from the simple setup we once had where we would have just used whatever we got our hands on. The n included strengthening the spots we absolutely needed to cover, along with other schemes to take down enemies.
Well, it would take years if we were to build everything with only the ss A students and with only the materials we had on hand. So instead of trying to cover the base uppletely, we would be putting our stakes on other aspects.
Following the list of priorities, we would be focusing on things that would help in beating that smelly geezer ck and blue.
Anyway, a survey was required to have a clear grasp of the area and also to note down the terrain and the local materials we could use to solidify our n before our ssmates came back.
I didn''t sense Godorfun anywhere, so I presume he must have chased after the other team to see how they had dealt with the 3rd scenario.
While pretending to collect materials, I was surveying the area and only found one observer from earlier. However, he must have felt that we had given up on difficult stuff like building fences due to theck of human resources and instead were doing the paltry stuff like securing materials.
"Is it really necessary to look around that hard?"
Bester was hoping we could start with the construction stuff to save whatever time we could. I nodded assertively at his words.
"¡ª80% of a n¡¯s sess is in the preparation. In everything, preparation is the most crucial step and it is what decides the oue more often than not. Whatever we do in a hurry would only be just a drop in the bucket. In that case, we might as well have the whole terrain under our thumb."
Bester blinked in surprise, then his expression suddenly cracked into a smile as he chuckled.
"80% is in the preparation, huh? It does sound great, I like it."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Our ssmates returned by 6 PM, though that old geezer was nowhere to be found. He must be taking a rest in a temporary headquarters somewhere nearby.
The deadline for their team was 10 PM today, so they were even 4 hours early.
"Hey~, you guys worked hard. You''re quite early, eh?"
I asked their leader, Shal.
"It''s because we had pretty much all the ss with us. But this also means the second scenario group wouldg behind, so I guess we''re at even¡ yup."
Shal said while interlocking her fingers with an aloof appearance. Though Viz''s expression seemed strange as he chimed in.
"What are you saying, it was mostly due to your effort that we managed to wrap everything up quickly. Haa, I bet even the teacher didn¡¯t expect the usually demure Shal would be a ''Monster Girl''..."
Shal''s face turnedpletely red when she heard him, eliciting a wry smile from others.
...Shal and monster girl? Grgh, what was the fun group event that happened, I so wanted to know.
"I so agree, I mean, no one had thought we would be hearing her from that thing''s stomach! She was in it for a whole night too!
I would have never believed that you could chase monsters that way if I hadn''t seen it myself. Maybe I should visit the Halloween territory during their festival season. I had heard rumors but oh boy, did that scare me silly. I thought we''d run into a giant monster!"
Al also chimed in with an excited look, exining some other tidbits.
Damn you, Al. Do you think I can''t tell that you''re bragging?
"How''re things on your side, Allen? From what I can tell, you have yet to begin with any of thebor stuff and focused on only gathering materials, huh? Where¡¯s Bester?"
Leo asked, tilting his head. So I replied while stirring the soup glistening in a green color.
"Bester seemed to have been struck with drowsiness so he¡¯s currently sleeping like a log inside the ruin. Anyway, you guys have this too.
.............Oi, what''s with that expression? Just so you know, Bester didn''t sleep for a whole day and night and was even drawing up the n until a couple of hours ago. This is also made from one of Riyad-senpai¡¯s recipes."
Everyone fearfully stretched their hands toward the soup.
To sum up their review¡ª it was so-so but had a medicine-like taste.
Well, this was made with whatever I could find, so it was closer to a medicine that focused on speeding up the recovery of stamina and mana.
"So he stayed up all night?...... He must have worked hard, then. I was sure you would rather decide everything quickly... This base isn''t that big so I¡¯m actually surprised that it''s taking this much time."
Leon murmured, and the rest of the group also nodded in confusion.
"Hmph, that''s why you lot are ordinary and he''s the pride of the Royal Academy, the Bester Von Stocud. All of you will fall on your knees once you see his n."
After scolding him for his rudeness, I then showed everyone the n Bester hade up with great dedication after we had finished our survey of the terrain at noon.
And sure enough, none of them were on their feet after I showed it to them.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Oh, everyone¡¯s back? Sorry, I had to take a nap."
When Bester woke up and joined everyone, Fey grinned as she called out to him.
"Good morning, Bester. Pfft!...... You know, I underestimated you. You really left me speechless with that grand n of yours, and came up with all of that within half of the 72-hour time limit. I wonder if that n from our Royal Academy''s greatest is supposed to face an army?"
Bester sent me a reproachful re and then sighed before he started exining.
"......This is just a possibility for the scenario. This border post is going to be attacked via the Roderia Mountain route. So the question is: how should the defense post be handled?
It''s obviously impossible to turn it into a mountain fortress within the time limit. And ording to Allen, we would definitely be given a scenario to defend this border post¡ and I have the same thought. So this is just what I had considered what we must do in that sort of situation."
And so, he exined to everyone about the border defense n.
"......Let''s assume that¡¯s true, then what''s your n to deal with the enemy using this route?"
With Coco taking the lead, soon the rest of the smart ssmates also expressed their doubts. Bester unhurriedly cleared up all of them.
"Amazing...... you really thought this through. If everything within the n can really be realized, I honestly don''t think I would be able to take this ce down even with five times the force. And even if we''re attacked, it would be a total wipeout of the opposite party for sure."
Once everyone had their meal, Dan shed a wry smile, seemingly exhausting all the doubts he could have asked.
After everyone voted for this n, Bester and I took turns taking the night watch as the members of the third scenario slept so that they could recover their stamina as much as possible.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Then I¡¯ll reveal the fourth scenario."
Godorfun appeared before us at 10 AM, just as the 72-hour time limit came to an end, and started revealing the next scenario to us.
The final destination of these outdoor sses was the holiday vi of the Wangyush family, and we werepeting to reach there first, so time was of the essence. Since every ss was given scenarios with varying difficulties, the score would surely be based on more than just the finish time, but...
I had no idea if finishing early and using the remaining duration for recovering our stamina would grant us a full score,ter giving us an edge. Or maybe it was just Godorfun''s thought to not rush the deadline after having a look at our situation.
"Scenario¡ª Five foreign spies, having acquired top-ssified intel, are nning to escape from the Viscount Wangyush territory and leave the kingdom through the Roderia mountain border route.
You have 36 hours to catch the spies. The leader will be Kate Sankalp. It''s up to you to decide how you''re going to split the ss with the second scenario team. That is all."
Nonchntly, I asked just in case when he was finished with his words.
"And I presume ¡®the leaders of each scenario are to stick with their scenario'' still holds true?"
However, Godorfun shook his head.
"So I would have preferred, but... I also need you to go through some team-building exercises. It would be all for naught if you can''t muster your best when needed. Hence this one condition is lifted for the fourth scenario. I¡¯m looking forward to your imagination."
Leaving these words, Godorfun departed.
"Y-You guys heard?! Finalllly! I can finally act in a team as well, hell yeahhh!!"
Kuh, I could finally have the outdoor sses of my life!
As I howled in excitement, the leader Kate, on the other hand, heaved a sigh.
"Haa...... I guess everything really is dancing in the palm of your hand, Allen. There are three routes the spies can use to escape from the Roderia Mountain and to the Kukora Metropolis Federation.
The question is which route would they pick and how should we proceed to pin them down...... Normally, we would have to hastily decide everything and thinly spread our members out to prevent the enemy''s escape."
Kate said and then unfurled the blueprint Bester had written out.
"But this n makes it obvious where we need to put our forces. We¡¯ll split into three teams under Bester, Leo, and I, and from there, we¡¯ll put our focus on setting up these bases for the next scenario while also taking down the spies."
After announcing that, Kate swiftly put down a list of the teams and where they would be deployed.
However, there was one w in her arrangement.
The gist of the fourth scenario basically said it would be impossible to move the army, and given the spy count, they could make their exit without standing out. The terrain gave them an advantage after all.
Yet, the teamposition was missing my name with no mention of it whatsoever in any capacity.
I could feel my cheeks strain as I ran my gaze over them, but no one would turn to look at me.
"K-Kate...... it''s a joke, right? I definitely can''t take another solo mission for the love of god!! If anything, I¡¯m full of energy after having my afternoon nap, so I definitely have no problem giving my 200%!"
As I identally blurted that out, all my ssmates turned to give me a distant look. Meanwhile, Kate curtly cut down my proposal with a cool face, giving the vibe of a typical ss president.
"......Sure enough, I had that nagging thought as well. Bester''s n required plenty of time to make it a reality, while we also would have to tackle the fourth scenario. I presume you had taken this into ount as well and had Bester sketch out the overall n, right?
But now that we know we can easily deal with the fourth scenario, I believe it''s possible to finish everything before the fifth scenario''s siege battle...... with everyone except Allen. We may have to push ourselves without you, but since you have so much energy to spare, then good luck, Mr. Solo handler."
S-So cold!
I immediately protested.
"Hold on! That afternoon nap was a slip of the tongue, I agree. And putting aside the fifth scenario, which is obvious, there''s no way I could have guessed what the fourth scenario cooked up by that geezer would be! What do you think am I, a god?!"
Kate however ignored me and asked Bester.
"......Say, what spurned you toe up with this absurd n, while Allen was taking his nap? I reckon you must havee up with a more realistic n, right? What were Allen''s words back then?"
Bester pushed up the bridge of his ss and replied.
"I objected to this n as well. But he said ''It''s not enough to make that old geezer pay'' or something and then immediately rejected my n."
With Bester''s words, Kate pped, urging everyone to get up from their seat.
"Alright everyone, we can''t let those spies pull one over us as well if we want to be the first. Let''s move immediately. We can''t leave this base exposed, so let''s have one person from each group take turns and build a fence with logs to block the view inside"
" "Alright!" "
Everyone got up on their feet in one breath.
"Hey, hey! How about you first calm down and have some tea? Ah, I see! This must be that old geezer''s n to iste me again! That damned liar, he really has no shame to say ''You also need to build teamwork'' for nothing! You shouldn''t take that old geezer''s words to heart, his words always have a pitfall!"
"You''re a sore loser, you know. There''s no way Godorfun-sensei would have known about our movement unless he managed to see Bester''s n. He''s not a god, right?"
Kate put an end to the conversation after that and left the ruins after making sure the others had left as well.
Huh, oi, I¡¯m not a god either......
Vol. 1 - Chapter 152 - A Strayed Boy
I have strayed from the path.
Once upon a time, I had a dream of enjoying the outdoor sses to the fullest, self-assured that I more than anyone else would have a st. Yet, here I was looking at the rugged precipice all alone and deep into the night.
The cliff was around several hundred meters tall with only a mountain road (?) of around 20-30 cm width to walk on. Though it was certainly not the best method, it was possible to cross the mountain by sticking close to the cliff.
asionally, there would be rocks appearing on the path, akin to those rat guard setups. I believe it should¡¯ve been impossible for any climbing expert or someone simr to Dan to climb up this cliff in this situation without the help of tools.
Also, treading on the mountain road also left onepletely exposed to the people beneath, and should they attack with arrows or magic, it would be game over. It was also a death sentence if bird-type monsters came to assault you, or if you slipped.
Even in the most unlikely scenario, I dare say no spy would think of taking this route unless they were absolutely cornered.
What I meant was¡ª with there being abysmal chances for the enemies to show up here, and also because the terrain made it possible to secure the spot alone, I was chosen to be its watchdog.
But, what was getting on my nerves even more was that I didn¡¯t feel anyone¡¯s gaze on me, neither Godorfun nor any of the other knight observers. I mean, yeah, I was a member of knight order, albeit temporarily, and I had been pushed into many solo subjugation missions by my Master, but I was supposed to be a ¡®student¡¯ of the Academy, damn it!
And look at their audacity, to leave me all alone in this forest¡
What they meant was obvious¡ª there was no oneing to use this path, so it would be a waste of time to stand watch here. I should receive a notification once my ssmates captured the spies, but who was I kidding, it was a scenario devised by that old fart.
I was sure it would be anything but easy. And then, as I decayed here in solitude, soon my much anticipated outdoor sses woulde to an end.
Well, maybe I was paying for my bbering mouth but leaving that aside, I was getting annoyed. Yeah, it was definitely Godorfun¡¯s fault. I cursed him in my mind while going down the mountain, following the wind.
I thought of making soup with the pot I had to kill the boredom, but because of the high elevation and with winter approaching, I couldn¡¯t find many materials.
Hmm, what if the spies decided to sneak in that gap? Like hell, I care.
This was training, plus I never gave a rat''s ass about the score. All along, I had been looking forward to the outdoor sses more than anyone else, and wanted to take a dip in the hot springs as soon as possible. Though I had also promised in my mind to get back at Godorfun as well.
It would surely bring down everyone if the spies managed to slip through due to my negligence, but¡¡
I was a stranded boy. No longer do I walk the path of decency.
¡ô
¡°It''s time¡ close the mouth of the bag and wring it. Also,unch the signal.¡±
At Coco''s prompt, Leo released a fireball up into the sky.
They had used nature¡¯s terrain, fences, rocks, and more to bait the spies and once they were cornered in a dead end path, the other students of ss A lying in ambush caught them.
The supposed spies, wearing sports team-like shirts with numbers on them, swiftly raised their hands in surrender.
¡ô
¡°I had heard about signs of the military making a move at arge scale in the Darre mountain range near the border post¡¡ and it turned out to be some training for brats.¡±
Wearing olive green clothes that blended well with the surroundings, one of the three suspicious-looking fellows spoke.
¡°But they¡¯re unbelievably skilled for their age. I think they should be students of that renowned Royal Academy¡ This is the hometown of that ¡®Indomitable¡¯ who''s recently acting as the director of the Academy, so most likely he selected this ce for the training.¡±
¡°It¡¯s impossible for even those in power to get a clue about the movement of the Academy that trains those who¡¯ll be this kingdom''s pirster down the line¡ It¡¯s not going to be easy, but I believe we should make a move, it¡¯s too tempting to leave alone.¡±
¡°...What do you say, Zeth? We¡¯re just scouts, and we¡¯d be overpowered by their numbers if we had to fight. With the current situation, thest thing we need is to be captured by them.¡±
Zeth, seemingly the leader of the group, kept silent for a few moments before speaking.
¡°I believe they said these guys are from ss 1-D. Their skills are frightening despite being just first years, and they''re not even the top ss¡ There¡¯s a chance even that prodigy Leo Zatsinger, and that guy from the rumors are around here somewhere. It¡¯s a chance to get intel on them¡ but I fear that the knight order also deployed knights around here in case of an ident. The risk outweighs the benefit, so we¡¯re returning to the border.¡±
¡°What, they¡¯re just first years, and even ss D? Monsters¡ What route are we going to take?¡±
¡°From here¡ The Roderia Mountain might be the better choice. But let¡¯s take the ¡®that¡¯ old path. It¡¯s not yet in use, so we should be safe.¡±
The two men nodded at Zeth¡¯s conclusion.
¡ô
¡°The 4th scenario has beenpleted by Kate Sankalp''s team¡ I still have a hard time believing it. Sir, are you sure this scenario hasn''t been leaked?¡±
Tim asked, but Godorfun shook his head.
¡°Information about the scenarios is all level 4 ssified information, second from top. I¡¯m not exaggerating, the kingdom''s fate depends on their abilities, growth, and evaluation after all, so it¡¯s virtually impossible for that information to be leaked. It also doesn¡¯t match the risk of being caughtter on. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone who would identally blurt it out as well.¡±
¡°But¡ They immediately acted as soon as the 4th scenario was announced, splitting into three teams, creating makeshift obstacles, and catching the spies in one fell swoop. It all appears to be a pre-nned movement. While the makeshift obstacles may not be the best, I dare say no one wouldpletely chalk it up as ¡®team spirit¡¯.¡±
Sure enough, this time Godorfun¡¯s expression contorted as Tim argued.
¡°......What about that brat? I should have left him to gather materials while the 3rd scenario was going on¡ How''s the defense of the border posting along?¡±
¡°......Allen Rovenne had gone to ¡®that¡¯ old path alone. Presumably, to guard the path just in case, and given his skills, it does seem to be the most optimal solution. As for the border post, fences with logs have been built around it, making it impossible to see what¡¯s happening inside, but based on the manpower being used and the materials being brought in, it doesn''t seem like they''re putting in that much effort.¡±
¡°Hmm~. I know these kids, they shouldn¡¯t be acting like this second scenario is a bonus round which merely requiresbor. Either they have faced an unexpected situation¡¡ or¡¡¡±
Godorfun¡¯s lips curled into a grin.
¡°They have set a goalpost that we can¡¯t see. Perhaps, we may need to get ready to face an unexpected scenario¡¡±
Seeing as how Godorfun said all this with battle spirit radiating from his body, the memories of Godorfun¡¯s past days re-surfaced in Tim''s mind as his body trembled.
¡ô
A day had passed since the start of the 4th scenario ¡ª which was four and a half days since the starting of the outdoor sses ¡ª and it was 10 in the evening.
Having finished gathering ingredients, I returned to my post and was now brewing a nefarious concoction with the materials I had happened to find along. I was already making soup, so might as well make that.
For what? Of course, it was to shove it at that old fart.
It was taught to me by Riyad-senpai and was originally for monsters, which meant it had limited effect on humans, but it was Godorfun who changed my anticipated outdoor sses into a military exercise.
It wasn¡¯t lethal, so I hope he wouldn¡¯t say that it was a cowardly move.
Well, some teachers mightin, and even make ruckus to disqualify my score, but I didn¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass about all this now. For I am the strayed one. Kukuku. Hyahaha!
I stirred the contents of the pot while consoling myself with those dark thoughts, and exuding that viinous mob aura, when suddenly three spies appeared within my range. Color me surprised!
I had thought they weren¡¯t going to use this route. What the hell was that old fart thinking to send 3 out of the 5 spies this way when I was all alone? Damn, he must have gone senile.
It must be nice being on the bustling side with my ssmates.
¡°Huh, a brat is cooking alone in that spot¡¡?
¡°And given his uniform and mantle, he seems to be a student of the Royal Academy¡¡±
¡°......What an eyesore. We can¡¯t sneak in no matter how low-key we move. We¡¯d be found out in no time. And that brat is even carrying a bow.¡±
???
They haven¡¯t heard about my detection range from Godorfun? I could hear their words crystal clear even from that distance. Nevertheless, it seemed like their n was to cross the border via the cliff here.
¡°But he looks so lonely out here¡ Just watching that back brings tears to my eyes¡ Is he perhaps lost?¡±
Buzz off!
Did he really have to stick it where it hurts?! Or what, did Godorfun tell them to act that way as well?
I would have faced them immediately, but they might split up and escape. Hmm, no need to show them that I know about their presence I guess. Let¡¯s get to a sufficient range.
Formting my n, I continued to stir the concoction when one of the spies asked for instruction from another, seemingly their leader, ¡°What now, Zeth?¡±
¡°......It doesn''t seem like he¡¯s going to move before tomorrow morning. We¡¯ve managed to slip away so far, but there are quite a lot of people now in the mountain range. We never know when someone will catch up to us. It would have been great to cross the border without leaving any traces, but¡ Let¡¯s kill him. Given the season, the monsters around here would quickly gobble up the dead body.¡±
Ohh, look at that. It seems like they had heard about me from Godorfun, so they gave me a rundown of the scenario¡¯s setting.
Then, after saying that, the spy Zeth (alias) pulled on his short bow.
His tworades deployed themselves to the left and right, while Zeth-san released a faint murderous aura and shot the arrow.
I was appalled that the arrow was actually aimed my way and quickly rolled away to dodge.
He shouldn¡¯t have intended to actually attack, I think? At least the attack wasn''t aimed at my vitals. But, what would they have done if I had failed to dodge that?
¡° ¡°Tsk! Kill him!¡± ¡°
Watching me dodge the arrow, the three unsheathed simr-looking in daggers and lunged at me.
They were holding their knives with a back grip, a peculiar stance¡¡
I presume they had their training in the same institution or something.
They fell short on body strengthening output, but their teamwork was marvelous.
Still, they lookedpletely ready to kill me, and that bloodlust couldn¡¯t be faked.
I had been chalking it up to the instruction ¡°I don¡¯t care if you act in all seriousness¡± that they might have gotten from Godorfun, but¡ just to make sure, I called them out.
¡°Umm, you¡¯re subordinates, right?¡±
¡°Huh, subordinates?! Don¡¯t you look down on us, brat!¡±
¡¡Huh, no?! Oh good, they really couldn¡¯t have had a worse timing.
If they weren¡¯t subordinates, plus with theirck of hesitation in jumping in for a kill, then they shouldn¡¯t be some innocent passerby.
Damn, I need to catch them as a member of the knight order!
I leaped down as soon as I saw a gap in their movement and rapid-fired three arrowsced with the anaesthesia-like concoction I was brewing.
The arrows urately stabbed the legs of the three, and the next thing they knew, they were lying down on the ground.
¡°Well, forgive me for being crude, but I have nothing to tie you up with. So please wait here for a while, I¡¯ll detoxify youter.¡±
Noticing Zeth-san ring my way as his body convulsed, I shook my head.
¡°I fear that the old fart probably stacked up his resistances¡ I should make a more condensed concoction to be safe.¡±
After giving one more stir to the pot of anesthesia, I weakened the fire and dipped a branch from nearby into the small pot.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t have any potions. Though I do have some sleep medicine though. Rx, you¡¯ll be off to your dreand immediately~.¡±
After nodding my head, I touched the branch on the mouths of the three people.
¡®Alright~¡¯
Confirming that they had fallen asleep, which barely took seconds, I crossed my arms in satisfaction.
T/N - How should I say, umm, he really is a unique mc huh. Atleast, he has his base covered.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 153 - Final Scenario (1)
The night came to pass, and the darkness was chased away by the glow of the dawn. The clock ticked 6 AM.
¡°It seems like Bester has captured the 5th person. The supposed spy apparently had ns to escape at dawn and had hidden himself in a cave for the night. That was kind of the expected oue, but it still ended up taking more time. He¡¯s on his way here as we speak.¡±
Leo nodded at Kate¡¯s report.
¡°I see. Well, we had a lot of things to do for the uing scenario as well. In anything, it might be good for us that it took that long.¡±
Kate¡¯s lips curled into a wry smile as she listened to Leo.
¡°True enough, I doubt we¡¯ll get any time to work on the base outside this ruin once all the supposed spies have been caught. We''d be pushing it too far.¡±
As they shared each other¡¯s thoughts, Bester returned with Spy No. 5 in tow.
¡°Godorfun-sensei is waiting outside.¡±
Everyone came out of the ruins at those words and saw Godorfun with a huge smile stered on his face.
¡°Fuhahaha! I saw everything. Your teamwork was meticulous. Reading through my scenarios like an open book throughout this outdoor ss really left me speechless. Now aside from that, there¡¯s someone I have to introduce, but¡ is there anyone else who hasn''t arrived yet?¡±
Kate stepped up to reply to Godorfun.
¡°Fey and Jeu had gone out to get Allen who had been guarding the old mountain trail alone. Ah, speak of the devil¡ Huh, who is he dragging along with him?¡±
¡ô
¡°Who are these men¡?¡±
I shrugged casually at Godorfun¡¯s question and replied.
¡°My guess is as good as yours. They suddenly came and attacked me, so I captured them. Apparently, their n was to cross the border. Sheesh, that¡¯s why I wanted to be in a team instead of working alone¡¡ I would have really kicked the bucket with that much loneliness, you know?!¡±
Setting aside the fact about my risky drug concoction, I exined everything.
¡°I see. They appeared to be a scouting party from the Kuroba Metropolis Federation¡¯s forces given their clothes. We basically have a give-and-take rtionship with them, and I had thought that there was no feud between us¡¡ So my judgement was incorrect¡ was it?
Fufufu. They really have eaten a leopard¡¯s gut to y tricks on me, Godorfun Von Wangyush, eh?¡¡¡±
Godorfun''s bloodthirst suddenly burst forth.
¡°I¡¯m not someone you can afford to look down on!¡±
Any normal person would have been frightened to their core, but the spies didn¡¯t utter a word.
Meanwhile, my ssmates had long been ustomed to his bloodthirsty aura ¡ª an improvementpared to the starting day of the Academy ¡ª as they watched the situation unfolding with cool faces.
That said, the others didn¡¯t know what I used to capture them, so I offered to clear up the situation.
¡°They had been identally stabbed by a bee¡¯s stinger and can¡¯t move due to paralysis. Haaa, and here I thought I would no longer need to talk with air¡¡ I¡¯ll detoxify them.¡±
I ran inside the ruin after the exnation. The antidote I had made wasn¡¯t potent enough to cure them back then because the effect of my drugs was too strong.
¡°......I didn¡¯t think I would meet such stupid spies.¡±
Someone apparently muttered behind me.
¡ô
The spies captured by me were taken away by the folks of the Torveil army, dispatched from the nearby military post.
It was only a matter of time before it would be revealed who they were and what their purpose was behind the infiltration.
¡°You can never have enough peace, but anyway, it¡¯s the time for the final scenario. Though let me introduce someone before that. He¡¯s Tim Buchan from the Knight Order, an assistant and the inspector in-charge for this outdoor ss session.¡±
Godorfun¡¯s words caused a stir among my ssmates.
Personally, I barely knew anyone from the army personnel since I didn''t have any interaction with them, though ording to my ssmates, he was apparently the vicemander of 5th legion and also seems to be a famous person.
Tim was a middle-aged man in his prime. He greeted us with an amicable smile.
¡°How do you do, everyone? I¡¯m Tim from the 5th Regiment. I received the opportunity to watch everyone¡¯s performance for a bit, and must I say, it shows how much effort you guys have put in before this. I hope you continue to keep the same growth and attitude rather than bing self-conceited.
I¡¯ll be taking a look at the fifth scenario as well, so do your best.¡±
A bit, eh? From his presence, I¡¯m sure he had been quietly following ss A since the first scenario. I wonder if the 5th regiment is so¡ free that their vicemander could stay here for one week straight. But putting that aside, he looked quite skilled.
¡°Fuhahaha. And he¡¯s also in charge of human affairs in the 5th regiment. He also has a say in the Knight Order, by the way. This is your chance to showcase your skills if you want to enter the Knight Order.¡±
¡¡Now I see, this also served as headhunting, huh?
It didn¡¯t concern me, but Ste¡¯s eyes were now burning with motivation. Her hometown was here, so maybe she was hoping she could snag this chance.
¡°Then, I shall now reveal the fifth scenario. Starting with the capture of this base, then having its defense bolstered in the second scenario, now I would have you defend it as if your lives are on the line. Enemies are expected to arrive at 10 AM today, and it¡¯llst for 24 hours.
There¡¯s no intel as to how many enemies there will be, but your sess would depend on how well you can keep the base from falling. If it falls more than three times, you¡¯ll be receiving 12 hours of supplementary lessons. And by then, the hot spring would unfortunately be out of the question.¡±
After putting down the details, ¡®The leader will be Fe¡ª¡¯ Godorfun continued, or he was about to, but I interrupted him.
"Hold on, I have a suggestion before youplete your words. It''s about the battle power of the attackers."
Seeing me interrupt him, Godorfun narrowed his eyes.
"Battle power? I do acknowledge that you''ve encountered an unusual situation in capturing real spies, and that you''re the leader of the second scenario, but the battlefield is ever so unpredictable. I can''t lower the intensity of the siege for those reasons alone."
''Good grief,'' I shrugged while sighing.
"Oh, please. I''m not asking you to cut us some ck. I mean, your supposed enemies should be four troops ¡ª 400-something untrained members of Torveil army''s 4th troop ¡ª and having them constantly mount an attack, right? I''m saying stop with that kiddy level stuff."
My ssmate''s faces looked up to the sky when I spoke. Godorfun fell silent for a moment. He must have realized it too, I guess.
Well, the number of members in a troop could also be more or less, but the average was around 128 members (4 small units).
The clues to figure out who we would be facing were there all this time.
The ruin was located in a precarious position and its defense was going to be held by students. It wouldn''t be training for the students if someone as strong as Godorfun was there to charge through it. After all, the same situation could also be simted back at the Academy.
So it was an easy guess that the final scenario would be a group vs group battle.
Given the hard-to-defend nature of this ruin, we would barely be able to deal with one unit at most. But our enemies had more than one troop which they would use to attack us in turn, and should the defending sideck a n, the oue was obvious.
The twisted smile on that old fart''s expression had made it clear we would be facing an all out attack, which I was sure would happen when we''d exhausted ourselves in the battle of attrition.
Well, that''d be the situation if we were only using the ruins as our defense point.
"Fufufu. I like your spirit. Then I shall ask you what sort of battle power are you sure you can defend against?"
''For Pete''s sake,'' I shrugged my shoulders again hearing Godorfun''s sleep talk as my lips curled into a smile.
"Cut the crap, Godorfun. How much? I say even the whole army isn''t enough. Yes, get everyone together ande at us in full force! Otherwise, your pitiful forces wouldn''t even have time to cry tears before they find their asses getting whipped."
As I passionately announced this, my ssmates covered their faces with their hands while still staring at the clouds above. Tim-san chuckled wryly, as if looking at a mischievous kid and suggested.
¡°But that won''t be training then. You kids probably don¡¯t know, but for the duration of the outdoor sses there¡¯s also a division of the northern army deployed here in the Wangyush territory to eliminate any variables or idents. And speaking of this area, there¡¯s at least three full-fledged regiments acting as lookouts which basically amount to 1500 total soldiers.
Well, they might not be as astounding as you kids, but including the other personnel from the messenger department and the reconnaissance, they all add up to 100 times your number. It¡¯s a battle against numbers. I admit that you¡¯re all geniuses, but this gap isn¡¯t something you can ovee with just abilities alone. And given the bare minimum defense of this ce¡ it¡¯s certainly impossible.¡±
¡¡Ahh, it seemed like even direct words didn¡¯t go through to him.
I passed the baton to Bester, telling him to ¡®stick to the basics¡¯.
He remained frozen on his spot for a couple of moments, but seeing my unwavering gaze, he sighed and passed the blueprint of his basic n to Tim-san and Godorfun. And soon, their faces wore astounded expressions.
¡°This is the n sketched by Bester Von Stocud, the Overseer that ss A is proud of. And just a side note, this is in fact not even 1% of the whole idea¡ So I''ll say this again,e with your full force!¡±
I expected Godorfun to be slightly enraged, having a student belittle him so, but he instead showed a broad smile.
¡°......Hahaha! Fuhahaha!
This is great! It seems we¡¯re about to have a good time, Tim. It was my mistake tobel what they¡¯ve built in the 4th scenario as useless. So it seems that the fences weren¡¯t for capturing the enemies from the inside, but for dealing with the enemies from the outside when theye to attack.
Ahaha, I guess you really bested me here. Contact the nearby army with magic birds and have them gather.¡±
¡°Sir?! Are you really serious?! If we shift the numbers by four-fold, the difficulty will also shoot up by four times¡ª no, in the worst-case scenario, it would surely be above 10!
And you kids, are you sure you want to go through with this?! This seems to be due to his stubbornness alone, but you¡¯ll also be facing a battle with almost all odds against you because of it! Your stamina should be nearly exhausted as well!¡±
Hearing the concerned voice of Tim-san, all my ssmates stared at each other and put up wry smiles.
¡°Pfft! I¡¯m fine with that. Yeah, it would spice things up more to get on Allen¡¯s n.¡±
¡°Hehehe. Likewise. It¡¯s Allen-san after all! So bold, so dashing!¡±
¡°If anything, it¡¯s what I want. I¡¯m here because I want to break through my own limits.¡±
¡°Ditto. I also want to see how far Bester¡¯s n will take us.¡±
¡°Indeed.¡±
Soon, they all gave their affirmation for the proposed n. Though Bester tried to dissuade them onest time.
¡°But we¡¯re talking about a force 100 times our own, you know?! Also, calm down Allen! Are you giving up on your chance for the hot spring?! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been excited about it more than anyone else here!¡±
Ah, so he was simply worried about my wish for the hot spring. And here I was worried about what had been getting on his nerves recently. Well, that was why he was the Overseer of ss A.
¡°What¡¯s the big deal? It won¡¯t matter if we just take down all the opponents. I would have thestugh in my hot spring after we made this old fart cry. Isn¡¯t that why you were so obsessed with creating this perfect n? It¡¯ll be hitting two birds with one stone. Your wish and mine. It¡¯s all ording to n!¡±
While giving Godorfun a re, I verbalized Bester-kun¡¯s inner feelings for him. And apparently ovee with emotion from my consideration, he sputtered in his speech, saying ¡®A-Allen you¡¡¯, but couldn¡¯t finish his words as I swiftly stared back at Godorfun and Tim-san.
¡°......Well, you heard them. There¡¯s no one in our ss who wants to have an easy-peasy lemon squeezy challenge, Godorfun. Mark my words: we, the ss 1-A, would best everyone in this outdoor ss!!¡±
¡°......Defeating a force the size of a hundred times your own, and making me cry? A chick has now gotten the arrogance of a lion to challenge the eagle, huh?¡¡ Very well, so be it. The leader for this scenario will be Bester Von Stocud.
Considering the time for the army to gather, we''ll still start at precisely 12:00 PM¡¡ I hope you can give us a good show!¡±
Leaving these words behind, Godorfun turned on his heels while showing an angry huff. But amidst everyone, only Tim noticed his eyes squinting with delight.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 154 - Final Scenario (2)
The actual defense border post of the Yuglia Kingdom¡¯s northwest army was 5 kilometers away to the west of the ruins.
The members of the army had gathered here as Godorfun called for a strategic council, his face showed utmost seriousness despite the situation being nothing more than a practice drill.
¡°Never had I expected for someone to proactively push for impossible heights right when the conclusion was around the corner, and with their minds and bodies reaching their limits. I now see why he¡¯s called the ¡®walking anomaly¡¯. Plus, he also has the support of his entire ss despite this being nothing more than a reckless extra step¡¡ I must say, their mentality is just out of the norm.¡±
What transpired a while ago had surpassed Tim¡¯s logic andmon sense.
¡°Fuhahaha! What you saw was the growth of youngsters and their determination. It¡¯s not something we adults can imitate. But let¡¯s look at our situation.
Now, you may be confused, but there¡¯s a reason why we¡¯re upping our game for the offense. I have been told by Allen Rovenne that they can easily repel the attack of the 4th troop of the Torveil army by themselves¡¡ In that case, there¡¯s no need to hold back and attack as if you¡¯re facing an enemy. Understood?¡±
A vein popped up on the forehead of a knight donning a well-worn silvery armor. He was going to be the leader of the force that was going to raid the supposed defense post.
¡°Haaa? They¡¯ll blow us out of the water?! Since when did trash have the gall to be so arrogant?! I¡¯ll personally show that trash that the color of blood is red!¡±
¡°Now putting that aside, the enemy bases are ced in a rhombus pattern. On the top-most corner is the ruin, the defense post we were supposed to raid first. But now, there are three more teams ced on the remaining corners in an inverted triangle shape. Tim, what¡¯s your opinion?¡±
Prompted by the question, Tim groaned.
"Hmm... I must say, it''s remarkable. Each base is positioned in such a way that they can easily support each other, and even if one is captured, there''s a risk of it being retaken. This forces the attackers to spread their forces thin. Unlike the ruin that¡¯s in an open area, these bases are well-protected by natural terrain, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack.
However, if we try to advance while ignoring them in actualbat, we''d likely be pincered near the Mer Swamp by the troops at the ruin base and the border defense forces. As the attackers, we''d need to capture all of these strongholds before advancing.
...I would have never expected the task of repairing and fortifying the defense post in 72 hours would result in such an borate mountain fortress design... I must admit, I''m surprised by Bester''s boldness. This outdoor ss session has continued to amaze me with the hidden potential of the students you''ve nurtured, Sir."
¡°Fuhahaha. Well, it would be more correct to say that their growth has been prompted by their eagerness rather than due to my training¡¡ I¡¯m just as surprised as you are at the unexpected potential of Bester Von Stocud. ¡®His charisma lies in his talent of finding out other people¡¯s virtues¡¯¡ is how Satowa had evaluated him, and this made me recall that.¡±
Godorfun reminisced, and then turned to the battalion leaders, throwing a question their way.
¡°Well then, young¡¯uns. How will you tackle the enemy''s defenses?¡±
One of the battalion leaders, the red-haired woman n, raised her hand.
¡°Yes! Frankly, with the disparity in our war potential, I would have pushed for a swift victory with a simultaneous attack¡¡ but it smells like a trap, and we have no reason to push ourselves.
In that case, we should stick to the mountain warfare style and suppress our enemies in order starting from above. It''s the sole stone-built base the enemies have, and there is a much more open space there forrge forces to gather. By taking it down, there¡¯ll be only makeshift bases left, and we should also get ess to all of them without any risk. So we should capture that base and control it first, then use it as leverage for our raid.¡±
Godorfun squinted his eyes and nodded.
¡°...... Well, that is indeed the safest choice. But, while it bes easier to ess the other bases, you¡¯ll also be hard-pressed to defend it¡¡ However, given the difference in numbers, it might as well be for the best if the opponent is pressured to recapture it as it would be easier that way.¡±
¡°Leave the first assault to me! I¡¯ll curb their arrogance so that it never appears again!¡±
The silver-armored Maxim proposed, striking the floor with his sheathed long sword.
¡°Very well, Maxim. I heard Ste Achilies is your niece, so I hope you don¡¯t cut corners. Got it?¡±
¡°Naturally! Never have I held back in her training since her childhood!¡±
Following Maxim, Jipro, the blue-haired man and thest of the battalion leaders, then stated his opinion.
¡°The best trick our opponent can pull is raiding our logistic supply lines. But even a child can guess that much, so it may be a needless concern, but I¡¯ll have two of my squads spread out in the locations as a precaution. It may be stacking too much against a mere 20 opponents even if they¡¯re ss A, the elites of the Royal Academy, but we have surplus forces on our hands. This may be squandering our forces too much, but with enough preparation, it would simply earn us more time to react if something happens either way.¡±
They didn¡¯t doubt that these kids, this band of geniuses, would be the kingdom''s support in the future, but despite being amateurs with military warfare, they had the arrogance to look down on the army so much.
The threemanders had been quite infuriated inside their minds, but having wed their way to reach the position of battalionmander through military exploits, none of them were foolish enough to let anger cloud their judgment.
Tim, who had seen through it all, once again felt the impossibility of this scenario.
¡ô
¡°Alright then, I have something to do that I couldn''t do earlier due to my solo mission, so I¡¯m heading west. Take care of everything here, Bester~.¡±
I was about to leave when Fey hurled a question toward me, a smile creeping on her face.
¡°Hold on, Allen. Why did you suddenly push for more forces? Looking at your sinister face, I bet you have some sort of n, don¡¯t you?¡±
What the hell did she mean by sinister face? I never once had that sort of expression, yeah.
But regardless of my opinion, my other ssmates, with whom I had quite an alright friendship, also showed wry looks, seemingly agreeing with Fey¡¯s statement.
¡°You probably need to have your eyes checked, how can you call a face as average as mine sinister?¡¡ Anyway, I said that to Godorfun since three troops alone would barely be able to stand up to Bester¡¯s n. Well, imagine the rest of the situation after that. The old fart would see that it¡¯s not nearly enough to break through, and will nonchntly send even more forces. From what little I can tell, it would be many times more. In our case, we would be then fighting an unfair battle and we¡¯ll be constantly in the dark without a clue as to when it¡¯ll stop.¡±
Now that I had said that much, I believe they were smart enough to connect the dots.
Leo crossed his arms and nodded.
¡°I see¡ so you yed your cards and made him bring the maximum battle force of three battalions. It¡¯s definitely valuable information for the defending side. It gives us the chance to prepare ourselves ordingly, otherwise, we would be gued with the thought of ¡®how many more¡¯ the whole time.¡±
Dan agreed as well, linking his arms behind his hand as he added,
¡°And there are some tricks that would work only once as well. So we¡¯re basically going to catch them all in one fell swoop right when they¡¯re already pushing with their maximum forces. I must say, it¡¯s not just your face, even your way of doing things is just as sinister, Allen.¡±
Like I said, my face is not sinister! But otherwise, Dan was right.
¡°With that said, I¡¯ll be out for around three hours. Give it your best shot, Bester~.¡±
¡°Three hours? Aren¡¯t you going to sleep after undertaking that solo mission?! Will you be fine without resting?¡±
I chuckled at his words.
¡°¡®Tis nothing to worry about. I did a lot of thinking while battling the sleep, and I actually came up with some brilliant ns to make that old fart speechless¡. Kukuku, sleep is something I can catch after this as well, so anyway I¡¯ll exin everythingter. It¡¯s payback time after all. Kukuku! Hiyahahaha!¡±
Witnessing my dark mob viin impression improvised from my sleepless night, my ssmates showed awkward expressions, their faces twitching.
¡ô
¡°They¡¯re here! The three battalions seem to want to capture the northern base with their full force. Bester, should we show some resistance?¡±
A slight tension could be felt in the voice of the happy-go-lucky Al. I guess that was to be expected.
Bester shook his head in response to Al¡¯s question.
¡°No, putting a half-assed effort here would be a waste of time and energy. We¡¯re falling back just like we nned.¡±
¡°Roger! In that case, we¡¯re leaving for the eastern base! Catch you guyster!¡±
¡°Alright, we¡¯ll be heading for the western base then. You¡¯re in charge of the southern base huh, Bester? Let¡¯s do our best!¡±
The members of ss A thus split up into team Bester, team Kate, and team Al as they left for their respective positions.
¡ô
¡°The heck, so they fled without trying to fight back? Ah, the typical all bark and no bite then. Hmph, must have pissed their pants seeing the aura of our battalion!¡±
Maxim blurted out in a disappointed tone, but the red-haired knight n had a wry smile on her face.
¡°There¡¯s no idiot in the Royal Academy who would try confronting an army asrge as this in an open ce. Oh wait, even an idiot would prefer mountain warfare to this¡±
¡°Fufufu! Indeed. There¡¯s no doubt they nned for this base to be taken. Then again, there shouldn¡¯t be any other option for those kids.¡±
¡°It seems like a lot has been done since thest time we looked here, but I fear they have done more than this even with the short time frame of one and a half days they had. What shall we do, Sir?¡±
Godorfun hummed and stroked his goatee.
¡°There''s no way to figure out the traps they¡¯ve set up without poking around. We''ll assign onepany to each of the three strongholds simultaneously to determine what their main goal is. Given the terrain, sending arge force wouldn''t be effective. Now then, let''s go and knock those cocky rookies down a peg. Advance!"
¡° ¡°Roger!¡± ¡±
Vol. 1 - Chapter 155 - Final Scenario (3)
The western basemanded by Kate was located in a mountainous region where a fan-shaped forest of trees resembling beech trees spread along the ridge running from the southwest to the northeast. As one descended to the south, the slope steepened along the ridge, narrowing to the point where only two or three people could pass through at its southernmost end.
To ess this western base, one must either descend through the forest from the north by capturing the already fallen northern base (ruins) or advance north along the mountain path by capturing the southern base.
Technically, it¡¯s possible to ess the western base from the east and west, but doing so would require climbing a bare mountain without any route towards the ridge, significantly slowing down the advance and making the troops easy targets from the base.
There was also a high possibility that traps had been set up, and it wasn¡¯t something you could hope to tread just because you had the conviction to make it through even if it meant sustaining heavy injuries even when you had the upper hand.
But of course, Bester had prepared a countermeasure n just in case.
Maxim, the battalionmander, was personally leading hispany to raid the western base.
Ste, Sophie, and Viz confronted this charge head-on at the strategic spot of the fan-shaped forest where the structure of the fan converged.
Directly behind them was the western base, and if this position were to be breached, the base would likely fall immediately.
After 30 minutes ofbat, when fatigue had begun to show in Sophie and Viz¡¯s faces, Kate and Parry stepped in to take over.
"Viz, Sophie. Fall back for now and keep watch on the east and west. Parry and I will take over! Ste, are you okay?"
"Oh! This isn¡¯t even warm up for me!"
The momentum of the battle, which had been slightly against them, was pushed back due to this change.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
¡°Hoho! She¡¯s been holding the front line for an hour now! Well, I knew my genius Ste would be able to pull that! That''s my niece! Isn¡¯t she a stunner?! But don¡¯t fall for her, now!"
The adjutant standing nearby gave a wry smile and nodded in agreement.
"¡Her performance truly reflects why she is called the one of a kind genius of the Achilies family, known for their bravery ever since their founding. At her age, such incredible skill and boundless stamina is truly remarkable. Everything adds to how troublesome of a foe she is when on the opposite side, though this just makes me further anticipate the moment when she would be fighting alongside us."
¡°You bet! She¡¯s going to be a terror in the hearts of so many enemies! You might not be able to see clearly from here, but she has the makings of bing a terrifying beauty too!¡±
Just as Maxim was proudly boasting about his niece, his expression melting into that of a doting uncle, the reinforcements he had requested from the headquarters set up at the northern base arrived.
"Battalion Commander Maxim! The reinforcements are here!"
Maxim''s vanguardpany had already lost nearly half of its men, forced intobat in a narrow area against skilled opponents.
Of course, there wasn¡¯t any actual death. Those whose weapons were knocked out of their hands, who had a de ced at a vital spot like their necks, or were knocked unconscious with a blunt strike, were considered "dead" and were required to withdraw to a designated area where they could no longer participate in the battle.
The number of these "deaths" had already reached nearly half of thepany.
"Good work. What¡¯s the situation elsewhere?"
The captain of the reinforcementpany reported.
"Sir. The situation is¡ pretty much the same everywhere. The enemy is using the terrain to limit our numbers and engage us in directbat on all fronts."
When Maxim heard that, he almost fell face first.
The enemy, despite their significantly smaller number, were shing with them head-on, which meant they would inevitably be ground down in time.
"¡Are there any specific instructions from Sir Godorfun?"
"Yes, sir. He said to be wary of nking attacks and left the decision on how to handle the situation to you."
Maxim groaned thoughtfully.
nking attacks or not, the enemy force had no more than 20 people.
He didn¡¯t know how many Ste¡¯s team had stationed at the western base, but if they had divided their forces into three groups, there would be about six or seven at each base.
Just from what he could see, five of them were already inside the western base.
So he could allocate more of hispany¡¯s people on the west side and their enemy would still not get any sess from nking maneuvers.
This was because there was a wide forest in front of the western base, and even though the exit was narrow, there was still enough space to deploy two fullpanies there (though they only had one and a half left of the original count).
In that case, there only remained one truth: this western base was a sacrificial pawn, meant to buy time.
So Maxim¡¯s decision was¡ª
"I''ll take the helm! I''ll take on Ste myself. Mashii and Romeo, you two handle the remaining two. Traude, you take overmand from here! Remember, don''t give them any time to rest even if we fail, and keep pushing through to the western base. Even if we fall, don¡¯t give them any time to rest and aim to retake it. Keep pushing and seize this western base, then charge straight to the southern base!"
Maxim set aside his personal feelings and focused on what was best for the overall strategy as he issued his orders.
After deploying the newly arrivedpany into the forest, he shouted loudly:
"I take you to be Ste Achilies! I, Maxim Achilies, the ''Fierce Tiger'' of the Torveil Army, will be your opponent! Let us have a fair duel¡ª"
As he said this and swung his longsword effortlessly, rocks began to tumble down from the mountainside of the northern edge of the forest.
¡°Guggyaaaaaa¡ª!!!¡±
Next, an incredible roar, reminiscent of a giant ape, echoed through the mountains, followed by a tremendous thundering sound as footsteps rapidly approached.
Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump!!!
Immediately after, he noticed the rapidly approaching footsteps almost causing the ground to tremble.
"Th-th¨Cthis is a monster stampede!"
Someone shouted in panic, and faintly, from beyond the chaos, a heavily ented voice could be heard, saying, "Tut-tut, you¡¯re going the wrong way, aren¡¯t ya?"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Eastern Base
The eastern basemanded by Al was situated on a mountain trail that ran through the belly of the mountain, with the right side (to the east) being a mountain and the left side (to the west) being a valley. A river flowed through the valley below, and while it was possible to cross it, doing so during this season would severely drain both one''s physical and magical reserves.
Furthermore, there was a waterfall downstream, making it impossible to advance without capturing the eastern base first.
The attacking force here was led by the subordinate, apany leader, of the red-haired woman n.
"It''s too monotonous¡ We need to add some variety. Any ideas?"
Thepany leader asked his adjutant who was standing nearby.
Unlike the western base, there was no space to deploy the troops here at the eastern base.
Naturally, they were forced into a column formation, and despite their superior skill, the three who were defending the front line ¡ª Berd, Maggie, and Elena ¡ª were slowly being worn down by the attacking forces.
If they continued to press forward with brute force, it was only a matter of time before their opponents¡¯ stamina ran out.
However, in this scenario, they were ying the role of an invading force crossing the border into another nation.
This was just the beginning. In this situation, they ideally would want to avoid the fate of losing too much force here.
But, more than anything, it felt eerie.
Their enemies¡¯ line-up wasn¡¯t bad, but would Royal Academy students, especially the elites of ss A, really ept a situation where they were bound to lose?
Of course, it was possible that they were simply unable to cope with the sudden increase in the number of attackers¡
But he couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that they were being lured into attacking them.
Just as the thought shed past his mind, n arrived with a reinforcementpany from headquarters.
"I¡¯ve heard that it¡¯s a stalemate everywhere. They¡¯re skillfully using the natural terrain to draw us into individual skirmishes."
"¡It¡¯s difficult to deal with them. If the enemy had forces holed up inside their base, we might consider risking it by sending archers or mages through the animal trail on the mountain path blocked by rocks, or along the river below. But the base is nearly empty. Even if we attack the area inside those awkwardly ced stakes, it won¡¯t do us any good. The terrain itself acts like a fortress, making it impossible to simply run them through. It''s a meticulously thought-out position."
It wasn''t just the mountain paths, but any escape routes deemed unnecessary by Bester had been thoroughly blocked with rocks or had cliffs copsed on them to seal them off.
n smiled wryly and nodded.
"This is the first time I¡¯ve ever been stuck in a situation where the opponents aren¡¯t even more than a handful. Godorfun-sama has given us free rein at this stage¡ª whether to continue with fighting hard-fought battles or to employ some tricks. So, we need to decide our next move.¡±
Just as they pondered on this, a report came in from the rear that three more enemies had appeared.
"¡A pincer attack? What¡¯re they thinking, splitting their own forces up? If this turns into a war of attrition, they¡¯ll be at a disadvantage. Once reinforcements arrive from headquarters, those three at the rear will be done for."
Thepany leader became silent, not knowing how to continue.
Thepany leader looked confused, but n thought for a moment and then raised her voice.
"Pay attention to the air on the left side. There''s likely an enemy ambushing! Raise your shields!"
However, just as n issued thatmand, a magic attack of flying stones and ice projectiles came from the valley side, leaving n bewildered. But she quickly gave orders to seize the opportunity.
"From below?!¡ What kind of idiot would ce their important mage force there of all ces!? Utter fools. Anyone with a path nearby, descend to the river! They¡¯re trapped like rats! It¡¯s time to take down those two mages!"
Following thismand, several groups began to descend the mountain path toward the river.
At that moment, they heard a loud "Bang!" echoing from the front, followed by an explosion.
"!! They¡¯ve set up exploding rocks! Don¡¯t touch them!!"
This was "Earth Burst", a magic that used steam explosions unique to Dol in this world. Although its lethality was somewhat restrained, the unfamiliar and gut-wrenching sound it produced caused the twopanies to instantly panic.
Dol continued to unleash ¡°Earth Burst¡± upon the twopanies that were stretched thin vertically.
Adding to this, Al threw simr stone projectiles matching his partner''s timing, causing thepanies to fall intoplete disarray.
"Argh! Don¡¯t push! You¡¯re stepping on me!"
"Calm down! Half of you get down to the river! Spread out!"
n tried to restore order by shoutingmands, but taking advantage of the chaos, Berd and his team, who had been holding the front line at the base, along with Fey, Coco, and Reggie, who had circled around behind, all circted their body-strengthening magic to the peak and push them down.
"Ack! They¡¯reing from the front!"
"Don¡¯t climb down, push them back!"
"Sorrryy! The pressure is too much to withstand!"
¡°You¡¯re going to be sted by that explosion magic either way if youe down, so just deal with that pressure!¡±
¡ªHowever, it wasn¡¯t so easy to regain control of the group once they had fallen into confusion.
Noticing how the soldiers at the top had been slowly going down, the others also scrambled to go down and tried to escape into the river.
¡°Don¡¯t push! The slope is too cold for some reason! I said don¡¯t push! It¡¯s a path straight to the river if you push like that!¡±
Screams of such sort came out of the group who had been the first to drop into the river. However, they were quickly overpowered by the confused and shouting voices that erupted here and there.
E/N - Dang, I forgot one of his ssmates literally inventedndmine magic. Nice!
Vol. 1 - Chapter 156 - Final Scenario (4)
¡ªMaxim and n both were out ofmission. A total of fourpanies, equivalent to one battalion, suffered devastating losses and were routed.
A deafening silence reigned in the headquarters of the attackers led by Godorfun when they received the shocking news.
It was impossible to ask what had happened from the eliminated people while the scenario was underway.
There was no use crying over spilled milk, so they turned to the routed soldiers and heard their share of the details before finally putting the pieces together to some extent.
First, the western outpost, which had beenmanded by Kate Salkanp, had a monster nest hidden nearby on the northern side of the forest, which was, presumably, intentionally set up by Allen Rovenne. They then released the gathered monsters in the direction of the reinforcements.
Ths stampede was controlled by Shalum Halloween and L Von Liancool as they crushed the twopanies from the side. Using the split second opening the chaos brought her, Ste Achilies took down Battalion Commander Maxim Achilies.
At the moment the chaos erupted, Battalion Commander Maxim Achilies was easily defeated and eliminated by Ste Achilies.
Subsequently, the battle turned strange as the attacking force became preupied with dealing with the monsters. In the end, they were either forced to retire by the monsters or the defending force.
There were barely any soldiers left of the twopanies by the time they finished dealing with the monsters.
Then moving on to the eastern outpostmanded by Aldol Engraver, the attacking force was in an even sorrier state.
Caught in between a pincer attack, and being showered with explosion magic that burst with a loud sound, the attacking force rushed toward the river channel.
However, about halfway down the barren slope, the river below had been frozen solid by Aldol Engraver¡¯s ice magic. Though the soldiers closer to the river had stopped when they noticed that, the squads behind them were too confused to act normally and continued going down, eventually causing a human avnche.
As n saw her people begin jumping into the river one after another, she immediately realized such a situation could lead to their deaths, and raised the white g of surrender.
Aside from a few who managed to escape to the mountain side, they suffered devastating losses here.
If this had been an actual battle rather than a drill and if they hadn''t surrendered, had they continued to push toward the river, they would have fallen one by one and be perfect targets, and the battalion would have suffered catastrophic damage.
"¡Did they really set up two big hunting grounds in such a short time?¡"
Tim was left speechless after saying this. But the same could be said about the rest of the people present as well.
After a moment, Godolfen spoke with a heavy tone.
"These children are terrifying¡ It¡¯s hard to believe this is their first defensive battle. Not only have they keenly perceived what could be their trump cards, but they even thoroughly grasped the terrain, the local flora, and the nearby monsters as they made us dance to their tune.
I had felt slightly let down when I heard that the brat barely gathered any local supplies while I was tagging along with the 3rd scenario team¡ but it seems I was the onecking, in hindsight. Even the procurement of materials was merely a guise to them actually surveying the terrain. It¡¯s no wonder why they needed to look around if they wanted to fully utilize the terrain for themselves. It¡¯s something that seems easy on paper, but is actually quite difficult in practice.
It was my oversight that I thought that I understood them and their abilities down to thest detail. Now, here we see their multiyered preparations they¡¯ve set up with such tenacity¡ The teachings of Schord Bainfaust have me in awe again.¡±
Godolfen stroked his snowy-white beard as he spoke.
Not much time had passed when Jipro, the blue-haired battalionmander and the leader of the twopanies raiding the southern base, entered the room, and gave his report to Godorfun.
"I apologize¡ The vanguardpanies were annihted. Although I believed we should not allow the enemy any rest, I judged that continuing the attack would have been ineffective, so the reinforcements we received were withdrawn rather than be sent to engage the enemy. Please advise."
Everyone felt a sense of helplessness, thinking "As expected¡¡¯, but Tim prompted Jipro to exin further.
"Yes. The shortcut leading to the southern base was defended by Leo Zatsinger. He engaged thepany head-on and¡ wiped them out. Initially, he had been defending while being given support buff magic from Jeuri Levarance, but she has since withdrawn into the base on the orders of Bester von Stocud. Meanwhile, Leo Zatsinger appeared as if he could easily take down twice our number. So I followed my discretion and made the concise decision to retreat.¡±
Tim pressed his forehead when he heard yet another dumbfounding exnation.
¡°¡Support buff magic is tricky to use. While it does reduce the amount of magic power needed to exert a specific amount of strength, it also means that you lose the magical senses that you¡¯ve honed through regr training. It¡¯s not something you could adapt to easily, and in the first ce, there are few mages who can use it. Moreover, their training is insufficient. Are you saying they¡¯ve been regrly training to synchronize with it?¡±
Seeing the question was directed at him, Godorfun shook his head.
¡°I haven¡¯t had the time to teach them that, and although I¡¯ve heard that she could use it, I¡¯ve never seen Jeuri Levarance use buff magic¡ The only possibility I can think of is that they practiced it in the External Magic Research Club.¡±
¡°...Is it the same club that had been called out for its perverted nuances, like learning to lift skirts, from where Allen Rovenne learned his wind magic?¡¡ I had been wondering why the rumors weren¡¯t quashed when there were enough chances to do so, but it all makes sense if it was a setup to control information. Is that it, Sir Godorfun?¡±
However, Godorfun shook his head again.
¡°I had no involvement with that rumor. Even when I subtly asked him about it, he said that the absurd rumors wouldn''tst long, and showed an indifferent attitude toward them. Though that¡¯s one of his peculiarities. It¡¯s natural for the younger generation to be concerned about their reputation, but he remains aloof from the so-called fame. No, it isn¡¯t just being aloof, he is actively trying to stay out of everyone¡¯s eyes.¡±
Tim nodded, seemingly bing certain of something.
He could tell that the extraordinary and relentless mental strength of ss 1-A was undoubtedly influenced by Allen Rovenne. Their journey had started from the top where others had stopped, and one could only imagine how far they could go yearster.
At that moment, a messenger entered the headquarters meeting room with a pale face.
¡°I have a report to make! A while ago, an envoy from the enemy general, Bester von Stocud, came to deliver a message to Godorfun-sama.¡±
Everyone turned their eyes toward Godolfun.
Prompted by Godorfun to ¡°Speak,¡± the messenger, sweating nervously, reported.
¡°Uh! ¡®If you wish to safely return the 120 prisoners we captured, withdraw your forces within one hour and return to your own country. Otherwise, the lives of the prisoners will not be guaranteed¡¯¡ That¡¯s all.¡±
¡ô¡ô¡ô
For a second time, a deafening silence reigned in the headquarters meeting room, broken only by Tim¡¯s words.
¡°So, it¡¯s about the prisoners¡ I was under the impression that they were all considered dead¡ What shall we do, Sir? Our military regtions in the Yuglia Kingdom clearly state that prisoners must be treated with respect¡¡±
Godorfun red at Tim sharply.
¡°This isn¡¯t a time for a moral lesson, Tim. No, that doesn¡¯t even matter in a situation like this. They have the soldiers in their grasp, and we''re a foreign force who had crossed someone else''s border. Plus, neither side has given up fighting yet. We¡¯re out for their blood, and allowing us to make a retreat means our soldiers can kill the innocent civilians of the kingdom another day.
Until we surrender or agree to a ceasefire, I can¡¯t even think of saying that they should treat the prisoners with respect. If anything, keeping them alive as prisoners is already too lenient of a measure.¡±
Tim grimaced as Godorfun taught him the realities of military duty, regardless of the fact that he was here only to inspect the outdoor sses, and then ask Godorfun.
¡°Then what are they plotting by keeping the prisoners alive?¡..¡±
Godolfen narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
¡°Themotion outside is loud¡ so I presume the envoy had ryed the message in quite a loud tone. Now, if we let them have their way and kill the prisoners, it¡¯ll crush the morale of our army¡¡ This is an outright challenge. It¡¯s their attempt to turn the tables on us.¡±
Tim, however, still had a confused expression.
Even during the most intense drills with the Knight Order, he had never encountered such a taboo-like situation. It was truly like a real battle¡ª
As Tim was contemting this, the old man in front of him said something shocking.
¡°¡I¡¯ll go. Jipro, take onepany and apany me. We¡¯ll rescue the captured prisoners.¡±
Godorfun dered in a clear voice.
¡°...That¡¯s too much, Sir. Isn¡¯t it a bit cruel to the children? They¡¯re just 12 or 13-year-old kids, and if you take the helm, everything they¡¯ve set up will be shattered like ss. Let¡¯s keep the activities within the confines of the military¡ª I mean, in the outdoor ss¡¯ range.¡±
¡°I know that well enough. They certainly wouldn¡¯t receive any supplementary sses even if they lose their three bases in the following events. Plus, the score is based on difficulty. This, alongside their previous scenarios, is actually going to grant them an unprecedented score, I¡¯m sure.
But there¡¯s something you¡¯ve yet to learn, Tim. A teacher¡¯s duty is to bring out thetent potential of their students. After all, a battlefield is an ever-changing ce¡ Hold the fort here, Tim.¡±
¡°Excuse me?! There¡¯s no way I could do that as a judge, Sir. There''s definitely no reason why¡ª¡±
Time was about to talk back, but only saw Godorfun ring at him.
¡°ording to the reports, there have been no sightings of Allen Rovenne or Daniel Sardos. So you have to assume that they have another goal in mind. With someone like you, who can control such arge force, present here, it would be a waste not to utilize you. Don¡¯t worry. Those kids have undoubtedly factored you in as an enemy force. We have long since fallen into Allen Rovenne¡¯s trap the moment we got the surrounding army grouped up in one ce.¡±
Godorfun said, and then he left the headquarters with Jipro in tow.
A trap?
Had there been a hidden goal behind Allene Rovenne¡¯s demand for the whole army to be their opponent, apart from being a foolhardy decision?
Tim, still unable to fully grasp Godorfun¡¯s final words, focused on issuing instructions to the nearby senior officers regarding the reorganization of the troops.
E/N - How exciting! With how familiar Allen is with Godorfun, he most likely knew this would happen, and he probably has something in mind for the guy who supposedly ruined his youthful outdoor ss. I''m excited to see how this''ll go down. Any guesses?
Vol. 1 - Chapter 157 - Final Scenario (5)
In front of the southern base.
Godorfun stepped forward from thepany, his face calm as serene water, and addressed Leo.
"I need not exin the situation, right? Release the prisoners right now if you treasure your life.¡±
Leo responded in a clear voice.
"We have given our word, they''ll all be released with not even one of their hair touched¡ª after you give up your invasion and return to your country."
Godorfun raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Bold words for a chick. You really think you can beat me?¡±
Leo smirked confidently.
"No knight steps into the battlefield with the intention of losing. Today, I¡¯ll challenge you with all my strength, Sir ¡®Indomitable¡¯ Godorfun Von Wangyush."
"Oh? Are you saying you¡¯ve been cutting me some ck in our earlier bouts? It sounds as though you haven''t been giving it your all in our previous spars. What about the buff magic of Jeuri Levarance?"
Leo shrugged.
"Buff magic is convenient for saving magic power and stamina, but I''m still not skilled enough to control it at full power. I can actually fight better without it for now. Of course, I''ve always challenged you with everything I¡¯ve got, but until now, our lessons in magic and swordsmanship have been separate. I''ve only recently reached the level where I can use both in actualbat¡ª see!"
With that, Leo swung his double-edged longsword.
In an instant, a crimson me ignited on Leo''s sword.
Everyone in thepany who had been watching with bated breath widened their eyes in surprise.
"......What in the world is that?"
"This... is magic sword. Coach (Read: Allen) insisted that I learn it, saying that it''smon knowledge. Honestly, I thought it was just a waste of magic power..."
Leo said as he held the sword covered with mes.
But, as for why his coach insisted on it? There was no other reason¡ª it was just simply too cool!
"Hohoho. I see... You''ve trained your external magic maniption to the point where you can treat your sword as an extension of your body, and you control the magic through the mithril de. I can almost picture the blood, sweat, and tears that went into mastering it, but such parlor tricks¡ª"
Godorfun said as he drew his sword from hisrge magic staff, assuming an unconventional stance, dual-wielding the staff and sword.
"¡ªwon''t work on me!"
Continuing his words, Godorfun struck the ground with his staff, causing the earth beneath Leo''s feet to rise sharply and attack him. Leo swiftly leaped back at an angle, narrowly evading the assault.
Godorfun pursued him relentlessly, unleashing his earth magic two, three, four times in quick session.
"If you keep retreating like this, you''ll never beat me!"
As Leo continued to retreat, he assumed a stance for a thrust. Then, from a distance of nearly 10 meters, he unleashed a powerful thrust.
The mes that had enveloped the de of his sword shot out straight toward Godorfun, mirroring the sharpness of Leo''s thrust, and struck him directly.
"Ugh!"
Facing a never before seen attack, it wasn¡¯t a surprise that Godorfun fell short in taking necessary measures.
No matter how skilled a mage was, casting a spell required a certain buildup¡ª a process of gathering mana, converting its attribute, and then releasing it in a controlled sense.
However, Leo''s magic sword had already cleared that requirement, meaning with the magic already in a constant ready state, he could release it without any telltale signs.
Of course, this technique had its drawbacks. The continuous activation of the magic on the sword consumed an enormous amount of mana. Only someone like Leo, who had vast mana reserves, could elevate it to a usable level in realbat. If an ordinary mage tried to replicate this, they would quickly deplete their mana and be unable to use it effectively.
Without pausing, Leo then swung his ming sword downward in a vertical sh. Godorfun, rolling on the ground, avoided the attack with a paper-thin margin.
However, even that was a fleeting respite since Godorfun knew Leo would immediately follow up with a sweeping sh, and this time, he had no leeway to dodge.
This had been a carefully nned attack. Normally, a longer de would be heavier, but stronger in power. Though it might have decreased speed and maneuverability.
However, the ming sword only had the weight of a regr two-handed sword. Plus, Leo was handling his 10 m longsword like he would at close range, so Godorfun was stuck with no way out after getting caught up in his pace.
The swordcked the cutting edge of a normal de and its impact wasn''t as deadly as Godorfun blocked the shes and tried to mitigate the damage with a magic guard. However, he was still relentlessly struck by the flurry of attacks. He tried to close the distance, moving his feet while crossing his arms defensively, but Leo maintained the 10-meter distance, keeping him at bay.
"Guooohhh!"
"Haaaaaa!"
The two warriors'' battle cries shed, the acrid fumes spreading as the surroundings burned.
Godorfun feigned an advance, but then suddenly leaped back, putting himself just outside the range of Leo''s reach.
Seizing the moment when Leo hastily tried to close the distance, Godorfun conjured a wall of earth and sent it surging toward Leo like a wave. By the time Leo kicked through the earthen barrier, Godorfun had already maneuvered behind a natural rock wall.
"...What about that screamsmon sense?"
Godorfun muttered to himself, his nose wrinkling at the smell of his beloved, but now charred robe.
Like Godorfun, all magesbined physical weapons with magic inbat. However, typically, swordsmanship and magic were independent of each other, used interchangeably or interwoven strategically during battle.
But Leo''s magic sword was aplete fusion of sword and magic. The sword was magic itself, and the magic was the sword. Training in either aspect would exponentially increase the power of the technique due to their synergy.
This wasn¡¯t something that could be achieved through logical thinking. No one would consider it viable because of the extreme mana consumption involved¡ª it simply wouldn¡¯t be cost-effective. In this world, where managing one''s mana reserves was crucial for everything frombat to marching and other physical activities, the importance of mana management cannot be overstated.
However, Allen had shown a new possibility that defied this mon sense".
Surpassing an insurmountable wall ¡ª giant killing ¡ª required a trump card, a decisive move that could beat anyone. In that context, a single, explosive move was priceless.
Even Leo himself hadn''t initially expected his abilities to evolve in this way. But if Allen insisted on it so strongly, there had to be a reason, or so Leo naturally thought, given Allen¡¯s track record of producing overwhelming ¡°results¡±.
On a side note, Allen didn''t expect that it would turn out like this. Leo hadn¡¯t been expecting it to work out, and Allen had always been upfront about his reason being ¡®because it looks cool¡¯.
If he had any talent for attribute conversion, he would have pursued the way of the magic sword¡ª something he longed for regardless of its practicality or feasibility.
s, this is taxing on one¡¯s mana, but I hope to see it in action live no matter what!
Hey, Leo. You definitely have what it takes to make this magic work. Will you do it? I¡¯m sure you can do it!
Acting on an impromptu decision, he prattled the ¡®Final Order of Coach No.26¡¯ to Leo, discussing with him the concept of magic sword. And then, together, they trained.
When the magic sword had begun to show results, ¡®Holy crap. This guy is a freaking cheat!¡¯ had been Allen¡¯s thought.
"Magnificent, Leo Zatstinger. What I said about it before ¡ª a parlor trick ¡ª I take it back."
Godorfun emerged from behind the rock and addressed Leo.
He likely understood that Leo, even with his prowess, could only unleash the magic sword one more time. If this were a real battle, Godorfun knew that he could simply avoid Leo until his magic was depleted, securing a victory by attrition. The moment Leo failed to finish him off on the first strike, considering the difference in skill, the oue was nearly decided.
However, Leo still needed to face a wall that he couldn''t ovee, even if he gave ¡®everything¡¯ he could. Godorfun recognized this and chose to confront Leo head-on.
Godorfun sheathed his concealed sword back into his staff.
"Let''s settle this with a head-on confrontation."
Leo grinned.
"I appreciate it, Sir."
The crimson mes once again ignited on Leo''s sword. Godorfun raised his staff and struck the ground with a fist-sized magic stone in his hand.
In an instant, the earth around Leo surged upwards like a prison, closing in on him from all sides.
"Haaahhh!!!"
With a powerful shout, Leo channeled all his mana into the mes on his sword, increasing its intensity. He burned through the encroaching earthen walls with the ming mithril de and burst through them with a charge.
The distance between him and Godorfun was now reduced to just five meters. Leo adjusted the ming de to a length of three meters, pouring all his remaining magic into a diagonal downward sh aimed at Godorfun.
Godorfun narrowly dodged the ming sword by moving to the left and took another step forward, cing his staff on the ground.
Leo quickly reversed his grip and swung the sword in a leftward diagonal sh. However, just before the strike, the ground beneath Leo''s right foot subtly shifted, throwing off the trajectory of his de, hence it merely grazed Godorfun''s head.
Realizing that his sword wouldn''t reach in time, Leo released his weapon and forcefully stepped down with his destabilized right foot,unching a kick with his left.
But Godorfun blocked the kick with his staff, causing Leo to momentarily lose his bnce and float in midair. In that brief moment, Godorfun drew the hidden sword from his staff and pressed it against Leo''s neck.
"Game over, Leo Zatsinger."
"...It¡¯s my loss.¡±
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"I had thought you all would be protecting the southern base with everything on the line¡ but it''s all deafening silence here. They presumably scattered after witnessing Leo Zatsinger''s defeat. All the prisoners seem to be safe. There were some injured, but the worst cases have been treated by Jeuri Levarance.¡±
Godorfun nodded in response to Jipro¡¯s report, who had charged inside the southern base while he and Leo shed.
"...So, they abandoned the south. That means the real target is likely the east. Send one squad each to the enemy bases in the east and west, and have them report on the situation. Send two men to the northern base to deliver news of the fall of the southern base. Jipro, reorganize the prisoners. The rest of you, fortify this southern base."
"Yes, sir!"
But soon after, the reports they received left Godorfun and his men perplexed.
"...The east and west are also deserted? This means all the bases have fallen... Jipro! How¡¯s the reorganization of the army going?"
Jipro reported bitterly to Godorfun.
"That''s the issue... There isn''t a singlemander left. Not even the squad leaders, let alone the toonmanders... ording to the prisoners, their target had been random, but they clearly had a goal, and they only singled out the leader ss members. Reorganizing the troops on the spot is impossible."
"...They had this nned out from the beginning, down to the smallest detail. I was lured out then. We must return to the northern headquarters immediately!"
Just then, the soldiers who had been separated from Jipro''s battalion and were managing the supplies hidden in the forest, along with those who had been sent as messengers to the north, rushed in with urgent news.
"Urgent report! The Gar Squadron, which was guarding half of our supplies and was separated from the main force, has been annihted by a force of about ten enemies! We¡¯ve lost all our supplies! At the same time, the otherpany under themand of Saree guarding our supplies hidden elsewhere has also been raided and wiped out! We¡¯ve instructed the survivors to head south, but... we don¡¯t know how many will make it..."
"W-what did you say!? What is Tim doing? Didn''t the headquarters send reinforcements?"
Pressed by Godorfun, the messenger who had gone to the headquarters to deliver the news paled and trembled as he reported.
"R-reporting! Lord Tim has been eliminated! T-the northern headquarters guarded by one and a half battalion... has beenpletely wiped out by Allen Rovenne..."
¡° "Wh-what the¡ª?!" ¡°
¡ô
About an hour earlier¡ª
While Godorfun and Leo were engaged in their fierce battle, I stood with a perplexed expression in front of the northern base.
"Heh... heh... ha... hyahahahaha!"
...Crap, I think I overdid it...
T/N - Leo: top in his grade, top in mana capacity, top in strength. ...Holy, so the real title of the novel was Sword, magic and academic society¡ªthe real protagonist was Leo all along. Well, lolz aside, it''s more about showing each character''s strength I guess. Rip Allen though, couldn¡¯t pursue his dream himself. It¡¯s exciting to see how he''s gonna take down Godorfun now.
E/N - This arc has been my favorite so far. Leo''s magic was pretty cool, not gonna lie. It suits him too with hisrge mana pool. I think earlier chapters mention he had like 50k when Allen inparison only had about 5k. And lol at T/N. Leo really acts more of an MC than the actual MC, Allen.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 158.1 - Final Scenario (6)
Going back in time, an hour before the fifth scenario began.
I returned to the southern base after luring the hordes of monsters near the western base.
¡°So, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s the time you tell us what¡¯s that trick up your sleeve, Allen?¡±
Prompted by Bester, I then exined everything to my ssmates: how I abandoned my righteous persona because of the boredom I had to go through in the 4th scenario, and how I left the pass unattended for some time to gather materials for the sleeping and paralyzing drugs I concocted.
¡°Well, that¡¯s quite a bold move if I say so myself. I guess not even Godorfun-sensei would have thought that you would dare leave the pass unattended for several hours for personal reasons. And by extension, he would never in his wildest dreams think that our side is in possession of those drugs.
Sounds like they¡¯re a good measure that we can use, but being alone back then meant you probably didn''t have enough hands to make a great amount of these drugs either. You really think that what we have would be enough to be a killing blow?¡±
I shook my head.
¡°Unless they¡¯ve gone senile, they¡¯ll surely be somewhat wary of the cards in our hand after I¡¯ve made my statement¡ª that they would be crushed beneath our feet even if they came at us with their full power. Plus, those two would never step into the battlefield if they saw us struggling with their army. This holds true for Tim-san.
And that result would only delight that old geezer. So we¡¯re going to drag every bit of their forces into the mud, chase them into a desperate corner, and then make them break into tears for the first time. We''re not doing this to earn their praise. Everything we do is for that sake alone, in the end.¡±
Once I was done speaking, Leo nodded and questioned me.
¡°I understood your reasoning. I see no problem in going for that goal. However, that doesn¡¯t exin how exactly we are going to achieve it. Frankly, they¡¯re obscenely strong. Their resistance to poison or to any foreign substance with mana should be just as strong.¡±
I had confidence in making Tim-san exit from the scenario using my concocted drugs as long as Godorfun was somehow lured out from the northern base¡ª or so I told him. After all, taking Bester¡¯s n into ount, we would have a huge chance to bag this battle as long as Tim-san was eliminated.
It was a no-brainer. Removing one tiger from the mountain increased your odds of saving your life by a huge marginpared to having two of them chasing after your ass.
Either way, our victory was just a pipe dream if we couldn¡¯t separate that geezer from Tim-san. The geezer was too good at everything¡ª monstrous strength, high analytical ability, and a decisive personality. He was no less than a disaster for his opponent.
This was why we ought to achieve this to make our raid sessful.
And once that geezer was out somewhere else, I would chase them to the furthest corner until they were dyed in the color of desperation, making each of them feel the height of loneliness. Oh, I would make them wish for the arms of theirrades to support them. The joy that they had taken for granted, I would thoroughly and meticulously make them feel its loss that they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape as if an albatross was on their neck. Kukuku, fuhahaha!
Besides that, the prisoners n hade from Bester in case we somehow managed to capture them. One more option was one more card up our sleeve, and that woulde in handy.
And with my understanding of that old geezer, he would try to save them personally.
After learning of my n, Bester rearranged the strategy into a more refined one. In Bester¡¯s strategy, once Godorfun had been lured out of the hole, we would abandon the southern base and initiate a counterattack on the north. But as Leon wanted to have a direct confrontation with the old geezer, the strategy was slightly changed, utilizing the time that Leo would earn for us.
¡°I fear that the range of the detection prevention magical tool set up in the northern base would epass the whole base¡¯s premises, which could expose us. So I¡¯ll quickly dig a burrow nearby and hide there until Godorfun is out. There¡¯s no precise data on what kind of resistance those two monsters have.
Even if we poison them at the same time, if either of them manage to resist the drugs, we would be put at risk. The best ce to dig a basement is near the fence by that broken wall, and once Dol has hardened the soil with his magic, it should serve me well.¡±
Next, it was Coco that posed a question.
¡°I give in to your abilities, Allen. But we¡¯re talking about Tim-san, amander level figure. I doubt even your arrows can¡¡. Ah, I see. You¡¯re staking it all on the wind, eh? But then, the question is how are you going to blend your concoction into air? The boiling point of the sleeping drug extracted from doraman mushrooms with the opened umbre tops, and capone¡¯s leaves is quite high. It''s impossible to spread it at normal room temperature. The same is true for the paralyzing drug.
It should bete by then, and you¡¯ll need air to stay in the basement. You¡¯ll faint if you use fire, you know?¡±
Heh, that was a sharp question, Coco.
¡°You¡¯re right, Coco. I had been thinking about that the whole night yesterday¡ª how to effectively make them take the drug. In the end, there¡¯s just no other way except through air, and that would require wind magic. I thought of the same problem as you had, and that¡¯s where I¡¯m going to use a certain magic I had discovered and had been researching on.¡±
Well, except that it was actually something I knew, not discovered.
Then, Iid out my n to them, which I came up with after trying it out on monstersst night. They didn¡¯t speak, but their expression did shout ¡®Ya taking us fer a ride, yeah?¡¯ that I could hear in an ented voice.
¡ô
¡°If you want your 120 soldiers back safely, then take your army and return to your nation! Otherwise, it¡¯ll be our sword against their necks!¡±
Inferring that it was about time, I awakened from my nap, and was listening to the outside situation with my enhanced hearing, when Parry-kun, who served as our messenger, shouted, his voice echoing out.
It had also been our pre-established signal for the situation. After waiting for a while, Godorfun left the ce along with onepany as we expected.
Leo was protecting the southern base alone while the others should have already vacated that ce by this point, going for the enemy¡¯s weak points that Dan had been looking out for.
Dan had been everyone¡¯s eyes all this time, sneaking around to take note of the enemy''s war might and troop deployment. And as long as it was him, I bet he could easily make his way out in case the enemy discovered him. Well, given he wasn¡¯t really that strongpared to many of our ssmates, he would merely be cannon fodder against Godorfun, and he wouldn¡¯t even have a proper drawing of himself had this been manga.
But on the plus side, he had keen eyes, and he even had decent mastery over wind magic which he had gained from the research club. He could trek through the mountain easily, and could infer at least ten ways through even with just one option with his analytical prowess.
Of course, Bester would never let such a precious asset meet aughable dead-end.
Anyway, back to the matter at hand: this was my signal, eh?
I slightly shaved off the venttion on the soil roof that was hardened by Dol¡¯s earth magic, and quietly ced the phial of the concentrated sleeping drug through it.
The phial ¡ª originally for a potion ¡ª was from the foreign spy Zetsu-san, which I had borrowed after healing his leg wound due to my attack.
This phial was the very key that I required to effectively poison the enemy.
The point was to have the enemies inhale enough sleeping gas, but how to turn it into gas was the question. No one would think of doing it in an open-fire while the enemies were on your back.
After much brainstorming, I stumbled upon the technique of ¡®creating vacuum¡¯, something that I had cultivated while training the basics of my wind magic¡ª wind cutter.
One must have heard of how at the summit of a mountain, the temperature of water never topped 90c, or how noodles also felt different in that atmosphere.
Basically, air pressure fell down the higher the altitude, which in turn also lowered the boiling point.
So basically, what I had pointed out to my ssmates was¡ª the liquid¡¯s boiling point could be lowered as long as air pressure had been manipted, which in other terms also meant to create a situation closer to a vacuum.
It was also why the boiling was possible even in the minus temperature of space. Well, it also endangered people in space the most should their space suit be damaged.
A pity I was still far from being able to create a hollow wind construct, aka a wind cutter, like in those light novels, but creating a vacuum was somewhat possible.
I held my hand atop the phial on the ground outside.
I had already tested yesterday what should be the air pressure to cause the sleeping drug to spontaneously evaporate. It was quite effective actually due to the fact that it only needed a short time to affect the target¡ª a merit I discovered.
I presume it was because the air was directly taken into the lungs, then we only had to wait for the liquid topletely circte through the nervous system and the brain. In hindsight, it lowered the drug''s duration due to the proportionally small amount I used, and needed a lot of effort to expel it using mana technique, but it was still effective because of how quickly it could slip by the opponent''s senses and affect them.
Slowly, I directed the vaporized sleeping drug toward the crevice of broken walls using wind magic.
Strictly speaking, the sleeping drug, just removed from the vacuum state, was still in liquid form, so it didn¡¯t burst off into gas immediately, which made it easier to control it with wind magic.
E/N - Dang, MC talking like a super viin in this chapter. It even ended with the guy doing chemical warfare ??
Vol. 1 - Chapter 158.2 - Final Scenario (6)
"Haa..."
Tim sighed. He had started to feel his agetely due to him encountering many troupe-subverting moments.
In contrast to Godorfun who looked as fine and dandy as a young man while following the events of the outdoor sses, he was certainly feeling the hardship of being isted in the mountain forest for nearly a week. However, given the fact that the former neverined despite being retired from the position of the Knight Order''smander, he would never verbalize his inner feelings of the matter.
He couldn''t help but feel blinded by how dazzling the kids appeared to be with their overflowing energy, even going so far as to raise the difficulty of their scenario voluntarily, and in a corner of his mind, he felt envious.
''No, I can''t let myself get caught in their pace...'' Tim murmured to cheer himself up, and lightly pped both of his cheeks. Yet, he couldn''t shake off his sleepiness.
''It wouldn''t hurt to just close my eyes a bit. Only for five seconds¡ª'' Murmuring that, Tim crossed his arms and closed his eyes.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"You''re now dead, Tim-san."
I crept from my hideout to the northern base through the gap in the broken wall, put a dagger on Tim-san''s nape, and called out to him. However, his eyes had just snapped open, when he twisted my arms that held the dagger and locked both of them into a hold.
"Hey, hey, it hurrrttts! You''re supposed to be dead now, Tim-san!"
I had to raise my voice so that he''d finally realize the situation he was in. A pale expression showed on his face as he released my hands and apologized.
"I-I''m so sorry! It was just out of reflex.................. No, did I fall asleep? But there''s no way I could have fallen asleep so deeply that I''d fail to notice your steps until your voice woke me up¡ not when you all must be more exhausted than me, having gone through all that hardship¡ How?......"
Tim-san''s face contorted inmentation, as if he couldn''t believe he had made such a grave blunder. Something tells me he would surely put in a letter of resignation unless he gets to know why.
"I had contaminated the air with sleeping drugs using my wind magic. It''s actually quite a tricky method, and not surprising to not notice it at first encounter, so please do not fret over it. I will exin the details, but first......"
After giving some reassuring words, I pushed myself and Tim-sann toward a blind spot from the entrance.
"Is everything alright, Tim-sama? I heard some kind of noise..."
I blew the paralysis drug toward the two neers.
The two tilted their heads back in surprise, took reactive measures, and knelt to the ground in a crouching position.
"And you two are now dead.¡± They were both startled as I left my cover and announced so, my bow pointed at them.
Tim-san, who had been silently watching this, was surprised once again.
He was still confused with how I used the drugs, apparently.
"I can''t apologize enough..... I should have been taken out already, and shouldn''t have done anything to affect the scenario anymore, but the noise I made despite that introduced variables. They''re the coordinators of the troops currently who handle their movement¡ and if they don''t go back soon, many more would check here to ask formands."
......Ugh, now that''s a pinch.
In my n, I was to take down Tim-san quietly, then go into stealth mode once again while waiting for my ssmates to arrive. I would¡¯ve then joined them for the follow-up action.
After a brief overview of the situation, I made a move thinking I would still have some time before I was discovered, but¡ maybe my timing wasn''t good.
I thought we could push the troops into chaos by revealing that Tim-san was already dead when we mounted our attack. But now that we had failed, unless we settled the situation quickly, the enemy headquarters would surely be on their guard.
And if such arge force was put on alert, it would be anything but safe for my ssmates.
Basically, the northern base favored the side with more numbers.
"......There''s no crying over spilled milk. Besides, I was just as careless¡ I really didn''t want to use this trick given the danger, but..."
There were two nuances to this danger.
First, should I fail, I would most likely be killed and be taken out of the scenario, but if I seed, it would be doubly dangerous in other ways. Well, though the trick was quite simplepared to the intricacies behind it.
In short, I would be using my Wind Magic Level 3 Spell¡ª Hurricane, and circte crazy amounts of drugs in the air while directing it toward the troop stationed at the center of this base.
If enemies were taken down with this move, then it would be a sess. But I would be in trouble if they didn''t fall down before my drug supply or mana reserve ran out.
If I did this trick the normal way, then it was a dual-edge sword because in the process of sprinkling drugs in the air and controlling the flow of the wind myself would result in the air around me being stuffed with the said drug as well.
Obviously, I would be in danger of inhaling my own drugs, so when implementing thisbtrick, I would have to do it from a safe distance, and concentrate the drugs into a specific point, Albeit, this meant I wouldn''t be able to circte the mana as well as when I do it near me. Plus, it was also a mana-hungry trick since not only would I have to control the flow of the drugs, but also the direction of the wind.
In the end, I decided to do it. With determination, I stepped outside themander''s room and shouted.
"Tim Buchan has been subjugated! Surrender now if you value your life!"
I opted this way to attract the attention of the enemies as much as possible. The more covertly the drug trick had been used, the more effective it would be. But it was just a matter of time before I was spotted either way.
" "Wh-what!!?" "
"E-Enemy attack!"
"Surround him! Don''t let him escape at all costs until Godorfun-sama is back!"
"Lower the turret!"
"No, have the mage corp first whittle down his stamina from a distance!"
......I guessdy luck was on my side here for now. The absence of Tim-san and two coordinators did break their chain ofmand.
It might seem like their orders were good enough, and they were, but that was only if they didn''t have a huge troop. Their actions clearly diminished a number of advantages they could have had.
I opened the top of the two phials clipped on my waist, and scattered the concentrated paralyzing gas ¡ª I increased the mixture''s potency to get even more powerful drugs ¡ª into the air while keeping it in one particr area.
I imagined the flow of air to be like a donut, with the space where I was being hollow.
"-Arggggh!!!"
Lately, I had barely run out of mana, so the once familiar bitter sensation made me groan.
But maybe the drug concentration had be diluted due to therge area, several soldiers still stood strong while my mana had been depleted by more than half of my capacity. Also, it was only a matter of time before my stock of normal paralyzing drugs dried up.
I had onest phial left, but this was specially prepared for Godorfun¡ª the Super Paralyzing Drug.
It might not be good to use this...
"What''s with the wind?!"
"The air is poisoned!"
"Don''t panic! It''s not enough to affect us!"
"Stay on your feet! We''re going to press on!"
Hey, hey, hey, please don''t do this. Don''t force me to open this red cap. It''s super-duper dangerous, just so you know!
" "Keep Chaaaaargiiiiiiinggggg!!!" "
Don''te! Don''te! Don''te!
Holy hell, can anyone tell me what to dooooooooo!?
.........fwoomp
Eventually, I lost to the rushing troops that moved like an avnche, and¡ opened the red cap.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 159 - Final Scenario (7)
"Kukuku. Fugyahahahaha!"
Crap. I really overdid it this time......
The result of my super-special-concentrated-paralyzing drug was truly terrific, just as I had expected. I only released half of the phial''s content in the air, but... there were no more enemies in sight.
For the time being, I couldn''t resist the urge to tap my forehead, look to the heavens, and break intoughter after gazing at the hellish scene before my eyes. The faces of my ssmates, who had just entered the northern base, twitched at my behavior as if they couldn''t bear the cringe.
Dan asked with an exasperated tone.
"This is... quite a scene. But wasn''t our n something else? Also, what the hell is with that strangeugh? You¡¯ve been doing that since this morning."
"Good question. What you''re seeing is a deste person who had been tossed aside like a ragged cloth, who caved into the darkness, andter became a tool of the demons.
There has been a slight mishap in our n. Anyway, the supplies were hidden some distance from the main headquarters, right? Also, pass the antidote to the soldiers. If they stay like that, we won¡¯t even be able to move them out of the battlefield."
After giving out my instructions, Iid down on the spot like that sloven middle-aged uncle who just had dinner, the personification ofziness.
".........Sheesh, you still believe in demons or whatnot? Passing the antidote to them is the least we can do, but... why the hell are you rolling around on the ground?"
"It had taken almost all of my mana to deal with the situation, now I don''t even have the energy to stay on my feet."
"......I¡¯m no longer surprised at your slovenly appearance."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Tim-san walked up to me, while my ssmates were running around the base applying the antidote.
"I can''t believe it... You really did take them down in an instant¡ The rumors were true¡ª No, you''re more incredible than the rumors make you out to be, Allen Rovenne-kun. It''s like you had somehow contained the poisonous air in this area. I¡¯m curious how you aplished that, but you''re probably at a high level in terms of concealment and covert operations. Maybe I¡¯ll save the actual truth for another day."
...I''m sorry, spreading the poison in an airtight space was exactly what I did.
Not noticing my inwardly twitching expression, Tim-san patted my shoulder and shouted hismand, ¡°We¡¯ve been annihted. The antidote doesn¡¯t seem to be enough, so use your mana and try to deal with it yourselves! Once you can move, hurry up and leave the battlefield!¡±
Anyway, as Tim-san shouted, we stumbled upon a slight problem.
The antidote couldn''tpletely remove the lingering paralysis. So they had the army''s mages and surgeons help out, starting with the people that exhibited stronger symptoms of paralysis. But there had been too many of such people in contrast to the few helpers.
Now what was the troublesome part here, right? Well, the ¡®dead¡¯ were supposed to be shifted to the dead zone which was 5 km away from here, near the true border post. But with this many suffering from paralysis, it was certainly not going to be safe for them to traverse the mountain road where monsters could attack at any time. Tim-san might be strong, but it should be impossible for him to keep an eye on all soldiers.
"Say, you think you can use area healing magic, Jeu?"
A surprised expression appeared on Jeu''s face at my question as if she hadn''t expected someone to ask her that. She chuckled and answered.
"......I¡¯ve earned the qualification to read the journals of ''Saintess'' Sari-sama, the prized yet also secret documents of the Levarance family. There had been mention of one such holy magic that Sari-sama herself developed and often used which was dubbed as ''God''s Miracle'' by the general popce. But¡ how do you know about it, Allen-san?
Oh, I can''t use it, by the way. Well, to be more precise, no human besides Sari-sama had been able to master it. I¡¯m thinking of dabbling in it one day though."
Oh? So area healing magic isn''t an ordinary thing here, huh?
From what I¡¯ve seen, holy magic worked on a different principle than emission magic, and since I didn''t have the holy attribute, I barely had any information about it.
I chanced upon this information when I was new to the Royal Capital and frequently visited the royal library to gather material for my emission magic research when I stumbled upon the record of her ancestor, Saintess Sari. It wasn''t mentioned clearly, but as someone who came from a ce where such settings were all-too familiar in games or light novels, it sounded like ''area healing magic¡¯ to me. Well, not that I could exin it to her that way.
"......It''s justmon sense. But I¡¯m sure you can learn it, Jeu. You know what, I think you can do it now. Why don''t you give it a try?"
I nonchntly said out loud my wish to see that magic.
Someone had to do something about the current situation, but I was in no condition to think due to my dried up mana reserve.
"Huh!? Even with me being in top condition, I never felt I could achieve that, so there''s no way I can do it when I¡¯m so tired¡ It''s because I¡¯m tired that I can do it, is that what you''re saying?"
I nodded assertively.
"Of course. It''s because of our current situation that I¡¯m sure you can pull it off."
Kukuku. Frankly, it surprised me how highly they think of me.
I had no basis that it would work, but maybe my strong assertion would give them some kind of boost to try it out, that maybe they might be able to do it. So it was better to let them think like that for now.
Because even the slightest negative thought like ''I can''t'' in the corner of their mind could greatly hamper them from bringing out their full power. Even if they were capable of doing it originally.
You must have confidence, a sort of conviction, in yourself if you want to surpass an unimaginable height¡ª I recall hearing this quote from an athlete in my previous world.
Well, it would be amazing if she managed to pull it off, but this wasn''t some fantasy world where it would be that easy. Either way, even if she failed, I would merely be called a liar. They mighte to realize that I wasn''t that amazing of a person as they made me out to be.
Jeu held her beloved staff in her hand and stood in front of the paralyzed soldiers.
"It''s because I''m so tired that I can do it..."
She closed her eyes and silently murmured to herself to fix her mindset. Then she sharply opened them and nced at me¡ breaking into a silent chuckle.
When I saw that smile, faintly tinted with elegance, and her blonde hair that asserted their presence more than ever as the moonlight reflected on it¡ª I immediately had an unpleasant hunch. I probably dug another hole for myself.
"Cough, maybe it¡¯s too early¡ª"
I immediately raised my voice in an attempt to stop her...... but I was a step toote.
Jeu had already started chanting the extremely long ancient words, something she used when activating holy magic. It sounded like a song to my ears, as if she was truly conversing with the goddess.
In ordance with her aria, the staff in Jeu''s hand radiated a golden brilliance simr to her hair, and soon that radiance fell upon the soldiers in front of her.
Everyone became silent as they witnessed that sublime sight.
"Saintess..."
One of the soldiers murmured out of reverence.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Don''t make noise! Remember, we''re dead now! I forbid all of you from speaking any words until we¡¯ve reached the dead zone!
In the name of Tim Buchan, I alsomand you all to keep what happened here a secret! It''s just a matter of time before we''re given a gag-order officially, so be careful of what you say! Good grief, why are so many strange things happening around me!? It''s all too much for me to handle!"
Grumbling in annoyance, Tim-san left for the dead zone.
Jeu had a face full of smiles as she saw that and rushed to hug me.
"I-I did it! Thank youuuu, Allen-san! I always thought it required a lot more mana, that''s why I failed... but now I get it. I also finally understand why Sari-sama used to say you can''t be a great user of holy magic without knowing what love is!"
Oh, you get it? Good, because I didn''t get any of the nonsense you were saying at all.......
I tried to push Jeu away and get out of her hold, but I could barely muster any strength in my current state.
"Well, what''s the meaning of this, Allen? I do believe I deserve an exnation here. And I hope you know what it means to Jeu to use the legendary magic that only Saintess Sari was capable of."
Fey approached me with her usual grinning expression and squatted next to me, demanding an exnation. An exnation, huh? Good question.
"Um... I just thought she needed a push to have more confidence in herself, so I tried to ad-lib some pep talk for her. But since she was able to use it, it just means she always had the aptitude for it...... Believe me!"
I truthfully confessed, but the others looked at me as if I was still hiding the truth.
"......By the way, do you know about the ''lost treasure tool'' of the Dragoon family, Allen?"
Fey suddenly followed up with a different topic while grinning. I immediately denied it.
"Not at all. Neither do I have any interest in it."
I heard that many valuable magical tools in the possession of the Dragoon family had lost some of their functions, but I knew admitting it would put me in another mess, so I shook my head with all my might.
For real, what did she think of me, a diviner?
"Anyway, we should get back to work before that old geezer returns. I doubt Leo would be able to handle him for too long."
I forcibly changed the topic.
Our enemies were now left with twopanies, and at least half of them were a mere disorderly crowd that had nomander to lead them.
We''re 19 people here, excluding Leo.
Now we just need to deal with the old geezer somehow, then the victory would basically be ours.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
I was trying to recover as much mana as I could via manapression in the base when Godorfun walked up to us all alone.
We might have settled everything sooner if he arrived with the troops with him, but otherwise the situation was unfolding as we expected. Either way, everything depended on us eliminating him.
"Just the two of you, huh?...... I presume the others must be mounting an attack on the southern base. Let me guess, you must have had Daniel Serdos survey the situation as everyone''s eyes and sketched out your n from here. You must have quite the confidence if you have Daniel Serdos as your scout, given hisbat prowess."
Well, in this base defense battle, it was safe to say that everything hinged on the coordination of the four bases and the timing of the traps. We hadn''t attacked the southern base until now to make it difficult for Godorfun, and force him to make a decision.
"Hmph. Dan is one of the cards that Bester had prepared, and I dare say he had grasped the situation better than anyone else. Let''s end this quickly."
I said while nonchntly putting my hand on the phial with a red lid that I had carefully sealed after its previous usage.
But, that geezer actually spouted some nonsense.
"It''s aplete failure."
Yeah, yeah. Now stop whining ande at me. I¡¯m ready!
Vol. 1 - Chapter 160 - Final Scenario (8)
"......This was an utter failure for us. Wepletely lost our number advantage, and with Tim''s fall, we also lost any hope to raid all four posts at once. I can take down one, but it would be of no use when it would only change hands once again when I leave that ce. I would simply be sacrificing my soldiers for no gain.
In my experience, I¡¯ve never heard of mountain strongholds that worked so immactely together despite such erratic movement. I for sure thought that there would be a hole in your n while building such an intricate stronghold setup... but I failed to spot any in time. We no longer have enough military strength to push forward, we¡¯ve lost all initiative."
Huh? Hey, hey, hey. You can''t give up on me here!
"W-What''re you doing by giving up so easily?! What about the ''Indomitable'' title of yours that sparked hope in your people!? C''mon, you can''t trample on people''s hopes so easily. You don''t know it, Sensei, but Bester''s pettiness is kind of like a mother-inw who tries to nitpick at every single thing. I¡¯m sure you''ll be surprised by his imagination and stubbornness.
Anyway, it''s too early for you to give up here, Sensei! We can''t conclude who the victor is unless you or our ss get taken out of the gamepletely!"
I had been napping inside the basement ever since the final scenario began to give him a surprise blow. Now that it was finally my time to take the stage, what did he mean by giving up like this? At this rate, my memory of the whole outdoor ss would be a dark history where I was a loner no matter the scenario. There was no way I would let him dash away my hope of working together with my ssmates!!
Godorfun squinted his eyes in surprise, his hand stroking that white beard.
"......But this is no longer a siege. We, as the attackers, nned to start our invasion by capturing this border stronghold and then proceeding to invade this country. So the moment we lost our forces here is when we lost for good."
Heeeey, do you even understand what I''m saying!?
"T-Take a deep breath first, Sensei! Why the hell do you invaders have so low motivation?! Are you saying you would let your enemies trample over you so easily even when you''re the one protecting your nation?! Alright, let''s swap positions. You''re now defending this base! I¡¯m sure you wouldn''t fuss over such a minor setup after meddling with all the previous scenarios so easily, right?
The time limit is 12 PM tomorrow, and both of our reinforcements will arrive around then. Whoever manages to keep the base to themselves will be the winner. Don''t forget, every civilian''s eyes are on you to save them from this predicament! We¡¯ll start now!"
Godorfun''s fighting spirit slowly climbed up as I criticized his stance.
"What''s your goal, Allen Rovenne? It would be boorish of me to give up now after your speech...... but you''re clearly the ''winner'' already at this juncture. I doubt you would get any extra score from our continued confrontation either way."
Phew. That was close. Seriously, what about him was indomitable? He still caved in to my words so easily.
I chuckled and replied.
"Score? I don''t even care about such flimsy numbers. I¡ª no, we still aren¡¯t done ying around yet! So you''re going to relieve our boredom until then!"
Berd, who had been next to me, smiled wryly, but nodded just as assertively.
Godorfun''s eyes turned round, and he then followed up with a boomingughter.
"......Fuhahaha! Very well, Allen Rovenne. Berd Yuniwance. I¡¯ll take you on with my full power as your teacher in-charge. Though... a pity that after all these words, you¡ª"
Godorfun continued as he unsheathed his training sword and lunged at me.
"You''re going to die here!!"
However, Berd parried his blow.
I had to slightly twist my words to get things done, but the scenario was moving forward just as I wanted.
I used that paper-thin gap to leap back, opened the top of the red cap phial, and scattered the paralyzing drug in Godorfun''s direction.
Berd was already holding his breath, but that wouldn''t be too effective when he was facing Godorfun. I was going to confront Godorfun alone, but he stayed behind, saying ¡®Someone needs to be your shield so that you survive¡¯. They still needed meter since I could use detection magic to find out the enemies'' situations.
Godorfun immediately changed his target to Berd, deflecting the strike of thetter''s longsword, and aimed the de part of his sword at Berd''s nape.
But his sword wascking its usual sharpness. Berd dodged Godorfun''s sword and jumped at him to pin him down. Godorfun shook his body, and somehow escaped from Berd''s hold as he jumped back.
As soon as he found a gap, he used his robe to cover his mouth, and started circting the mana inside his body to expel the foreign substance.
"......So this was your n. This is where your confidence stems from, huh, Allen Rovenne?!"
Immediately after shouting that, he jumped out of the ruin and made a beeline for the forest.
"Dammit!"
Wasn''t that geezer''s reaction speed and judgement ability a bit too fast!?
"We''re chasing after him, Berd! We¡¯ll be at a disadvantage if that geezer manages to clear out the paralysis effect!"
Nheless, the geezer''s speed was still top-notch, despite suffering from the drug''s effect. He soon disappeared from my detection magic''s range.
I used to hear him say ''Your attainment in Body Strengthening magic is the key to all the basics''. So this was what he meant, huh?
......From the direction he took, he had to be either in the south or east.
Berd and I gave chase with our top speed, but felt stuck at which direction to go when we eventually arrived at a branching path. However, the doubt was soon cleared by Dan, who had just appeared.
"It''s east, Allen. Al and his team are lying in ambush up ahead, let''s corner him there."
"Roger!"
With the direction on hand, we blitzed toward the eastern base when we heard the ''Boom! Boom!'' sound of Dol''s Earth Burst echoing from a distance.
Dol had set up some Earth Bursts just in case Godorfun escaped to the east. And there was no way Godorfun could have guessed how they wereid out as we were the only ones who had memorized theyout.
However, the sound of explosions never stopped.
It would have been in our favor if he had slowed down and took a detour, but Godorfun wasn''t a greenhorn to cave in so easily. Besides, Dol''s Earth Bursts were stillcking in power to deal any serious damage to Godorfun.
If it couldn''t hurt him, then he could brute force it, that must have been what Godorfun thought. And this train of thought was exactly the thing we hadn''t wanted him to take. There were too many spots to hide in at the eastern base, and it was going to be just as hard to search for him there.
But it had at least slightly slowed down Godorfun¡¯s pace as we soon caught a glimpse of his back.
Al, who had been waiting there, shouted.
"Surround him now! Don''t let him get away from here!"
He fired his ice barrage at Godorfun, halting his steps and pushing him toward our preassigned hunting ground.
The earth burst that had been buried there in a different way, and as soon as Godorfun stepped on the 5th Earth Burst, the ground beneath him caved in.
It was the so-called pitfall trap, but Godorfun used his training sword and thrust it into the wall of the pit the instant the ground caved in, slowing down his descent and also avoidingpletely falling into the hole.
The bottom of the pit had been filled with a heavy amount of adhesive substance that could be obtained from agate spiders, so had he fallen in, we would have won.
"Hmph, childish tricks!"
He shouted, manipting the soil with his magic and jumping out of the hole. From falling into the pitfall to jumping out of it barely took him a second.
What the hell did that geezer eat growing up?! I even doubted if my paralysis drug was working on him.
But Al and Dol pushed him to halt his progress, and sessfully trapped him in their siege. Everyone leapt at him for a simultaneous attack.
Sophia, who ended up receiving the first blow, and Berd, who had forced himself to chase Godorfun ¡®til here, got taken out. But we were able to push Godorfun near the river channel, and now behind him was a waterfall that was at least 70 meters deep.
"This is your end, Godorfun!"
I said as I ced my hand on my bow.
However, Godorfun¡¯s lips were curled into a dauntless smile as he jumped down from the waterfall toward theke.
Hey, hey... you could die!?!!
SPLASSSH!!!
We fearfully gazed down at the waterfallke. After a moment, Godorfun had appeared in a distant ce from where he had dived in, and jumped onto the coast. However, he never once stopped to look behind as he slipped inside the forest.
No one told me that the old man was a cockroach!!
But I had expected him to throw out some words. To not even spare a nce in our direction, the old geezer was absolutely serious.
Very well, it wouldn''t be fun otherwise!
¡ô¡ô¡ô
From that moment on, Godorfun would appear like a ghost tounch surprise attacks on us. We fended him off with Bester''s strategy, but that couldn''t stop casualties from appearing in our group.
04:00 AM ¡ª We lost Dol and Fey.
07:30 AM ¡ª We lost Ste, Coco and Shar.
10:00 AM ¡ª We lost Kate and L.
And finally, in ourst siege battle at 11:30 AM, we lost Jeu, Magge, and Viz. But, their sacrifice enabled us to corner Godorfun into a dead end... However, we ran out of time by then.
"Shit! It¡¯s a tie! You know, you''re too tenacious for your own good, old fart!"
With the matching to an end, both Godorfun and I were sprawled on the ground.
Our assignment was to maintain our hold on the bases, so it was our victory in that regard, but I could never bring myself to dere that after failing to subdue Godorfun.
"Hohoho! It was a question of dignity as your ss teacher, after all. But I have to say the consecutive attacks and the traps surely tired my old bones out. There really is no winning against youth, fuhahaha!"
In contrast to his usual hard-to-decipher demeanor, Godorfun was nowughing like a child.
T/N - And this is thest chapter for the scenario. Next is the result announcement, and the arc woulde to end in one more chapter.
E/N - I have to say, this has been my favorite arc so far and thest scenario in particr was a st to read. Though the MC screwing up by snatching a tie in the jaws of victory due to his pettiness is pretty on brand with him, not gonna lie.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 161.1 - Last Arrival
After our match with Godorfun, we dragged ourselves to the Wangyush Vi, located at the shore of Citing Lake, for our long-awaited hot spring session.
With all the craziness that we¡¯ve gone through, our bodies were as heavy as lead. Then again, no one was as tired as Leo. Like an idiot, he apparently had Tim-san as his practice partner in the dead zone.
s, no one was in the mood, so I couldn''t even bring it up......
The Citingke, famed for its scenic view, was as beautiful as the rumors said it was. Its surface reflected the scenery of autumn blossoming at the base of the Darre Mountain Range as precisely as a mirror. By the time we arrived in the vi courtyard, the other sses had already arrived.
"Sup ss A~! You sure took your sweet time arriving here! A pity though, the top spot was taken by us."
We heard Connie-kun''s voice, a member of ss B and also part of the Hill Road Club.
"If one has to summarize what the outdoor sses are all about, it boils down to surpassing your own limit. We have plenty of tales to tell you on how we managed to be the No. 1! I¡¯ll especially narrate everything to you guys."
This one was Rudeo from the Magic Research Club.
Having beaten us by arriving here first, all the members of ss B had smug looks as they bragged. It seemed like they gained quite a lot from the outdoor sses.
"......Oh, I see. You guys are amazing, honestly. I would love to hear your stories as well..... but let''s save that forter. I just want to sleep for now. Our bodies are at their limits."
The ever bumbling Al, who was at the lead, said so while tapping Rudeo''s shoulder, and immediately entered the vi while limping.
The people surrounding ss A had mystified expressions that couldn''t be put into words. The obviously umon scene had the students of the other sses who were gathered around the courtyard gasping.
The tumultuous noise spread as we opened the entrance door and entered inside. One of the ss D girls from the Levarance territory called out to Jeuri.
"Jeuri-sama! Great work in the outdoor sses!...... It was a surprise to see ss A arriving sote, when they have Jeuri-sama... I was worried when I heard the savage content of ss A''s first scenario, but my heart can finally be put at ease seeing that you¡¯re unhurt.
They seemed to have said that thest arriving ss would have to make do with the hall as their sleeping ce, but you don''t have to mind that nonsense, Jeuri-sama. Please use my room to rest. Luckily, ss D was second to arrive, so we have quite a good number of rooms saved."
Jeu chuckled and shook her head.
"Your room is something you¡¯ve won with your hard work. You should be proud of what you¡¯ve managed to achieve, and use it to your heart¡¯s content. Don''t mind me. More importantly... it shouldn''t be any problem if ss A sleeps here, right?"
Jeu said, but didn''t wait for a reply as she immediately dropped on the spot like a log. The rest of ss A, their bodies and minds worn down, also followed Jeu''s lead and crashed on the spot sessively.
The noise amidst the other ss students suddenly died down as if they had been doused with water when they saw the state of ss A.
"Huh, hey, don''t fall asleep yet, guys! Who sleeps without taking a shower first?! There''s no way you should be alright with that icky feeling after sweating so much for a week, and only having that damned cold water from the river for a bath!
Wakey-wakey, Al! This is the time to surpass your limit! Look, Rudeo willugh at you seeing how much of azybones his club president is! You, too, Dol! What will happen to your image as the Demonic Adjutant if you let others see your current appearance!?"
Flustered, I immediately called out to them, but not a single one responded. Like corpses, they didn''t even twitch.
"Good work out there. It seems like you went through a tough deal, Allen-chan. But... you don''t look tiredpared to the others?"
Just as I wasmenting the deplorable state of my ssmates, Lil'' Dui appeared.
"Hey, you too, good work Lil'' Dui. I definitely would have preferred otherwise, but I had all the time in the world to take a nap and all due to that damned old geezer...... Speaking of which, have you already taken a shower?"
Lil'' Dui shook his head.
"Nope, I was just as tired, and in fact, I just woke up from my sleep. I was going for one just now."
Lucky!
"Well, let''s go together then. We can talk there! Do you have someone you like? Maybe you already have a girlfriend?"
Lil'' Dui''s face turned bright red at my question.
"W-What''re you talking about?! You''re sometimes too sudden, Allen-chan! Also, I¡¯m busy with the magic car club, so I don''t have the time to care about romance!"
He said, and... averted his eyes.
Heeheehee! I snickered inside my heart.
"Let''s hit the bathhouse first! We have lots of time to catch up with our stories! Aren''t you happy, Lil'' Dui?"
I firmly grasped Lil'' Dui by his shoulder.
"C-Come on, I mean it when I say there''s no one I currently like, Allen-chan! Well, maybe someone I¡¯m a bit curious about, yes, but it''s definitely only on the level of like!"
Then, after having a thorough bathing session, we moved to therge room allocated to ss E ¡ª these rooms were typically for servants, and separated by genders ¡ª and held our story convention there.
I listened to everyone''s tales of their love while giggling when Lil'' Dui suddenly retaliated saying ''Since you''re so interested in other people''s stories, what about you, Allen-chan?'' Well, it wouldn''t have been fair, yes, so I revealed my bitter ordeal with Rosetta-san. The ss E members all burst out inughter hearing my story. It did embarrass me, but this was youth.
In this way, and atst, I finally managed to enjoy this aspect of the outdoor sses that I envisioned to my heart''s content.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The following day.
"I will now announce the result of the Outdoor ss Orientation! Starting with the arrival order, No. 5 - ss A!"
Rias, the ss teacher of ss E, begins with the announcement of the results in descending order.
Meanwhile, Allen wasn''t present. He quoted his disinterest in the scores, and had instead left for a morning bath.
On this topic, after gossiping about the others¡¯ love life with the folks of ss E, he had made sure to have his ssmates take a thorough bath after they woke up from their sleep.
In all of this, Allen was most fond of thepact bath facing the mountain, which was a semi-open bath typically used by the staff. It was in contrast to the open air rooftop bath that was popr among the other students since one could capture the entire scenery of Citingke at a nce from there, making it a scenic spot.
Apparently, the popr baths had water added from the hot springs to maintain the quantity of hot water, but thepact bath ¡ª which was small enough that three people would end up sticking to each other if they entered simultaneously ¡ª drew water directly from source, and its temperature also topped the rest of the baths.
Since the student''s favorite was obviously the ones that offered better visuals, plus with thepact bath only having the bare minimum decoration ¡ª even that being mere autumn leaves dancing in the air ¡ª it had seen no visitors. But for Allen, there couldn''t have been a better spot.
The color of the hot water was also pale amber, and thanks to the Moor (aposite made using nt materials in the olden times) seeping into it, his body felt as slippery as an eel.
Since it wasn''t for guests, it had no limit for boys or girls. You just needed to put up the ''In use'' sign, and you were good to go.
Returning to the topic, the score was in the following order.
No.5 - ss A (50P)
No.4 - ss E (100P)
No.3 - ss C (125P)
No.2 - ss D (150P)
No.1 - ss B (200P)
"That is all. Now, I¡¯ll start with the overall score, which will include the mission difficulty level and achievement rate."
Rias spoke as her tongue ran over her lips.
The difficulty level and achievement rate were the obvious part of the scorecard.
There was nothing much to write about the difficulty level as it was self-exnatory, while the achievement rate took into ount things like if a ss was able to finish the mission within the timeframe, had they missed a target in an extermination mission, or had they caught the designated targets in the capture or subjugation missions. As an example, had ss A let one of the five spies escape, their achievement rate would have been 80%.
So basically, the arrival order was the basic aspect of the overall orientation, topped by the difficulty level and achievement rate. Had any ss focused on racing to the vi while ignoring the missions, they surely wouldn''t have gotten their desired result.
"I will start with ss E.
?Difficulty Level - 10
Achievement Rate - 90%
Overall Score - 900P. ?
Your performance rivals the scorecard ofst year''s ss C, so you can absolutely rejoice at that."
As Rias¡¯ words were heard, a loud cheer arose from ss E. The rest of the sses showered them with apuse.
Then, Rias revealed the score of ss D.
Difficulty Level - 12
Achievement Rate - 60%
Overall Score - 1080P
Their score rivaled ss B¡¯s fromst year.
Moving on to ss C.
Difficulty Level - 14
Achievement Rate - 80%
Overall Score - 1400P
Their score had surpassed the average of ss A fromst year.
A major factor why the first year sses this year had achieved such results despite the basic orientation set by the academy team, whose leader was none other than Godorfun, was the existence of the Hill Road Club. The basic stamina training there had been iparable to what the previous year''s freshmen had gone through in sses, so this had enabled them to perform better than average in this orientation.
Cultivated temperament and strength was bound to bring bountiful results. And sure enough, the oue of this orientation would be the precursor for the Hill Road Club to be the ''Unspoken Must Attend Club of the Royal Academy'', granting it the status of a noted club with an unshakable reputation.
And moving onward to ss B¡ª
Difficulty Level - 16
Achievement Rate - 85%
Overall Score - 2720P
"As far as the first years are concerned, this score is enough to put you among the top 3 scores of all time. Congrattions."
When Rias¡¯ words echoed out, the hall remained still for a moment before a loud cheer erupted, covering the entire hall in itself.
"Hurray!!"
"We did it! We did it!"
"Did you see it!? This is the extent of our strength!!"
Students of ss B shouted while hugging each other. With the frantic effort they had put forward along with an adequate result, and this was a natural reaction.
Their Arrival Score was four times that of ss A, plus their achievement score had hit 85%. They had definitely beat down ss A, the folks of ss B were convinced.
Teacher Rias pped her hands to calm down everyone''s spirits. Then she uttered the following words with an expressionless face.
"Up to this point...... this academic year has recorded the highest average score for first-year students in history. Be proud of yourself that you have achieved this result."
A streak of confusion ran across the entire hall.
"W-What do you mean, teacher? Has ss A''s performance fallen so short that we missed the overall No. 1 spot in history?"
Vol. 1 - Chapter 161.2 - Disqualified
A murmur came from Connie-kun. However, Rias ignored it and continued, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible.
"The overall score of each ss, including ss A, is here."
Then, instead of announcing it like earlier, she put up a piece of paper with everyone''s scores on it for some iprehensible reason.
Everyone shifted their gazes to the paper while audibly gasping in disbelief.
------Overall Ranking------
ss E
Arrival Rank 4 (100P)
Mission Difficulty Level 10
Achievement Rate 90%
Overall Score - 900P
ss D
Arrival Rank 2 (150P)
Mission Difficulty Level 12
Achievement Rate 60%
Overall Score - 1080P
ss C
Arrival Rank 3 (125P)
Mission Difficulty Level 14
Achievement Rate 80%
Overall Score - 1400P
ss B
Arrival Rank 1 (200P)
Mission Difficulty Level 16
Achievement Rate 85%
Overall Score - 2720P
ss A
Arrival Rank 5 (50P)
Mission Difficulty Level 65
Achievement Rate 140%
Overall Score - 4550P (!)
A deafening silence filled the hall, with everyone having the same question in their hearts¡ª What the heck?!
Connie-kun took a quick nce at ss A.
The students of ss A barely showed any excitement over it, and just stared at the score with deadpanned ''Oh...'' expressions.
"This¡ no way, how can that be?! I admit that they¡¯re strong, but isn''t difficulty level 65 too much?! There''s no way that should have been allowed, even if they have Leo and Allen!"
Connie-kun raised his voice in objection. Had he not, then someone else would have said it in his ce.
"Your doubts are justified, Connie-kun. As a matter of fact, we had also raised our doubts when the difficulty level of ss A''s mission was set to 25 at first, and we tried to stop Sir Godorfun from going with it given the impossibility of it all.
However, they broke through their given scenarios with ease. The orientation would have lost its meaning had it continued, so Sir judged that the scenarios¡¯ difficulty must be adjusted.
On the other hand, these outdoor sses aren''t something one can hope to top by just one man''s effort alone. I believe you all must have keenly felt it too by now, having experienced the brutality of the missions yourselves. So, the result you''re seeing is something they¡¯ve achieved while moving as one."
Seeing Connie-kun go silent, Rias addressed ss A.
"ss A, although this is the highest score in the history of the outdoor sses I fully recognize that you may not be happy with it. But rest assured, the symbol after the overall score means that the final result is still pending.
I, and many other teachers, had a discussion over it for the entire night, but we were unable to agree on a suitable score for your achievements. However, we all agreed that this score is ''too low''. So for the time being, we¡¯ve put up the least possible score, and it¡¯ll be reevaluated after we get back to the Academy. But I¡¯m sure your score will only go up from here... and substantially at that."
The hard-to-believe exnation shocked the ss B students, who had been harboring discontented looks all this while.
The score was already something hard to swallow for them, yet now they were told that it would substantially increase without failter on.
While they were still in a state of disbelief, their ss leader, Aris Masculine, started pping while barely holding herself together.
She had also put a lot of effort in bringing ss B to where it was now. Her regret... was obvious.
Once someone took the lead, the rest followed the suit, and soon the hall was filled with thunderous apuse.
"Congrattions!"
"I¡¯m too shocked to even say anything, you know?!"
"Just what have you gone through to get that ridiculous score?!"
"Now I''m d to see you back in one piece!"
"No wonder you guys are the representatives of the first years!"
Aris noticed how ss A''s expressions remained constant throughout the congrattions and praises, and burned that image into her mind.
She could have been one of them. ording to the mock exam, she had sufficient caliber to join ss A. However, as the dark horse of the entrance exam, Allen had certainly shaken the world by joining ss A. But no one was more astonished than her, having missed out on ss A.
There was no ce for ''what if'' when it came to exams, but maybe she could have made it had she attempted one more science question. If only she could have gotten a slightly better score in the practical test.
If only Allen hadn''t appeared like a shooting star out of nowhere.
She had lost count of how many times she regretted not doing just a little bit better in the once-in-a-lifetime exam. She had put every ounce of her being and bone-breaking effort into improving herself ever since the entrance ceremony to wipe away that regret of hers.
She challenged the outdoor sses, staking it all on the results, but still she failed. Surprisingly enough, there was no regret in her heart. It was because she was sure that she had given it her all this time.
She would use this frustration again, and aim higher. With that conviction in her mind, and with an ever burning fighting spirit in her heart, she pped.
She praised without holding back, hoping that the day would arrive where she would be standing on the same side as them, where she could keep a calm expression like they did right now.
Relentlessly, Aris pped her hands even if the scenery reflected in her eyes was too blurry to look at.
Of course, Aris¡¯ entry into ss A would mean... one of them would have to drop from ss.
This was an irond rule.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
In the end, the score of ss A was summed up as ''Impossible to evaluate¡¯.
So the overall score ended up being¡ª
ss A
Arrival Order 5 (50P)
Mission Difficulty Level 82
Achievement Rate 160%
Overall Score - 6560P
It was a score that substantially renewed what was possible in the outdoor sses.
At the same time, had Allen not insisted on ying around when Godorfun had admitted his defeat, it would have been possible ss A to arrive at the vi first. So, even by the lowest standard possible, the score might have been at least¡ª
ss A
Arrival Order 1 (200P)
Mission Difficulty Level 70
Achievement Rate 150%
Overall Score - 21000P
A preposterous score it might be, but because the base score was increased by four-fold depending on the arrival order, there was no room to bring it down.
The Academy had raised their hands in defeat when they saw the numbers, stating that it was impossible to evaluate them with their current marking standard.
Typically, they''d decide the score by the achievement rate, which topped at 100%. But the fact that ss A had surpassed the top ¡ª the 100% rate ¡ª by a mile in the Academy''s hypothesized simtion, the situation was bound to bring a headache to the invigtors¡¯ side.
In a more detailed exnation¡ª up until the point of Bester''s base setup, the Academy had referred to their schemes and blueprints, and somehow managed to calcte the maximum possible score from there, surprised as they were. But when Leo''s magic sword, Jeu''s area healing magic, and Allen''s trick of instant paralysis were brought into the picture, they could no longer catch up with the absurdity.
At the same time, thest aspects actually had to be kept as ssified ¡ª ssified Level 4, which was equivalent to the military''s confidential secret ¡ª by the top brass of the Academy.
Then there were the words of Allen Rovenne¡ª "Who cares about the score, mark it however you want". Though he didn''t say it explicitly, the hidden sarcasm in those words, that ''If you think you can evaluate us, then do your best for the fall-out in doing so¡¯, was proof of his overflowing and absolute confidence.
And in the end, they certainly ended up as ''impossible to evaluate¡¯.
The Royal Academy¡ª it was a prestigious academy, with history itself being proof of their unbeatable track record. Yet, for the first time in its history, they, the teachers¡¯ association, were given thebel of ''disqualified'' by the students of ss A.
T/N - How should I say, they read too much into the line, but it also didn''t feel like they read too much for theedy''s sake. Next chapter will be straight from the teacher''s meeting, where they had decided the score. Next arc, after 4 chapters, will be another interesting one---Allen saving the kingdom from crisis Arc! Well, not exactly overblown, but it''s certainly the crisis resolution time---dealing with a horde of some type of insect monster that, if hatched, will end up in hundreds of thousands in number, resulting in a war against them. Quite funny interactions, and development, and scenarios.
E/N - I knew Allen''s stubbornness at the end would cost them though with how high their base score already was, it didn''t really matter anymore. It''s not as if the MC cares anyway. And I somehow find myself rooting for Aris, is it just me? Though that would mean someone from the current ss A would drop out of the ss, so I''m a bit torn.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 162.1 - The Teachers of the Royal Academy (1)
A temporary staff meeting was held after the outdoor sses came to an end and everyone was back at the Academy.
The one leading the meeting was Miharu Shutrenu, the Academy''s chairwoman, a member of one of the three ducal houses, and also the aunt of the current King Patrick Arthur Yuglia.
It was tradition for the board chairwoman toe from either the royal family or one of the ducal houses.
¡ªA nation loved by its citizens.
It was the pet phrase and also the core fundamental of King Arthur. To make it a reality, one must have a broad range of talented individuals who could be the pirs of the kingdom.
It was a major reason why the Royal Academy never stooped to bing a sham of an educational institute, and had been able to keep its prestige along with cing supreme status on academics in its core values. All this was due to the effort of Yuglia''s royal family and their iron will to neverpromise on this motto.
In times when the royal familycked talent, it would be one of the three ducal houses, with the Shutrenu family who were well versed in the might of pen and sword at the forefront, who would traditionally assist them.
And the agenda for today''s meeting¡ª was none other than the score evaluation of ss A.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"That is the gist of the long story. I offered my surrender since it wouldn''t have been feasible to keep the siege going with all our personnel having been taken out. Does anyone have any questions?"
Godorfun gave the general details of the scenarios ss A had gone through in the outdoor sses.
The detailed report of the entire event along with the point-by-point opinions which had beenpiled by Tim, the vicemander of Knight Order''s fifth legion who had been present on-site and had watched everything transpire, had already been passed along to the attendees.
Tim was also one of the attendees of today''s meeting. As a graduate of the Royal Academy who excelled greatly in the pen aspared to the sword, he was in charge of the HR affairs of the fifth legion. At the same time, he also had a reputation for making unbiased analysis that no one could ever find fault in.
The attendees of today¡¯s meeting were mostly, aside from the chairwoman, ss teachers with a fraction being rted individuals.
They who had heard of the unimaginable feats of ss A were left dumbfounded even with the rted reports in their hands. Though there was one person who was actuallyughing amidst all this.
It was Sora. She had been invited as one of the potential references who could shed more light on ss A''s students. For her individual qualification, she was a monster culinary researcher affiliated with the Royal Academy.
She was also the dorm mother of the general dormitory that was once called the ¡®loser dog''s dog house¡¯, but was now being inhabited by the entirety of ss 1-A. There probably wasn''t anyone who was more knowledgeable than her when it came to the personal lives of ss 1-A¡¯s students.
"Pfft, hahahaha! I mean, hahaha! This is truly amazing. You got taunted by your own students saying you should ''attack with everything you have since we''re going to make you cry''. You even roped in a vicemander of the Knight Order, and yet despite throwing everything at them in a childish fit, you still got thrashed. Who could have expected that, hahaha!"
Sora wasughing out loud while pping her hands loudly.
"You sure are enjoying all of this, Miss Sora Sandarion..."
The voice came from vice-chairwoman Mujikka Yuglia, aplex emotion shing across her face.
She was genuinely delighted at the students¡¯ growth.
But... It was a bitter truth to them that they had no hand in their growth. No, to be more urate, they had reached an unimaginable height on their own while they werepletely unaware. As a teacher, theplex feelings inside her made her unable to wholeheartedly offer her apuse.
"Why should I not be happy? I¡¯ve witnessed their self-discipline and the rudimentary lifestyle they''ve been undertaking. They''re like my own children, and what parent wouldn''t be happy when their children''s efforts are rewarded? Well¡ putting aside the other kids, the dormitory had always been like ''paradise'' for that kid, Allen, as he himself has said that long before it became popted."
Tim nodded with a wry smile.
"I have heard about the cheating allegations against him during the entrance exam, and after witnessing him in action, he sure has a remarkable fighting spirit in him."
"Hahaha, each kid has their own uniqueness, but I would advise against taking that kid¡¯s perseverance as fighting spirit or rebellious spirit¡ This was what he once sang.¡±
Sora then recited a mncholic melody that none of the people present had ever heard of.
The lyrics told the tale of a person who relied on the glow of fireflies or the faint sheen of white snow from the window to read a book. On another asion, it told of a parting that visited you on a certain morning when you opened the door.
With such deep nuances in the lyrics, it was impossible to consider it mere humming.
"It was a song I''ve never heard of, so I couldn''t help myself from asking him about it. Apparently, it was an original song. Certainly,pared to a life where you have to rely on the snow''s sheen from outside the window to read, anywhere else would be paradise."
The vice-chairwoman Mujikka, who was facilitating the meeting, looked puzzled as her cheeks twitched when she heard the details of the song.
"A-Allen Rovenne sang that? Well, it''s not rare for young scions ordies of high nobility or children from the royal capital to be fond of music, but it''s a bit surprising. However... I mean, his family might not be rich, as they are from the countryside, but there''s no way they would be destitute to such an extent... I think."
"That was what I thought, and I tried asking him about it. It seems that the lyrics came from his home tutor."
Godorfun''s shoulder shook when he heard that.
"Haa, the more you age, the more emotional you be. I had always questioned why Master Schord never tried to make a name for himself¡¡ And as an average person blessed with a good environment, it''s impossible for me to imagine what kind of hardship he had gone through. If only Master Schord had some worldly desires, then I believe he would have blown away his veil of obscurity and might have participated in the matter of worldly affairs¡ s¡"
Tim groaned.
"Hmm¡ So far, I had thought they were merely glorifying the aspect of poverty just to make themselves look good, but I guess that notion has to be changed now after confirming their unyielding spirit and teamwork.
I fear that their gaze has always been chasing a dream far more distant than we can imagine. Besides, I don''t think anything else could exin their united strength other than the lifestyle they have been fostering together. The concept of mental strength is something intangible, hence it''s impossible to put a score or evaluate it at all. But in my opinion, it''s their mental strength that sets them apart from the rest of the first years."
Seeing that everyone had now opened up quite a bit in the meeting due to Allen''s song, Mujikka started with the most cheerful voice she could muster. It was certainly a tough task, but they muste up with a score after all.
Incidentally, Allen had sung that song while justing out of the bath as it reminded him of a bathhouse that had closed down in his past life.
"I-It''s indeed tough to evaluate their performance, but this is something we must do. Let''s start by evaluating each scenario one by one!"
As she took the initiative, the attending staff shared their opinions and reasons, and the score they ended up with was, astonishingly, 5250. Aside from the 50 basis points, the difficulty of their missions wasbelled as level 70, while their achievement rate was 150%. However, everyone acknowledged how ambiguous these parameters still were.
"Incredible... isn''t even enough to describe it. They shattered the 120-year-old record of 4320 that everyone was sure would never be contested. This is with them being 5th in the arrival order......"
Jeffrey, the homeroom teacher of ss 2-D, shook his head in amazement, when Godorfun suddenly spoke with a heavy tone.
"As a matter of fact¡ There''s a continuation to the fifth scenario. I¡¯ve only spoken to the chairwoman about this, though I¡¯m sure Tim must have an inkling of this as well. That brat, Allen Rovenne, had... given me a sermon when I announced my surrender to him and Berd Yuniwance. Like how ''I was trampling on the dignity of the '', and that I was ¡®dashing away the hopes of the popce¡¯."
Everyone had puzzled looks after hearing Godorfun''s words. None of them had any idea as to where he was heading with his exnation. Tim ended his report at the time when he was eliminated. He wasn''t allowed to stay in the battlefield once he had been taken out, as his presence might have led to some variables.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 162.2 - The Teachers of the Royal Academy (2)
"...There was a gap from the time when Sir said he announced his surrender to the time of ss A''s arrival at the vi. It stuck out like a sore thumb in the report."
Godorfun affirmed Tim''s doubt, who spoke with an expressionless face.
"I thought that what happened afterward may bring to question many things, hence I kept quiet about it. I discussed it with the chairwoman earlier, and decided to talk about this humiliation with all of you to uphold the legacy and pride of the Royal Academy."
Everyone''s gaze shifted toward Chairwoman Miharu Shutrenu.
"I¡¯ve already discussed this with His Majesty. He has entrusted everything to me, so at my discretion, I''ll allow the content of what happened to be shared here. However, whatever you hear from now on is level 4 ssified information, so not a single word of this will leak out of this room, alright?"
Miharu said with a stiff¡ª or not, graceful expression while grinning.
Everyone gasped in unison. The matter of the outdoor sses was discussed with His Majesty......?
No one uttered a single word, but their inner voices were obvious.
"S-So, ss A pushed to continue the scenario by their own will? Why... would they do something like that when the arrival order mattered to such an extent......"
Godorfun''s tone was calm as he replied to Mujikka''s doubt.
"Valid question. ¡®Score? I don''t even care about such flimsy numbers. I¡ª no, we still aren¡¯t done ying around yet! So you''re going to relieve our boredom until then¡¯. These were the words of Allen Rovenne when I gave my surrender. And from there until the time limit, everyone hunted me down under the leadership of Bester Von Stocud.
Yes, they wereing at me with all seriousness to take me down. I managed to drag the situation out until the time limit, but one slip-up on my part would have easily reversed the result."
Recalling the details, Godorfun squinted his eyes and stroked his white beard.
"Y-Yes? No, please wait a minute... The fact that they''re in the Academy means that they have the talent to stand above everyone in the future. It''s also a fact that the situation was to their advantage for being the ones who were defending.
But it still sounds silly. It''s hard to imagine Sir being cornered so far by students¡ Anyway, when would they have arrived had it not been for Allen Rovenne''s insistence?"
"Their expected arrival order, huh? I think it should be the first. In this scenario, their score would have been four times of their base score of 5250, which would be 21000."
Everyone was rendered speechless at the evaluation.
They found that they were unable to understand such an unconventional score as well as the meaning of Allen''s words.
But, as the teachers who represented the kingdom, and upheld the honor and worth of the Royal Academy, the implication behind it wasn''t lost to them.
"That just sounds like Allen. The more I hear, the more it shows just how little we know about him. Nevertheless, I also believe that it should have been impossible for mere 20 first-year students to corner Sir¡ Not with upright methods, at least.
Is it that drug in the report that took down Tim-san''s army? But they would have needed arge quantity of such a drug for it to be so effective even in an open area. Maybe a magic tool?"
So questioned Emy, a researcher affiliated to the Academy much like Sora and also the advisor of the magic tool club.
Godorfun quietly ced the red-capped phial that he had gotten from Allen on the table.
Emy stared at the phial quite intently, and then she suddenly opened its cap.
¡°It''s not a magic tool,¡± she concluded.
Sora, sitting next to her, took the phial and smelled its contents. Then she scooped a small amount of the drug on the tip of her pinky finger and licked it.
"Hahaha. Oh dear, this is quite a potent drug, eh? It''s a paralysis drug mainly used against monsters, and made from¡ local materials that can be found in the Darre Mountain Range this season."
Godorfun confirmed Emy and Sora''s statements.
"Then it can only be wind magic. Since everyone has read Tim''s report, I don''t think I need to exin its potential usage in reconnaissance and monster hunting. But...... it seems like there''s more to this wind magic than meets the eye.
I tried to corner those kids so many times, always choosing an open area as the battlefield, but I still needed to make a run for it after being made to inhale that paralyzing drug each time.
It''s obvious that this was the fruit of long-term training rather than an impromptu performance. We can only imagine how far that brat had foreseen this situation. While the whole kingdom, including us, was making fun of it as some mischievous skirt-flipping magic, he remained undaunted in his path with a firm belief. It''s as if he was fully convinced of wind magic''s potential the whole time."
Yet again ¡ª though this was like the nth time since the meeting started ¡ª teachers present were left speechless. Even the facilitator, Mujikka, couldn''t find any words in response.
"But more importantly, how much do you know about Leo Zatsinger''s ''Magic Sword¡¯, Mujikka? I''ve never received any report about that."
Mujikka thought on how to answer here. Because she believed there was nothing special to report about.
"............From what I know, it was something Allen-kun had pushed Leo-kun to practice, saying that a burning sword looked cooler or something. I-I hadn''t thought that there was any practical value in it, but it was certainly a good training method on handling attribute conversion and mana operation, so I didn''t mention anything about it."
Godorfun then expressed his dismay and mentioned his personal experience with Leo''s magic sword in battle along with the possibilities it held.
"......That was a pretty dangerous skill. A single mistake could have left me gravely injured, as a matter of fact. First, they should be forbidden from using it in sparring matches. If they really do need to use it, then make them use it on an iron weapon or something that has low mana conductivity. Mujikka, make sure you''re with them when they''re using it and note down their progress, and also make sure it doesn''t result in an ident. I¡¯ll personally discuss the matter with the Zatsinger family. Got it?"
The teachers were all dumbfounded at Godorfun''s serious expression.
"There''s a continuation to that."
For the nth time, the teachers were left speechless again when they heard there was still more.
"Jeuri Leverance has sessfully utilized the group healing magic that Saintess Sari had once used. Tim, report."
Tim proceeded with another round of reporting that left the teachers...... dumbfounded, yet again.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Eventually, the overall score of the ss A, which included Allen''s request to amp up the enemy forces for the difficulty level and achievement rate, was calcted to be 6560.
Nevertheless, it wascking. These were the feelings still lingering inside all the teachers regarding the current score. But it was understandable. They had, after all, easily crushed what was supposed to be an immortalized score left behind by the people ¡ª including the Sword Fiend Sermon, the Fire God Fisty, and the Saintess Sari ¡ª from the revolutionary era 120 years ago.
At the same time, the meeting triggered an impending sense of crisis among the teachers of the Royal Academy despite being recognized as the elite of the elites. They would be left behind in dust by the uing generation should they take no action.
Watching them from a distance, the caretaker of the Academy, Miharu Shutrenu, chuckled to herself.
"Fufu. It''s quite impossible to calcte their score with our standards so far, right? The overall score shall remain 6560 as a front, meanwhile I¡¯ll inform His Majesty that the result is ¡®incalcble¡¯. Any objections to that?"
Confirming that there was no objection, Miharu continued.
"After listening to the myriads of reports so far, it seems like Allen Rovenne has somehow transcended mon sense¡¯. Everything he''s involved in ¡ª whether it''s wind magic, magic sword, or even the group healing magic via holy magic ¡ª is something that should bemon in his point of view.
''It''s justmon sense¡¯, he says? Fufu! It may sound paradoxical, but he''s implying that we need to break the current norm. That is how I interpret his words."
Miharu stood up from her seat and pulled back the curtain behind her, opening the window.
The clear autumn weather, along with striking mackerel cloud formation, illuminated the room. A faint chilly breeze, reminding of the approaching winter, ruffled her hair.
Miharu spun on her heels, made eye contact with everyone present, and said in a quiet tone.
"This academy has no teacher that would take a student''s mockery lying down. So, we''re going to take back the Academy''s pride, no matter what."
Miharu''s words jolted everyone''s hearts. Confirming that, she chuckled to herself.
After all, this was the pride that made the Royal Academy what it was.
E/N - So many misunderstandings these past two chapters. Also, the teachers were speechless so many times I was worried their brains short-circuited. A good end to wrap up the arc. Excited to see where it goes next!
Vol. 1 - Chapter 163 - A Chance Encounter
"Hey, sorry to call you out while you''re busy. How¡¯ve you beentely?"
Mimosa said to me. She was already at the meeting ce, a cafe in the Royal Capital, by the time I got there.
She was dressed in refined clothing, perfect for a president of a merchant firm. The style of her dress had a faint hint of the Bearentz Archipgo, appearing vaguely simr to kimonos.
"It''s been a while, Mimosa. Why''d you call for me?"
Mimosa''s face scrunched up at my simple straightforward question.
"Sheesh, way to kill the mood when you''re meeting a girl after such a long time. At least order some tea first, only then do you lead the discussion to the recent happenings and all that, you know?"
"......Don''t phrase it like we''re out on a date."
I sighed, and called out to the shop assistant.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Going straight to the point, she was hoping that I could introduce some sort of backer for her as the Serene Wind Co. was going to open a branch store in the Royal Capital.
A good enough time had passed since the creation of the Sail Club, but me and Dan, who was the president, were the only members at present.
Why? Well, there were many factors. In a time when ships were going through technological advancement, with them shifting to the use of magic engines, sail ships were now going out of style. Plus, around the same time when we created the Sail Club, Dan left his position of Vice-President of Hill Road Club since that club was now weing more members than ever, and had shifted to a new system under themand of Ste, its current president.
Dan was seen as ipetent for that. And when a person loses that attractive force, seldom do the people heed theirmand.
Furthermore, everyone had be busier in their academy life, and Dan had to go to the port, which was a slight distance away, to participate in the Sail Club activities, so time constraint was another factor.
But, the biggest factor was that neither I nor Dan were seeking to increase the club members. We only had one ship so far, and increasing the member count would mean our own training time would be cut short.
So to save ourselves from that inconvenience, Dan and I purposefully ignored the ill reputation¡ª or not, the cold gazes we had been receiving. Besides, Dan himself hadn''t denied the rumors, or spoke of his ns. He apparently wanted to keep mum about the new sail ship operation method ¡ª a.k.a. using wind magic in tandem with Bernoulli''s theorem to speed the ship up ¡ª until he, too, could be somewhat proficient in it. I guess he probably wanted one more person aside from me to be capable of pulling that off before it became public.
I could see where he wasing from. Imagine spending months ¡ª or at worse, even a year ¡ª of their precious academy time only to have nothing to show for it. The responsibility would be too heavy to shoulder.
I basically followed Dan''s judgement on this matter. If there was someone who knew how to perfectly bnce on a tipping scale, it was him. Also, people with a good understanding of Dan''s personality and ability had also judged, after getting the details from Dan, it would be better to put Sail Club aside for now, and devote to practicing wind magic first.
After all, their entry in the club would be moot if they couldn''t even use wind magic. For the others, they just quietly passed on the matter when they heard they needed wind magic, their faces making frowning expressions. This only left the two of us loners in the club ultimately.
Well, someone versed in ships could tell the gist of it if they saw our practice sessions, but our training ground was in the south of the Royal Pce, where passage of ordinary ships was restricted unless they had permission from His Majesty like us. So, if there was even a chance for rumors about our new technique to spread, then this restriction would further stop it from happening.
Anyway, our reaction to the reputation of the Sail Club was ¡®whatever¡¯. We were just single-mindedly focusing on our Sail Club activities... until interference came, which was why Mimosa was here.
It seemed that Dan''s father, Count Serdos, had started to put pressure on Mimosa''s Serene Wind Co.
At first, the Count was delighted when he heard that Dan had formed a club with him as the president, and that I was one of its members.
However, no matter how much time passed, the reputation of the Sail Club remained still, unlike the Hill Road Club that I had once helped out. No, scratch that. Instead of gaining any reputation, the club had received no new members, no results, and its value had been steadily dropping in the public''s eyes. To further rain on his parade, even the Magic Car Club that Lil'' Dui from ss E had established was gradually gaining traction. The Magic Car Club had, in fact, gotten quite a good number of students by the time I joined it.
Then came the outdoor sses. It was obvious that the Hill Road Club had contributed to the exceptional scores of the students this year. Hill Road Club''s reputation, where it appeared that Dan had been deprived of his role, shot through the heavens, and echoed throughout the kingdom.
The same was true for the 3rd ranker in the knight ss Ste, who had be its president and had even outssed Leo. She became the talk of the whole kingdom overnight.
And so, Count Serdos became impatient.
ording to Dan, the topic about him hadtely turned into a taboo of sorts that you mustn''t speak of in high society, a contrast from when he had been the apple of everyone''s eye during the entrance ceremony.
The situation was still alright with those who just awkwardly turned their gaze away, but, s, there had been some bunch who didn''t miss speaking out like ''It''s the parents¡¯ duty to guide a youngster on the correct path'' right at the Count''s face.
To no one''s surprise, Dan had often been called out by Count Serdos, and preached on about how he should stop wasting his time on outdated things like sailing ships, and if he really wanted to, then he should quit the Sail Club (and wind magic research) to focus on magic ships. Also, maybe he should request me to put him back on the staff of the Hill Road Club.
Dan knew should he reveal the new possibility we were investigating to Count Serdos, it would only be a matter of time before the rumors grew its own legs and spread around like wildfire. So, he had been sticking with the ''It''s an indispensable training for me to be a Knight'' excuse.
The impatience of Count Serdos was increasing with every passing day.
And it was around then that he caught wind that the ship that had been given to the Sail Club came from Dan''s birth family''spany¡ª Serene Wind Co.
There wasn''t much to say after that. The boiling impatience within Count Serdos had finally erupted with the momentum of a volcanic eruption.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Well, the ship had the crest of ourpany for promotion after all, so I had long expected this situation."
Yet, Mimosa spoke with a calm face. There wasn¡¯t a hint of urgency in her demeanor.
"But I don''t think you can do business so easily when your territory lord has set his eyes on you, eh? You also have employees to feed, after all. Can you still hold on when your situation gets rough, or will your workers really not sumb to the pressure?"
Mimosa''s brow shot up momentarily when I asked.
"Uh-huh, I do hope you don''t see us as some soft persimmon, Ren. I did say it, didn''t I? I had long anticipated this situation. That''s why ¡ª though none of us are determined sailors who would never abandon the ship we hopped into ¡ª I already had some of the members who had something to protect at all cost resign in the guise of our next work. Now, we only have employees with spirits of steel who will remain dauntless no matter how rough the voyage ahead seems."
The image of those brawny yet kind-hearted sailors shed in my mind when I heard her words.
"I once told you that I... I have a dream, and that''s why I tookmand of the Serene Wind Co. And your offer was the key. I''m not a hapless damsel who would get cold feet right when the turning point I had wanted is right in front of me, and the path to victory is almost within grasp.
I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have nock of sponsors if you seriously look around. So unless you say so, we''re not going to back down ever."
Ah, her ambition, huh? Right, she did say she wanted to increase the scale of herpany, so she can rake in more profit, and hopefully build a sturdy and swift ship that could traverse the foreign seas one day. The open sea had more formidable monsters, apparently.
Nevertheless, the men of the sea never ceased their admiration for the ocean. Well, that admiration came from the valuable materials they could gain from it, obviously.
"Alright, your conviction has assured me. But that resolution is meaningless without victory. Have you thought about how you''re going to turn the tables?"
"But of course. It''s through people¡ª mainly you and Dan. I believe in you, and that''s the root of my conviction. Well, if you wish to dig deeper, then it''s that we have the ship maintenance dock of Serdos under our grasp. The Count can do whatever he wants, but he won¡¯t be able to do away with us so easily.
They don''t have any recement for us if anything happens to ourpany, after all. I''m sure of this at least until you and Dan graduate. Until then, I want to shift ourpany''s base to the Royal Capital and take it to a height that a Count family can never hope to challenge. This was actually quite timely since I had been thinkingtely that that hintend is no longer enough for us."
She dered all that with a fiery gaze.
Wow, props to thisdy. She has the guts to actually sh against the Count''s family head on.
"I see. Then Dan obviously can''t take any action publicly, huh? And that''s where Ie in, right?"
Mimosa nodded.
"Yes, that''s right. Dan''s mother, who''s my sister, Vina, is there as the Count''s wife, after all. She''s like a hostage, to be honest. From what Dan had told me, she is at the receiving end of everyone''s criticism, though she has told Dan to believe on his chosen path while snickering in her mind. I doubt she would care even if they were to be expelled from the family.
Then again, my intention was never to fight the Count''s family. It would be more fun to silence them with results. This is where I need your help."
I nodded with a wry smile.
Of course, as Dan''s mother and Mimosa¡¯s sister, I wasn''t surprised that she had the same unyielding spirit.
"I¡¯m going to do everything I can since you''ve been putting so much trust in me, but what exactly do you want me to do?"
Mimosa shed a grin at that.
"I¡¯ve beenying the groundwork to set up our branch store here, but I doubt it would hold a candle against the Count''s counterattack once he gets wind of it. I need a strong backing.
Mad Hound¡ª You have quite the reputation in the underworld, noh? I¡¯ve heard rumors about your violence against the Rots or whatever the small fry group''s name is. So I was hoping you can hit me up with the Dragon-Crane Union that''s managing the eastern part of the Royal Capital region. I could join them on my own of course, but anyone could tell that we''re having a showdown with a noble family.
So why not be open from the beginning and see if they can pull our weight, and how far they can do so? This is why I need your connection."
My face scrunched up as I shook my head.
"......Oh please, violence is such a heavy word for what happened when it was their fault. I just went to greet them personally. Anyway, are you sure about the Dragon-Crane Union? Among the organizations that are managing the underworld affairs, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve heard that the Continent Firm has connections regarding ships since their bases are close enough to the Rune River in the south¡"
However, Mimosa''s eyes widened in surprise.
"Hmm? So... the rumors are true that the newly established mutual aid society ''Mad Dog¡¯, raised by the bunch of young explorers you¡¯ve been looking after, can''t see eye-to-eye with the Dragon-Crane Union?
It mostly consists of greenhorn youngsters, so I dismissed them since there''s no way they''re big enough to pick a fight with Dragon-Crane Union or the noble society. It also didn''t seem like you had interacted with them much as well."
Yikes, what the hell was with that cringe name?......
It was created by Benza by bringing in good-for-nothing fes like himself while I was out of the explorer circle for a while. Well, Red had said he wasn''t going to set foot in the eastern region anymore, so they weren¡¯t a problem anymore. But I wonder what happened to the Golden Rat that fatty was part of.
Whatever. I didn''t care much, to be honest.
"Yes, I have no connection with them. Hell, it''s news to me that there''s such a mutual aid society. Also, I haven¡¯t supported them or anything like that. If anything, I only threw the troublesome stuff to the fatty to deal with."
Mimosa chuckled.
"I¡¯ve roughly heard the details, but that''s quite a harsh way to put it."
I mean, alright, it might have been irresponsible of me to push troublesome matters to him, but I didn¡¯t have a hand at Benza gathering other people and shouting that we took down Rose. Honestly, his ''heartpass'' was so chaotic that I had no idea what was going through his thick skull.
"......Rumors are out that it''s the era of the Mad Dog now. It''s quite strange how that has been spreading in such a short amount of time. But s, they''recking in many areas to be someone''s patron. Well, I don¡¯t doubt it happening if someone like you does take it seriously."
Mimosa then stared at me. I shook my hand with a fed up look.
"Please, I¡¯m not so free to go along with their whims. Anyway, Dragon-Crane Union, huh...?"
''Explorer Ren'' hasn''t shown his facetely. After all, if anyone ever caught wind that ''Ren'' was actually Allen from the Knight Order in disguise, the mastermind wouldn¡¯t hesitate from cutting off Rose like a lizard''s tail, and vanishing into obscurity.
I also wanted to avoid showing my face to the Dragon-Crane Union, since Rose apparently was targeting them.
While I was in a dilemma, Mimosa, who was obviously a sharp woman, noticed that and pushed the following.
"I¡¯ve done my research as well in thest few months, and only Dragon-Crane Union seems fitting enough to be my backer. And what I need right now is someone with caliber, not a connection for ships."
She sure had been putting the Dragon-Crane Union on a high pedestal, huh? I guess their help was indispensable toy the groundwork for Serene Wind if she was going this far. And in turn, it meant it wasn''t an unrted matter to our Sail Club.
"Alright. You can make an appointment with them. However¡ª"
I paused, and continued in a subdued tone.
"I¡¯m not going as the explorer Ren, but as ''Allen Rovenne, the supervisor of the Royal Academy Sail Club¡¯."
Mimosa squinted her eyes when she heard me.
"......Are you sure about revealing your real name to me?"
I sighed.
"Haaa. As if you hadn''t done your due research already. Anyone should be able to guess as long as they know I am one of Dan''s friends from the Royal Academy."
However, I received a re in response.
"You shouldn''t think so lowly of me. I¡¯m not some low-life to check the identity of our benefactor when they''re hiding it."
Then she shrugged her shoulders and continued.
"......Well, the answer would either way be forced on your face as long as you live in the Royal Capital for a while though. After hearing the never-ending rumors about the ''Walking Anomaly'', I had an inkling, as much as I didn''t want to think about it."
T/N - I guess these chapters are a buildup for what is about toe in a few chapters. But the noble society sure sounds like your typical Asian family dynamic. Good ol¡¯ parents being livid over others opinion, and nosy rtives inserting themselves andmenting xD.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 164 - A Chance Encounter (2)
The headquarters of the Dragon-Crane Union was located in the so-called downtown area on the far eastern side of the first street.
Apple''s location was also in that area. And with it basically being a slum, the public order was certainly much worse therepared to other ces.
It had been several days since the Dragon-Crane Union received a request for a meeting from the president of a certain countrysidepany who expressed her desire to get them as theirpany''s patron as they were about to start their business in the Royal Capital.
On such asions, the standard procedure of the Dragon-Crane Union was for someone from the staff to first listen to the whole story. Then they would sort out everything, and afterpiling all the details, Gin woulde to have a word with them.
When it came to other underworld organizations like Continent, Divine, and, obviously, Rose, they wouldn''t have just anyone meet their top dog.
But in Dragon-Crane Union, it didn''t matter who the other party was, if they were heavyweight characters or some ultrarich group. Gin would, without fail, ascertain the other party¡¯s character himself and exchange some words with them first before making a decision.
Gin had kept up with this policy even after he returned from his therapeutic visit to Ment vige, personally visiting the candidates that wished to join them.
Of course, given the previous assault against him, many of his staff and subordinates urged him to temporarily halt these meetings of his, but Gin couldn''t bring himself to stop. Obviously, the management and guards had instead intensified their scrutiny of the neers.
At the same time, after the recent fiasco of thewless Rose Family where they tried to outdo a rookie explorer called Mad Hound but only got their asses handed to them which apparently ended with Mad Hound being their sole negotiator, the reputation of Crane-Dragon has been in quite a decline.
As a matter of fact, the application of neers had drastically lowered in recent times.
It was amidst this tension-filled situation that Dragon-Crane Union received a request for an interview from Mimosa.
Following their custom, Shuri, the intermediary and staff, confirmed that the visiting woman herself had no problem. Being young and full of ambition, it wasn''t strange that she would want to have a piece of the pie called the ¡®Royal Capital¡¯ for herself too. She also appeared quite sharp from a nce.
However¡ª
"And, who might this person be? He seems too young to be a guard. And the general etiquette in such a situation is to have someone with experience. It may sound old-fashioned, but this is what we firmly believe in. Now, take off that mask."
It was herpany that caused Shuri to raise her brows. The apanying young man was wearing a mask¡ª it depicted an old man with drooping eyes and a smiling yet faintly incensed expression. He hadn''t spoken a single word since they arrived.
He was unfazed when facing them despite being so young. However, he wasn''t giving the haughty vibe that high-nobility typically gave off.
As Shuri felt she was unable to assess the masked person, the boy introduced himself¡ It was certainly quite a bombshell.
"I apologize for the bted greeting. I''m Allen Rovenne. Thisdy from Serene Wind Co. has been the sponsor of our Sail Club in the Academy. I¡¯m merely here as her attendant of sorts, though I may provide additional details if required. May this meeting be a fruitful one."
The entire Dragon-Crane Union let out a startled cry. An obvious oue though, all things considered.
It was already a bizarre situation that a student of the Royal Academy was here in the Dragon-Crane Union, which basically stood on the opposite side of the spectrum from them, yet he didn¡¯t hesitate in introducing himself.
But, the fact that he was the aforementioned Allen Rovenne pushed their astonishment to the max.
If Mad Hound was the hope of the Royal Capital''s underworld, then Allen Rovenne was the supernova at the central stage.
Maybe he was a fake? Shuri thought, but she rejected the notion immediately.
He could be a fake who was here to assassinate their boss, but being a kid, and bringing out a name that no one was a stranger to in the current time would only raise doubts that were contrary to his objective.
She hadn''t paid attention to the person called Allen Rovenne since she thought that they would never cross paths with her being a denizen of the underworld, but thinking back, she remembered hearing that the mask that Allen Rovenne had worn during the Founding Festival''s martial arts match was¡ª
As Shuri''s mind was busy figuring things out, the self-proimed Allen Rovenne continued.
"I wouldn''t mind removing my mask, but well¡ I have my own circumstances, you know...... So I was hoping to do that in front of fewer people. I haven''t brought any weapon with me, and if you''d like, you can do a physical search as well."
Remarking that, Allen Rovenne stood up from his seat with both his hands raised.
Shuri was silent.
If he really was that Allen Rovenne, then they might get pulled into a political strife with those sly foxes in high society. This was what his visit to an underworld organization meant. It was in contrast to the whimsical violence of the Mad Hound.
Following Gin''s policy, Dragon-Crane Union had an impartial and neutral stance toward the power strife between the nobles of high society. But of course, trade and nobles were both the different sides of the same coin¡ª inseparable. So they weren''tpletely unrted to them as well.
They had no interest in what was happening on the bright side of society, but it was of utmost importance to look at the root cause and smoothen things out if an affiliated organization is embroiled in an irrational strife of the nobles.
She could only imagine how troublesome of a situation it would be if Allen Rovenne himself was stating that he has his own circumstances, and he personally came at the initial stage of negotiations.
The obvious answer was to turn them down. However, while keeping them at a distance was certainly a safe choice in some situations, failing to grasp crucial information could also lead to a crisis.
......She couldn''t call the shots here.
Recalling the importance of information, Shuri judged so, and left the decision in Gin''s hands.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Boss, I''ve brought the guest."
A young man who named himself Ousa took us in front of a certain room and gave a shout to the person inside. ¡°Bring them in,¡± came the immediate reply.
The headquarters ¡ª though it resembled an office ¡ª was a wooden one-story building. Lacking unnecessary gaudiness, the ce gave off a faint serene vibe.
A wooden building was a rare sight in the Royal Capital that was popted with brick or stone-built buildings. But since there was abundant lumber in the capital, along with the fact that the wood here wasparatively sturdy and strong perhaps due to mana, they made for quite a cheap material and was prettymon in the downtown area.
There was also a courtyard that appeared to be in harmony with nature, and the overall setup made me recall Japan. Overall, the ce was quite vast as well, so maybe the employees also lived here.
At first, we were led to the drawing room where a brown-haired woman called Shuri greeted us.
Everything went well as Mimosa expressed her reason for visiting, and unhesitatingly answered Shuri-san''s questions. After that though, Shuri-san shifted her focus to me and urged me to take off my mask.
I mean, I knew that wearing a mask was rude, so I revealed my name, and tried to test my luck by asking if it was possible to do so in the presence of fewer people.
Shuri-san left behind a ''Please wait a while'' remark and disappeared somewhere. A bitter, she returned and asked if it would be possible to remove my mask in front of their boss at least.
"This is already generous of you. Thank you very much for your consideration."
After such an exchange, Shuri-san had Ousa-san guide us to a cozy ce erected within what seemed to be a tree garden. It evoked the feel of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (approx. 1558-1600 CE).
......I wonder, just what kind of persona does their boss have?
"Please enter."
''After you,'' Ousa urged us inside.
I had Mimosa enter first, then I followed after her. I directed my gaze inside, and¡ª was left dumbfounded. Cold sweat drenched my back.
Inside, a man sporting grizzled gray hair and eyes of the same color was waiting. He was Gin-san, the person with whom I had exchanged words in the Tsukiya bathhouse''s hot spring at Ment vige.
The cold sweat wasn¡¯t because I was appalled by him. In fact, I had quite the respect for him as a senior to a certain extent since we shared the same hobby.
The problem was¡ª I named myself explorer Ren back when I met him.
He hadn''t shown any reaction to my introduction back then, so I assumed that he was unaware of who I was. But there was no way he didn''t know now. Not when those dumbasses from Rose had been spreading the ''Mad Hound and Dragon-Crane Union doesn''t see eye-to-eye'' rumor.
"What''s wrong, Allen?"
Mimosa asked with a confused expression.
I could only push forward, so I moved inside with an unhurried gait while operating my brain at full power toe up with a solution and avoid a messy situation.
Gin-san directed his clear eyes at me. His transparent eyes gave the impression as if he could right through my mask.
"I''m Mimosa Curme. And your gaze¡ª really quite formidable as I thought, Gin Grauster. This person here is¡ª"
After introducing herself, Mimosa urged me to do the same.
Hey, hey, hey, the world isn''t going to end if we take it slow! At least let me think of a countermeasure!
Argh, damn. This is basically checkmate, isn''t it?!
"H-Hello there, I''m Allen Rovenne."
For the time being, I greeted him with a makeshift voice with my mask still on my face.
Shuri-san and Ousa-san obviously turned to give me a reproachful gaze. Mimosa, too, was looking at me the same way.
"Pfft! Kukuku."
But then, Gin-san, who had been putting on a stern expression, suddenly burst out inughter. His face turned red, and his shoulders were heaving heavily.
......Ah, he already figured it out, huh?
Helpless, I could only scratch my head in awkwardness.
Shuri-san and Ousa-san looked at each other with confused expressions. They couldn''t catch what was going on.
Finally suppressing his smile, Gin-san said with a kind face.
"You''re here, huh, Mimosa? And...... Can I call you Allen? I¡¯m Gin of the Dragon-Crane Union. You should have some circumstances, I believe. So you can keep the mask on."
"B-Boss! But this¡ª"
Shuri-san let out a stupefied voice as she hurriedly chimed in, but Gin-san interrupted her.
"Alright, these kids can be trusted. If anything happens, I¡¯ll take full responsibility."
Gin-san nodded my way with an austere gaze.
Seeing that look, I took off my mask.
There was noplicated reason. There was a high risk of my identity as ''Ren'' being in jeopardy already, so I might as well put it in Gin-san''s hands.
And most of all, an honest, straightforward discussion would be more to our cause. I felt so from the vibe he was giving. Besides...... he had already figured out my identity, it seemed.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 165 - A Chance Encounter (3)
I took off my mask and greeted Gin-san before exining to him the situation we were in¡ª how Mimosa had been providing her support to our Sail Club in the Royal Academy, and how the father of the Sail Club''s President Dan, who was Count Serdos, was trying to hinder and close our club. The severity of the situation could also pit us against the forces of Marquis Grauksh and the other nobles under him.
"I understand the gist of it now."
Gin-san''s expression didn''t change a bit as he nodded along. However, the two standing behind him, Shuri-san and Ousa-san, grimaced.
With how messy the situation was with the nobles, it was amon reaction.
Gin-san stared at me with his clear eyes, and answered me clearly.
"Alright, I¡¯ll be frank with you. Our Dragon-Crane Union was created to protect the weak, and this has been our motto ever since. We''re here to protect the explorers at the bottom of the hierarchy, the simple working ss people, from authority and violence. The same is true for thepanies under us. We take action if someone attempts to hinder their work and tries to use force unprovoked. That''s all there is to it. We¡¯ve never had any intention to jump into the strife between nobles. I just want to make sure you''re okay with that."
Mimosa and I nodded promptly at his straightforward gaze.
"But Boss... are you sure? Didn''t you hate that Academy......"
Ousa-san perhaps hadn''t expected Gin-san to take on our request as she questioned him with a perplexed expression. Gin-san smiled wryly.
"Like and hate aren''t that straightforward. Besides, there''s no reason for the Dragon-Crane Union to get involved with the crystal surface of a stream. Mimosa is serious about her business, and that''s clearly reflected in the details. Most of all, she has gone through proper procedure in contacting us, and exining the undercurrents that she could have kept secret otherwise.
We wouldn''t ept them if they''re just apany in name and are trying to find a meat shield to bear the brunt of the nobles, however we may respond to their request if they mean serious business. Otherwise, it would sully our reputation showing that we got cold feet in front of authority."
......I doubt that was all he considered in reaching such a conclusion.
We bowed in gratitude as Gin-san chuckled.
"Well, to be honest, I indeed have no love for the Academy as Ousa said. It''s not hate, but more like disinterest you can say. But then again, maybe a new era ising if that Academy is producing young men with caliber, and, more importantly, character like you, kid... or maybe not, Allen. I''m d we had this meeting today."
Shuri-san and Ousa-san could only look at each other in confusion at Gin-san''s words.
It¡¯s the natural reaction, I¡¯d say. They didn''t know that it wasn¡¯t our first meeting, nor did they know that I was explorer Ren. Of course, they would have had a different impression of me if they knew that. I also felt a sense of closeness with him as a fellow bath lover.
"You really are the man I expected to be, Gin Grauster. I had thought that bringing ''Allen Rovenne'' with me might backfire after going through all the prior information, but... you''re not half bad if you can recognize the changes in the times just by ncing at Allen."
Mimosa quipped with an off-handment talking like she was some sort of big boss, which got a re from Shuri-san.
"Fufu. Please pardon me, this has been my inherent nature since birth¡ But those were, in fact, my appreciative words for you. I¡¯ve realized that the world is so wide. The hintend where I''m from has no one of your caliber, after all. I guess that¡¯s why this ce is called the Royal Capital, eh? Now I¡¯m even more excited to see what it has in store for me."
Shuri could only press her forehead and sigh as Mimosa made an excuse with a nonchnt expression.
"Haha. It just means that Allen didn''t choose you out of mere coincidence even though you''re from the countryside. You have quite the urate gaze yourself, Mimosa. Our policy is that we don''t interfere in thepany''s workings, so how far you can go would all depend on you. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing your achievements. Let''s have a happy cooperation."
Gin-san then offered his hand.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
For a while afterward, we talked about the concrete details of the agreement. Just as we stood up from our seats to go back, Gin-san further added.
"Ah, right. It seems that you¡¯ve researched quite intensively about the underworld side of the Royal Capital, right? Have you heard about the Mad Hound that has been recently increasing their influence? It seems like they have a bone to pick with us. What do you think about those kids, Allen?"
Having been singled out, my answer was a straight ''I don''t know anything about them¡¯.
I wonder why? I felt that I couldn¡¯t put up any excuse here as I looked at his crystal clear grey eyes. Somehow, he gave off the same vibe as that of a king.
"......I frankly have no idea what the Mad Hounds are doing. I barely know anything about their leader...... that fatty. But he''s a straightforward person with enough seriousness, from what I know. That''s all I know."
''Well, he''s definitely not a cultured person though,'' I added at the end.
Hearing my words, Gin-san chuckled, and his eyes narrowed as he smiled.
"Oh, I see. They might be dealing with Rose, but it''s hard to see if they have enough strength for us to take them seriously. If anything, they appear no different from the other explorers who need protection, so we''ve been thinking about how to deal with them. Thanks, I¡¯ll keep your words in mind."
After Gin-san said that, I left the ce with Mimosa.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
When Allen and Mimosa left¡ª
"......What was thatst question for, Boss? I don''t think it''s to get close to ''Allen Rovenne''... If you wanted to gather information about the Mad Hounds, we could have ascertained their strength as well. You told us that those in power shouldn''t carelessly speak, and we¡¯ve listened to you enough times for our ears to get calluses."
As Ousa left to see the two guests out, Shuri saw no one else around, so she questioned Gin.
Gin had a wry smile.
"It¡¯s good to see that you haven''t forgotten them. But, rest assured, that kid wouldn''t divulge today''s meeting to anyone. He''s not that kind of whimsical person, you see. You, too, keep the fact that he visited us a secret, alright? Well, for your question, I had no reason to ask it, indeed. However, I wanted to see what his answer would be."
This time, it was Shuri who had a wry expression at Gin''s humorous reply.
"I doubt anyone would ask ''What do you think of Mad Hound?'' from a student of that exalted Academy, much less from Allen Rovenne, just to measure their caliber. Those prodigal kids just live in a different world from us. It was obvious when he called that notorious fe a straightforward person instead of saying ''I don''t know¡¯. Then again, he''s just a 12-year-old kid, right?"
Gin shook his head with a chuckle.
"I was unsure so far, but that kid vouched for them. It would be best if we changed the way we look at them. For the time being, just consider them ying around, and avoid a frontal sh. I have a feeling we may be in for a surprise if we raise them up."
Shuri was perplexed.
"What? I mean, I had heard that Allen Rovenne has a keen eye for people, but that''s still just a kid''s word, Boss. The Academy has always been a treasure box of talents, so it wouldn''t be surprised if it held true for the people around them, but evaluating some kids from slum orphanages just sounds so bogusing from him¡ª"
However, Shuri couldn''tplete her words as she was cut off. The glint in Gin''s eyes was unexpectedly sharp.
"......Understood. But, if you really want to raise them, we won¡¯t cut corners like right now. Are you fine with that?"
Gin smiled and nodded.
"Yes, you can do it in your own way. It''s alreadyborious for you as it is."
Confirming Gin''s upbeat mood, Shuri concluded that he must have some concrete information about Allen Rovenne that she didn''t know. He had been evaluating him highly since a while ago, and after their exchange today, it seemed like he had confirmed that his belief wasn¡¯t misced.
Of course, she didn''t think that they might have exchanged words already, but as someone who was privy to various parts of the Royal Capital and the different structures within, he must have some exclusive information other than what was out in public.
Just what kind of information did he have?......
Shuri was curious, but she wouldn''t ask such a question.
If Gin had decided it would be best for her to not know about something, when he would usually make sure to impart crucial information to us, then that was the end of the matter.
She was sure Gin trusted her, and she believed that sharing everything and anything with trusted individuals made one an ipetent leader.
When required, he would inform them himself. That would assure both his and the other person''s safety.
"......He had already dropped a hint. It would be a pity to not make use of it."
Sure enough, Gin''s gaze had a cheerful look as hemented so.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 166 - Marquis Gathering (1)
The year came to an end and has transitioned into a new one. At the top of winter''s social life was the much awaited customary assembly in the Royal Capital held each year.
The kingdom''s 9 marquises woulde together in a certain ce and have breakfast together¡ª the so-called breakfast meeting.
After wishing the royal family as well as the Dukes a happy new year, the breakfast meeting that took ce in the first week of the new year would trigger various powers to gather together in a tea party or other simr exchanges.
It was a precursor to the long socializing event that would continue until the arrival of spring, when the entrance exam for the Royal Academy had ended.
But for the breakfast meeting itself, it was a mere one-hour-long gathering. There was no set agenda to discuss, and they just talked about whatever came to mind. It was a sort of unhurried greeting and small chit-chat.
The actual implication aside¡ª there was hardly any noble who would take a moment of their time for a mere casual gathering at the first meeting of the new year.
Dressed sharply in formal attire, which was rather a tad early at 7 in the morning, the marquises gathered at the Hotel Rune Makize ¡ª this year''s gathering spot ¡ª five minutes before the appointed time.
They were guided to a cozy hall by Gritter, the hotel''s receptionist and face, and then they greeted each other energetically, and gave each other firm handshakes ¡ª or if it mattered, too firm a handshake as if intending to crush each other¡¯s hands ¡ª making them look youthful despite their actual ages.
Some appeared deprived of sleep, while others seemed to still be suffering from hangovers. However, none were there to do something as boorish as only having juice. Starting with a heap of sd, they had breakfast that was served to them in session with gusto.
Even so, this was the same starting motion simr to entering the ring. It was the usual thing. Every year, they''d discuss various topics, or how the prospects for this year''s entrance exam appeared to be.
But this year wasn''t a typical year.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Gracious, I was really shocked to see ss 1-A''s outdoor ss score. Who could have thought that they would make such a turnaround, surpassing the absolute score of that legendary era... Certainly not me. This just makes me anticipate their futures after graduation.
Well, on the other hand, I was stumped to see our Torveil army (a part of the Northwest Army) that had been there to support the outdoor sses so easily toyed with by students. s, is this what the saying ¡®there''s always someone better¡¯ means? They still ought to be disciplined for the safety of the citizens either way. Uh-huh, this is another heavy duty, but oh well."
The remark, obviously showing the speaker''s humorous mood, came from the holder of many influential forces like Viscount Wangyush and so on, and was the lord of the region where the outdoor sses took ce¡ª Marquis Torveil.
This outdoor ss session had been no less of a harvest season for him.
First, the huge positive side effect of having the outdoor sses take ce in his region was huge. The Royal Academy, after all, had an immense budget and some of it did trickle down to his coffers. Plus, lending out his territory was simr to public service.
The nobles of the concerned regions received a windfall following the support they''d been granted to prepare the meals and other goods for the expansive support staff who had arrived a step earlier toy the initial groundwork. At the same time, the materials the students had piled up in the orientation had also been absolutely massive this year.
The profit from the sales of the materials had been distributed among the Wangyush territory, who had offered their territory for the outdoor ss, and the surrounding regions for their support.
A windfall for the local lords meant it was a windfall for the entire Toveil region. It might be stating the obvious, but a huge reason why the Wangyush region had been chosen this year was due to Godorfun''s leadership. One could find many people in Japan advocating for ''impartial selection'' and all that, but that was a loser''s rambling in this kingdom.
The career track of the students from the entrance ceremony up to the Academy was fairly broad. And from Godorfun''s viewpoint, the Wangyush region was the most suitable territory for the training. What, were you jealous? Then use your authority to change the decision.
Besides, there were as many as four students in ss-A this year from Torveil. The reputation of ss A meant their hometowns would simrly be in the limelight. And as they made progress in their careerster down the line, benefits were bound to trickle down to their hometowns as well.
Furthermore, this outdoor ss had cemented the position of the Hill Road Club as of the moment, and as its president, Ste Achilies of the Torveil region had be a sensational name overnight through the kingdom.
It was a series of never-ending fortunes for Marquis Torveil that he couldn''t help but rejoice about, and justly so.
"Hmph, we know very well how beaten up you are, alright. Shameless. But, it''s a fact that they challenged that old man, along with the vicemander of the Fifth Legion, Tim Buchan, and emerged victorious. It''s clear to anyone that the students deserve credit, while the army needs more discipline. This is clearly reflected in the score, and that''s how the world perceives it. It would be best if you stopped with your antagonistic remarks just because ''it''s the way of the world¡¯."
Marquis Meria Dragoon rebuked, but Marquis Torveil just shrugged, a smile still stered on his face.
"A sagely advice, grandma. Your age clearly doesn''t reflect your astuteness. But your advice is indeed most fitting. Let''s discuss the details. I¡¯ve barely heard of anything about the events aside from the general summary, and with most of the information concealed, I have no inkling as to what happened. My word, theck of detail is killing me."
So remarked Marquis Valcondor, incurring a re from Meria.
Marquis Valcondor''s side was the sole party that had not produced any ss A students this year. It was such a sad state of affairs for him since even the Dosperior region, whose noble family had never bothered to take the exam before, had produced a talent of ss A caliber¡ª L.
To put it in another way, Marquis Valcondor had no one he could ask about the events that took ce in the outdoor sses.
There had been many eyewitnesses, so he held the details in broader strokes, but he was itching to know about the aplishments of ss A, Allen and Leo especially.
Meanwhile, Marquis Torveil had thoroughly put a leash on his knights to make sure nothing was leaked. It was the correct course of action, no doubt, but he also had the motive of being ahead of everyone in terms of information.
Maybe a broader reason as to why he couldn''t stop smiling was probably due to his lead in terms of information when he usually would have no way of knowing.
"Who the hell are you calling grandma!?...... Also, you''re not going to hear anything from me. It''s a level 4 ssified secret, just so you know. If you''re that frustrated, then use that energy to train one of your students for grade advancement this year!"
Going back to her own words, Marquis Dragoon made a spiteful remark. Marquis Valcondorughed it off.
"You appear quite happy as always, Meria-san. Well, I can''t deny that this feeling is foreign to me. I, too, wish I had a convenient shelf that would drop money on myp each time I woke up. Oh, do believe me when I say I''m so jealous of you."
Marquis Diarmaq followed after Marquis Volcondor, who turned his gaze sideways, harrumphing. In a typical roundabout fashion, he was implying ''Don''t be too cocky when you hadn''t even known about the A of Allen until this spring¡¯.
Marquis Dragoon widened her feline-like sharp gaze, and chuckled.
"Oh my, you sure have gotten quite better since that time I saw your bedridden appearancest fall, huh, Romario? Good to see your straight face back. That pale, sickly expression indeed didn''t suit you. Right, was that boy''s name Bester? The sessor from your branch family.
Even Fey was stunned by his ability. She was sure he was your typical prodigy, but nope, that overnight transformation certainly showed he had the makings of an extraordinary schr. Why count other''s gold coins when you have a gold eggying hen yourself, right? The situation looks bright for you as well. Are you going to adopt him into the main family?"
Marquis Diarmaq narrowed his eyes and shook his head in denial.
"......The future is still undetermined. Much less about others, even I was stunned. It was a pressing situation, but to be chosen among the others, never had I expected that his talent would blossom in such a scenario. And because of it, I was further amazed by Allen Rovenne''s insight, to figure out his talent. I wonder, how did he see that in him?"
Marquis Leverance, sitting next to him, shrugged at his remark.
"You might be taking it steady, but you really haven''t changed thatid back attitude of yours, Romario. I would have already made my move had it been me. Well, just be careful and watch out for the sparks at your feet while taking it slow."
Marquis Diarmaq scoffed, remarking ''That''s none of your business¡¯.
"......Anyway, Allen Rovenne hid so many talents behind his persona, it''s intriguing. He didn''t immediately make his move when the situation with Diarmaq''s brat at the Hill Road Club happened, and waited for a better moment before resolving the matter with a single stroke. But also he knew when to stop and turn around to lend a helping hand as well. He has an eye for discernment that probably wouldn''t lose out to experienced folks.
Well, we were also quite stumped on how to deal with his elder sister in the past, but his friendship with the son of the Engraver family ran quite deep since the enrollment. It appears that the Emission Magic Research Club that the boy is president of has recently be quite famous as well. He made his position clear through superiority rather than words or actions. Frankly, I really like his way of doing things.¡±
This impression came from Marquis Endeumion¡ª the lord of Endeumion territory that included the Engraver territory, Al¡¯s hometown. He was also the one with the highest seniority present.
Marquis Endeumion then took a nce at Meria and added further after chuckling.
¡°I heard his father, Viscount Rovenne, had made it clear that he won¡¯t force any partner on his son. It would be by the boy''s own choice, right? I must say that is quite an impressive thing to say. Hahaha!
But I''m amazed he''s not leveraging his son''s fame to rise up in status. What an odd family, if I must say. Speaking of which, it seems like my granddaughter is also quite a fan of Allen Rovenne, so maybe¡ Hahaha!¡±
These words were instantly met with res from everyone present.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 167 - Marquis Meeting (2)
The Nine Marquises¡ª
Valcondor (No ss A student)
Endeumion (Al)
Grauksh (Dan)
Sernande (First appearance in this chapter)
Diarmaq (Bester)
Dosperior (L)
Dragoon (Allen, Fey, Parry)
Torveil (Ste)
Leverance (Jeuri)
Also, the three Dukes¡ª
Grauster (First appeared in If it''s not love, then what? ?1?)
Zatsinger (Leo)
Shutrenu (First appeared in Intermission - Teachers of the Royal Academy)
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
"Speaking of which, it seems like my granddaughter is also quite a fan of Allen Rovenne, so maybe¡ Hahaha!¡±
Marquis Endeumion''s words incurred res from everyone present.
The breakfast might have just been served on the round table, yet the atmosphere had already be piping hot as sparks flew everywhere.
"......By the way, I heard he spent the final night of the outdoor ss with the students of ss E, and actively looked for information about the romantic rtionships of ss E''s students. The rest of ss A slept like logs after going through that grueling scenario, but he alone insisted that ''Outdoor sses can''te to an end at all without this'' and talked to them on his own. I just can''t think of why it was so important. Any guesses?"
The quiet remark came from Marquis Sernande, also the youngest person among the marquises. Her territoryy in the northern region of the kingdom. That was to say, her territory shared a direct border with the Rosemieur Empire, and then there was the exceedingly turbulent rtionship between the two powers at this point. Fortunately, with her husband, who had an important position in the 4th legion of the Knight Order, temporarily taking over, she was able to leave her position temporarily, allowing her to participate in the new year''s events.
No one answered her question.
They had simrly pondered the question. But the opponent had hidden his intention so cleverly that they really couldn''t see anything except what was on the surface. It was as if he was truly just there to listen to everyone''s love stories that were oh somon during stay overs.
The nine of them were sure that there was no way someone would push themselves to take part in some random conversation after oveing their limits in the prior scenarios, but they just were unable to figure it out.
Of course, they couldn''t.
"...Oh, right. He apparently asked Bester about his fianc¨¦ and his love life too when it was just the two of them. But my word, he sure has the makings of a sly fox in politics. He actually revealed something quite interesting during their discussion, and only our Bester seems to know about it."
Marquis Diarmaq said while staring at Marquis Dosperior.
The implication behind his gaze was clear. Bester had informed him about the origin of his mother, Celia.
As much as Bester wanted to keep the matter to himself given his status, he probably only had a few options on how to handle it, and just throwing it in a corner of his mind and forgetting about it forever wasn''t one of them. The responsibility would be too heavy for him to shoulder once it became apparent that only he had the information.
It was quite an outrageous revtion, but from Marquis Diarmaq''s viewpoint, there couldn''t be any better timing than now to y this card. Plus, it would also raise the Bester¡¯s stock among the others as the sole informant of this information.
As for Bester, he seemed to have exchanged information about himself ¡ª the identity of his fianc¨¦ ¡ª to even things out. Though, of course, it was iparable to the revtion about Allen''s mother. It wouldn''t be surprising if the information he got from Allen turned out to be a prank of sorts.
Hence, Marquis Diarmaq kept his gaze on Randy Von Dosperior. He was trying to ascertain the authenticity of Beater''s information via his bodynguage.
And as the top dogs among the nobles, no one was naive enough to not realize what Marquis Diarmaq was implying.
A suspenseful atmosphere hung in the hall.
Marquis Dosperior, who had been quietly observing the discussion with an almost nihilistic expression with an insincere smile on his lips, stared back at Marquis Diarmaq for a while before rxing.
"I¡¯ve been just as curious about Bester, whom that Allen has dubbed the ¡®Overseer Guardian¡¯. I was astonished when I heard that because our Dosperior family has taken pride in being the ''Kingdom''s Shield'' since its founding. To hear such rave praise about him makes me want to meet Bester-kun at once for sure." (T/N - Forgot the title, will change defense masterter, of if you remember it, you can change it.)
The reply caused the rest of the marquises, who had been quietly listening, as well as Marquis Diarmaq to yelp inwardly. Though, their poker face concealed their inner turmoil.
What they''d first noticed was how Randy Von Dosperior ¡ª the head of the Dosperior family and also the leader of the Imperial Guards ¡ª had intimately called out Allen Rovenne''s name irrespective of how the said Dosperior family had always kept themselves aloof from the politics of the Royal Academy.
The connection wasn''t so obvious, but the nuance of calling Allen Rovenne ''that Allen'' was pretty obvious. At the same time, it pushed Bester''s evaluation up in the minds of everyone present.
The above result obviously delighted Marquis Diarmaq. Suppressing his broad smile, he replied with ''Yes, of course. We can set up a schedule for that.''
It could have been an intimidating piece of information, but given Marquis Dosperior''s reaction, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say ''His Majesty has already been made privy of the situation'' and he had already set up this unbelievable groundwork while everyone had yet to hear about it.
As everyone had their respective guess, Marquis Grauksh, who hadn''t uttered a single word up to then, entered the discussion. He also had information he had gotten through his persistence, and he wouldn¡¯t miss this prime time to reveal his cards as well.
"...If what I heard was correct, then it seems like Allen Rovenne had an unofficial audience with His Majesty once. And I dare say... this was the time he asked His Majesty to amodate the Sail Club that Daniel, the son of Count Serdos from our region, is the president of. I guess he probably did it for their deep friendship. I mean, he specifically came to visit him in the summer vacation, after all.
But that aside, Randy-dono had been present on that asion, so you must have had the chance to interact with Allen Rovenne then... right? I wonder if you can tell us what was his¡ Allen Rovenne''s request? Or, how exactly did he convince His Majesty of the Sail Club''s value when sail ships are a thing of the past?"
Once again, silence reigned in the hall.
Everyone had their polite smiles masking their true thoughts, but the air was so tense one could hear it crackling.
This had been the biggest doubt everyone had about the Sail Club as they just couldn''t see the goal of that club that Allen Rovenne had been so fervently investing his time in. They were aware that the Sail Club was using the port meant for the Knight Order, but they had chalked it up to Godorfun''s doing.
But their assumptions would bepletely subverted if the permission had indeede from His Majesty instead.
Allen had thought this would just add more oil to the rumours about him, so he hadn''t revealed this fact to anyone. This was another reason why they didn''t have even a single piece of information about what actually happened.
Being on the receiving end of everyone''s sharp gazes, Randy was silent for a moment, and eventually opened his mouth with a sigh.
"......The audience itself happened at the military garrison of the Royal Pce in absolute secrecy, but if the word is already out, then there''s no reason to hide it anymore. And frankly, the event details are silly enough. You should all be aware of His Majesty''s curious nature. He expressed a strong desire to meet with Allen after the events in the Rising Star Cup match. There, he had him ask for anything he wanted as a reward.
Allen then requested for the right to use the military port, and a permit to frequent the Rune River so that they could use it as their training ground for sailing as it was near the Academy."
Unable to decipher Allen''s intention, everyone waited for Randy''s continuation.
"Of course, His Majesty asked why he was so fixated with outdated ships. And his reply was, well...... ¡®It sounds fun. We just want to y around¡¡¯ His expression was devoid of any motive back then, and he answered with a bright smile. His Majesty had been amused by his answer as he never expected such an¡ ordinary reason, and he burst intoughter."
Everyone blinked their eyes in confusion for a moment, and simultaneously, they all burst outughing.
"Kakaka! ''Because it''s fun''... Kakaka!"
"Such a normal reason in front of His Majesty! As expected of the man Jeu has set her eyes on, he''s interesting! Hahaha!"
"It amazes me that he made His Majesty break intoughter. Hahaha! I can already imagine what Allen Rovenne''s expression was like!"
"Fufu, Ahem, I mean that''s rude."
"Who knows if he''s actually been disliked? Hahaha!"
"Pfft! No, what you said might be rude, Marquis Valcondor. There''s no way he should have done it out of mere friendship with Daniel-kun just because he visited him on whim! Dear friends! Hahaha!"
Marquis Grauksh faintly chuckled, replying with ''Well, kids and their whimsical nature. You can never know with them.'' His face had a wry smile as he scratched his head as if amused at a child''s antics.
But, his other hand under the table was squeezed so hard it wouldn''t be surprising for blood to ooze out of it.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Meanwhile, an earth-shattering discovery, enough to engulf the Kingdom in a crisis, had been unearthed in the northeast region¡ª in one of the territories under the Grauksh region.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 168 - Imminent Disaster (1)
The curtain to the short winter had opened, and with the precursor that was the Marquis Meeting, the Royal Capital was dyed with the vibrant colors of social events.
It was a few days after the event of the Marquis Meeting when a certain piece of information made its way to the Royal Capital in absolute secrecy, prompting the top echelon of the Royal Pce to hold an urgent strategy meeting.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The urgent report ¡ª originating from a certain explorer who discovered an abnormality on a Hellrowcast egg ¡ª came from the Knight Order¡¯s fourth legion.
The said Knight Order legion sent its team to ascertain the authenticity of the news, and they, too, confirmed the same. Moreover, the situation was hopelessly dire¡ª the eggs were roughly 8 at the minimum to 10 at the maximum days away from hatching.
Speaking of the Hellrowcast, they were pretty ordinary monsters with their habitats spread across the continent. However, once in a decade up to a century, their numbers would increaseparable to that of a locust gue. The cause of such a mutation has yet to be identified to this date.
Their eggs were typically small enough for an adult''s hand to be able to hold itpletely, and they could give birth to roughly 100 of them. However, when a mutation urs, they could usually give birth to as many as a million of them at once. But should thend the mutation urred in have abysmal luck, these monsters could spawn even tens of millions of eggs all at once.
A mutated Hellrowcast''s trait was their intense appetite. They would gorge on any and all kinds of leaves around them to spur their growth, enough to push a forest to the brink of extinction, and when there was nothing left, they would move on toward another target that was abundant in nature.
Hellrowcast moved as a group, and should they move toward the Rosemieur Empire at the north, the damage to Yuglia would still be negligible enough. However, the consensus among the experts was that they typically traveled southward seeking warmer climates.
And should that turn out to be the case, then the Grauksh region, which was the kingdom¡¯s major rye producer, and the Dosperior region, which was a major producer of wheat, would be facing an inevitable disaster.
It was still early in winter and the seedlings had barely sprouted, so it was basically impossible for them to do anything about it. Yuglia would be facing an unprecedented foot shortage nation-wide should they fail to stop this disaster, and that wasn''t even considering the effect it would have on the ecosystem.
They were cmitous monsters that had brought many small nations to their ruin in the past.
Had it been spring instead with abundant fodder, Yuglia could have had a chance to solve it by deploying its army.
But it was winter right now. The Hellrowcast horde would surely move at a rapid pace in search of food. Should this disaster befall the kingdom, then the damage to its military would be inevitable. And at worst, it could even be the trigger for the war. After all, with the kingdom going through a tumultuous period, it was impossible to think that the Rosemieur Empire would be generous enough to overlook that chance.
The extermination of Hellrowcast would surely require the army to deal with it. And most of all, it could easily take several months just to deal with the horde. So unless their opponent had gone blind, it would be like a red rag in front of a bull.
One reason why they were considered a nuisance was due to the nature of their eggs. It was nearly impossible to actually prevent the hatching of their eggs.
The main approach in preventing the eggs¡¯ hatching was by freezing them. However, ice was a rare attribute, with its appearance being only 1 in 1000. Besides, the Ice Mages also would need to have sufficient mana reserves and a firm control over their magic operation so as not to scratch the eggs when using their magic.
As a matter of fact, the number of Ice Mages in the kingdom''s ranks was only in the three digits at best.
They also required potent ice attribute magic stones that they''d need to use in destroying the nests as well as critical magical tools which were just few and far in between.
As of now, the Knight Order was already on the move, gathering ice attribute folks, whether they were explorers or knights, along with the necessary magical tools, but it was nothing more than a band-aid stered on a leaking dam. At their current pace, even disposing 10% of the egg poption seemed like a pipe dream.
The Royal Capital had quite the number of Ice Mages, but they absolutely wouldn''t be able to make it in time.
The Yabure Barony, where the eggs were spotted, was located at the northern edge of the kingdom, so no matter how much they hurried up, it would at least take them 10 days to travel there from the Royal Capital, which was just around the time when the eggs were predicted to hatch.
A gloomy air hung above the Emergency Strategy Meeting taking ce in the presence of the King.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Olina, the standing leader of the military, and themander of Yuglia''s Knight Order, summarized important points for the people present.
Olina initially was an ordinarymoner by birth, but she wed her way to the position of the Knight Order''smander by virtue of her talent, and,ter on, marrying into a Duke family. Such a striking personal history was rather rare even in the Yuglia kingdom.
As much as Yuglia tried to suppress the status discrimination between the nobles andmoners, it just wasn''t realistically possible for the nobles to quietly obey given the difference in status and their pride in their lineage and heritage. So the usual way formoners to bridge the gap was something along the lines of being adopted by a high-ranking nobility and such.
But Oliana didn''t want to forsake her knight career over such an irrelevant matter, and she never cared a bit about bing a duke or whatever.
Of course, if one had the will, subverting the norm wasn''t an impossible task.
William Zatsinger, the previous duke of the Zatsinger family, fell in love with Olina. He broke tradition, and instead weed her into the Zatsinger family despite hermoner status, honoring her career.
Knight Commander Olina Zatsinger¡ª she was also Leo''s grandmother.
"......We don¡¯t have the means topletely stop their hatching as of now, so we can only prepare ourselves for the disaster as we move to eradicate as many as we can. Unfortunately, this would indeed create a shortage of manpower at the border, but what would be the meaning of holding the border if the citizens have no means left to stay alive.
All the armymanders, except the Northern Division''smander that has been in a standoff against Rosemieur, are to draw a portion of the army ande together to form a special unit to march toward Yabure Barony. I¡¯ll request the explorer association''s help on my end. There''s no saying how the other countries will react, so I¡¯ll stay here in the Royal Capital. Consequently, themander-in-chief will be first legionmander Hugo, who''s already heading toward the ce of the incident."
Since the battle was expected tost for months, the formation of elite forces was going to financially burden each fief. But this was the price that must be paid to strike down the Hellrowcast horde as quickly as possible, especially when no one knew what their movement pattern would be. The other lords couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye even if they wanted to. If one was hit with a crisis, the aftermath would also affect the others as well.
This disaster would still be considered manageable if they could just guide the Hellrowcast horde to move horizontally. Though for that to happen, it would require effort from every marquis who represented their respective vast regions.
"I¡¯ve already sent a coborative request to each marquis through the Department of Internal Affairs."
The Minister of Internal Affairs chimed in, and the Minister of Trade followed after.
"Our Department of Commerce will immediately move to secure food as well as other goods. However, since it¡¯ll include the involvement of a huge amount of human resources as well as the movement of supplies, it¡¯ll be impossible to do it in absolute secrecy. Some may also take advantage of the chaos and increase the prices by a slight margin, but we¡¯d have to bear with it given the situation."
Continuing after them, the rest of the ministers from the agriculture to the foreign affairs departments chimed in, gradually sorting out their roles in the uing crisis.
It was then that Glover, themander of the second legion, gingerly raised his head, hesitation clouding his face.
"......Your Majesty. If you may permit, how about summoning Allen Rovenne? I won''t say much... and it may just be a small amount of help but... I think he can probably show us a way to turn this situation around."
Everyone''s gazes immediately fell on Glover.
It was a natural reaction. Allen might be a provisional member of the Knight Order, but it didn''t grant him the right to participate in the affairs of the Royal Pce. However, it did grant him the status to join in times of emergency. And if the reason was valid, along with acknowledgment of the King, no one should have a reason to oppose it by following the right order.
With a wry smile, Dew, Allen''s master, turned to Glover.
"Glover-san. As much as I admit the usefulness of his wind magic, it should be impossible for him to cover the millions of Hellrowcasts spread out in a vast range."
But Glover shook his head saying, ¡°That isn''t the reason.¡±
"My decision isn''t based on that. I would like to exin it in detail as well, but this is something I¡¯vee to learn about only recently from indirect sources, so even I haven''t fully grasped it yet¡ª or more like I barely scratched the surface of it. It would be much more efficient to just summon him for the exnation."
King Patrick then announced with a dignified expression.
"You have my permission. Summon him as soon as possible. We''re at a juncture where the livelihood of our citizens... their lives are at stake. We must explore all the possibilities no matter how miniscule it is."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
I was practicing archery under the supervision of Kiana-san in the central military post when I received a message from Mastermanding me to appear at the Royal Pce within 45 minutes.
Good grief, that wasn''t how one made a request......
I sighed as I walked to the Royal Pce while wondering if it was another summon to work in tandem with the imperial army.
At the back entrance of the Royal Pce that had a magically reinforced gate, I saw Master waiting for me. He just said ''Follow me'' at my arrival and led me toward the pce.
And... I was surprised, truly. He actually took me to the Imperial Council. I had just taken a step inside when everyone''s intense gazes fell on me.
It was a grand hall with a luxurious ambience, like the ones you would see in dramas that showed the meetings of those business giants, though I personally felt like a prisoner from the Edo period who had been dragged into court.
A vast majority of them were people I''ve never seen before, which just reinforced the idea that this wasn''t a ce for the third son of a viscount to set foot in.
At the very end of the room opposite the entrance, I could even see His Majesty sitting at the head of the table.
Haa, would they mind if I immediately turned on my heel and ran away from this ce?......
My face muscles werepletely tense just imagining what warranted all this. Amidst my swirling thoughts, Glover-san, themander of the 2nd legion whom I had the chance to meet once in one of the days we used their military port for our Sail Club activity, posed a question.
"It''s been a while, Allen Rovenne. We have a pressing situation, so to cut to the main topic: do you know about the Hellrowcast monster?"
"............I do. Where are they? How long until they hatch?"
Ah, so that was the situation. I immediately asked for the main details. Though Glover-san seemed surprised, in my eyes, it wasn''t that hard to figure out.
First, I was summoned to this meeting hall where the top brass of the kingdom were present, and second, the question hade not from Master, but the 2nd legionmander Glover-san. He was in charge of the navy, so I could guess it was somehow rted to the Sail Club. After all, aside from the Sail Club matter, we had never talked before.
And if he was mentioning Hellrowcast right off the bat, I could guess the agenda of this Imperial Council.
The method on how to deal with and dispose of the Hellrowcast eggs was spread far and wide due to its special characteristic. A random book that was minutely rted to monsters would specifically mention all those details as well.
The point was to deal with the eggs before they hatched, but if it was already toote, a mere Sail Club which only had one ship to its name would do jack shit.
But if it wasn''t toote yet, then the destination was probably hard to reach and required transportation via the water route. And what they probably wanted to transport was the human resources needed to prevent the hatching.
"......Quick-witted as always, huh, Allen Rovenne? I doubt this would have reached your ears, irrespective of your status as a provisional knight¡ The location is the Yabure Barony in Marquis Grauksh''s territory. And the remaining time before they hatched is¡ª 10 days at maximum. Worst case scenario, the morning of the 8th day."
I immediately shook my head.
"It''s impossible by myself."
I guess they must have pinned their hope on whatever straw they could find. My presence was the proof of that. As my words echoed inside the hall, the onlookers held their breath, and closed their eyes.
I nced at their expressions, and, as I apologized in my head for bringing him into this mess, continued.
"It''s impossible¡ unless Dan is here as well. Oh, he''s my ssmate¡ª Daniel Serdos. If he gives it his all, I think we can make it in time."
A buzz spread across the council room at my words. Some of the people''s gazes fell on a middle-aged man sitting at the lowest seat.
The man slightly cleared his throat and introduced himself.
"Ahem. I''m Findoll Von Grauksh. The incident this time urred in my fief, so I''m in this seat attending this meeting as someone who can exin the general details of the region. May I ask, what do you mean by ¡®If he gives it his all, I think we can make it in time''? It sounds as if you''re implying that Daniel is superior to you."
Aaahh, so it''s him. The one putting pressure on Dan''s father, and trying to intervene in our Sail Club. Well, though it seemed like it was just Count Serdos who was going all ballistic by himself for the most part.
"...And he is, Marquis Grauksh. Dan''s much better than me. I can''t evenpare myself to him when ites to sailing ships. Though this time it¡¯ll take both of our best efforts given the situation."
The potato-face of Dan shed in the back of my mind as I recalled the dedication he had for ship sailing no matter how one tried to throw him off. His blood-soaked palms, and that shining radiance in his eyes despite his embarrassed visage back then during the summer vacation.
This time, I deliberately didn''t hold back my praises.
"Dan is an unmistakable prodigy. After all, he has an undying passion for ships. There would surelye a time when he, Daniel Serdos, the first generation president of the Royal Academy''s Sail Club, would sail through uncharted seas. A horizon that no one has ever seen before."
I quietly dered so while feeling a tug in my mind as if that potato-face was yelling ?Nooo! What cringy lines are you spouting, Allen!? Just shut up!? at me while grabbing me by my cor. I chuckled imagining that.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 169 - Imminent Disaster (2)
"Dan is an unmistakable prodigy. After all, he has an undying passion for ships. There would surelye a time when he, Daniel Serdos, the first generation president of the Royal Academy''s Sail Club, would sail through uncharted seas. A horizon that no one has ever seen before."
I stared Marquis Grauksh straight in the eye as I quietly dered that.
I could have held Dan''s name back, but from the flow of the situation, it was all but confirmed that our quiet ytime in the Sail Club wasing to an end. It won¡¯t be just the two of us anymore after this.
The situation was so obvious that it''d been foolish for me to avert my eyes. It was only a matter of time before our new method of ship sailing would spread to others. Besides, and I know this may sound ironicing from me considering I had been ignoring them, I certainly didn''t like how Dan was beingbeled as someone egoistic or selfish in the rumors.
Though that potato face didn''t really care no matter how much he had been preached on.
I was no different when it came to the rumor about myself, but I couldn''t suppress my annoyance when it was about him, as much as that sounded contradictory.
Dan had be proficient in decelerating a ship with outer mana operation, and all that was left for him was to efficiently control the mana inside his body, but even that was just a matter of time in my estimation.
The time was ripe, so we might as well make the best use out of this opportunity, noh? I mean, it was just an honest-to-goodness slip of the tongue, no matter what anyone said.
I may have said everything at the height of my emotions, but it was refreshing, really.
"......Such words of praise in a meeting like this, irrespective of their weight, are truly...... something. Alright, it''s my loss. I''m speechless."
Marquis Grauksh stared into my eyes for a moment, his expression indifferent, but he eventually relented as he murmured so while closing his eyes. He turned around, and bowed his head to excuse himself, saying ''Pardon me for interrupting the meeting, please continue.''
I mean, I was technically telling the truth though. Dan would surely be someone amazing, there was no lie in what I said.
''Well, he''s Daniel Serdos after all,'' I followed up after the Marquis said his piece, and corrected my posture. Glover-san gave a nod and resumed the earlier discussion.
"How quickly do you think we can get there?"
I recalled the map of the kingdom, which had started toe together quite nicelytely, at the back of my mind, and estimated the time it would take us to get there.
"Following the wind, it should be within 6 days, I believe."
Chatter-Chatter
My words brought a slight stir among the big-wigs.
Well, the day and the location were also factors, but the winds from the Northwest were especially stronger during this season. It would be impossible to dispose of all the eggs within two days of our arrival. However, what mattered was that there was a chance to remove even just a few of them at all.
I decided earlier, and it still held true even now, that I had no wish to take the burden for the kingdom''s sake, but s, this was, in the end, inevitable. I couldn''t have my fun time over the ruins of a kingdom, right?
And my motto was that Anyone who stands in my way shall be decimated.
Then again, who knows if those bigwigs would even ept the words of a mere student, and invest their precious resources and tools for the cause.
And it turned out... to be a needless worry.
Glover-san showed a look of understanding, and turned to the direction where His Majesty and the Knight Order''s Commander Olina were seated.
"It may turn out to be a fool''s errand, so I¡¯ll bear responsibility for everything. So, since this would be taking away valuable human resources and magical tools, may I ask for your permission to follow the two youngsters?"
At his proposition, Commander Olina promptly replied.
"......It indeed sounds inconceivable, but what''s the difference between a magical tool and a showpiece if we are unable to use them at a critical time? The point is that there''s no drawback for this n, and there are only benefits if it works. And if you''re convinced, Glover, then I have nothing more I need to confirm."
His Majesty fixed his translucent blue eyes on me, the corner of his lip curling.
"You have quite a way of expressing yourself, Allen Rovenne...... Is this another one of your y time?"
I scratched my head in annoyance, and shook my head.
"This was just impromptu, Your Majesty. For me and my friends, this is just a game to devote our time topletely to make our lives more fun¡ª¡ª"
His Majesty squinted momentarily as he listened to my words, and then he burst into a boomingughter.
"Gahahaha! Oh, Ipletely believe you! So, take care of this matter, Allen Rovenne! Also¡ give my regards to your friend Daniel Serdos."
Seemingly infected by him, Olina-san also broke into a chuckle, and soon the rest of the bigwigs followed right after her.
......For goodness¡¯ sake, we weren''t here for aedy show though....
I never wanted to cross paths with the burdens of the kingdom, but¡ª I have to say there were quite a lot of amusing people here worthy of respect.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After that, they asked Allen what else might be required, and he then expressed his desire for at least one person capable of operating a ship. They then confirmed the rest of the details, including the transportation of the new ship ¡ª which had been built based around the idea of applying wind magic ¡ª by the Serene Sea Co as well as the time of departure which was to be 8 PM, around the time when they should be done with sorting out the manpower and supplies.
Allen left the pce afterward.
"......It was an eyeopener to see you evaluate him so highly, Glover-san. I believe you shouldn¡¯t have had the opportunity to meet him considering you spent most of your time outside the Royal Capital, so where does your trust in hime from?"
Dew asked Glover with an inquisitive gaze.
"It happened around the time when I was using the military port that he came with Daniel Serdos in tow to greet me. His radiant visage as he passionately described his love for sailing, how he depicted a ship cutting through the wind, left quite an impression on me. The pure expression of cheerfulness was enough for me to tell that he enjoyed what he was doing.
Well, I chalked it up to mere interest in the antique style of sailing back then, but......"
Recalling Allen¡¯s quick change of expression as soon as he brought up the name Hellrowcast, Glover felt his back sweat.
It was akin to flipping some sort of switch¡ª like devoting every ounce of one''s being for a cause. Such a change urred without dy. Even within the illustrious Knight Order, he could count the number of people who could do that with only one hand.
It was something that was certainly reassuring, but also somewhat intimidating. Despite being amander of the Knight Order, he really underestimated him initially.
"I know that feeling well. It''s normal to be confused since you¡¯re not used to that brat''s two-faced nature. I had once been like you, thinking that he was just one of those naive kids with rose-tinted sses and an immature mind. s, I learned my lesson the hard way when he ambushed me with no warning.
However, his nature isn''t something that can be gained with mere training. That brat just has an inherently twisted personality."
Dew''s words elicited a few chuckles from the council room.
It was general knowledge that Dew was the one who tested Allen in the practical exam, and gave out the S evaluation. However, only a few were privy to theplete details.
All the people attending this council meeting could obviously understand what it meant for a candidate tond an attack on Dew Owiel during the entrance exam. Dew might have escaped that surprise attack with a paper breath margin, but it didn''t change Allen''s evaluation.
"Hmm, as far as I can tell, I don''t think he''s that difficult to deal with personality-wise. Anyway, Glover, do you really see him making it in time? Either way, we¡¯re going to assume otherwise and prepare for a long war. This may change, though, depending on how they perform."
Glover shook his head in response to Oliana''s query.
"It''s embarrassing for me to say this as the one who pushed for his inclusion, however I can''t promise that they can make it. It¡¯s been such a long time since the Knight Orderst went through an intensive sailing drill. Unfortunately, not even our second legion has that many knights knowledgeable about ships, and since a while ago, I¡¯ve been hearing from some of the knights that they felt something amiss from the speed of the blowing wind.
It was justst night that I received a report from Cass ¡ª ah, he''s one of my knights with a deep background in maritime stuff, and has some attainment in sailing ¡ª about a ship with an odd design that had recently anchored in the Royal Capital''s port. It was quite fast, not something that can be written off as a mere coincidence.
Dew, I don¡¯t think it would be efficient mana-wise either, but what do you say? Do you think Allen Rovenne is capable of using the wind generated by his wind magic to push the ship, and perhaps speed it up?"
Dew crossed his arms, and shut his eyes, seemingly pondering something in silence.
"...He should be able to do that for a few minutes at least, but whether he can do it continuously is something I doubt. Plus with the trip being several days long and stretching over a huge distance, it''s definitely impossible... or so my mind says.
Frankly, I wouldn''t be surprised if he has some kind of trick up his sleeve to make it possible. I¡¯m used to his antics at this point¡ª oh, but I would surely lose sleep if he suddenly decided to turn over a new leaf for sure."
''I see,'' said Oliana, who had been listening to everything with her arms crossed.
"...At any rate, whether he can do it or not will soon be made apparent. But for now, Daniel Serdos is indispensable for this strategy, Marquis Grauksh.
Bringing in a student when he''s not even a provisional member of our Knight Order will never be recognized, even if he''s a student of the Royal Academy¡¡ if it had been any other day. But since we are in a state of emergency, the situation fulfills the conditions, so it can be left to His Majesty''s discretion, or even with just the acknowledgment of over half of the ministers.
But it would be unptable if we appeared so authoritative, so I would like you to persuade him somehow."
Such a polite method was... certainly only possible due to the abundant talent of the Royal Academy students. The chosen students obviously were the elite among the elites, their base parameters far above anyone else and were excellent in all fronts. It had a high chance to have prodigies with extraordinary expertise in one area as well.
However, the act of borrowing said student''s talent meant that the said student would lose valuable time they could have devoted within the Academy. It was a general concern, not specifically limited to the current case.
Field experience could prove to be invaluable, but the fundamental training the Academy provided ultimately raises their base parameters up, which adds to their area of expertise as well. This was why, to bnce fundamentals and on-field experience, there was an internship system for the third year students during the summer vacation. But even in such a scenario, the staff made sure that the students didn''t fall behind in their studies.
The system looked not at the present, but to the unknown of the future. A long term vision, you could say.
Marquis Grauksh bowed.
"It would be my utmost honor to take upon this task."
Oliana nodded.
"Alright, I believe we¡¯ve discussed everything we could, so let''s get on with our respective tasks. After all, we''re still racing against time. Your Majesty, if we can have some words from you?"
At the prompt, King Patrick Arthur Yuglia got up from his seat. Everyone followed after him within the same breath.
"This is what King Arthur had said during the inception of the kingdom: Everyone that lives in this country is my friend, and many among them are people who''re far more excellent than me. So I put this crown on to create a country where my friends can have a happy life."
Patrick''s expression disyed a bright smile.
"It may take us a long time to achieve this wish. The kingdom may expand in size, but it''s all based on the fact that we must keep our kingdom alive. Now let us begin the groundwork for this wish."
" "Yes, Your Majesty!" "
Vol. 1 - Chapter 170 - Messenger (1)
In the second residence of Count Serdos located at the Royal Capital.
Dan''s father, Thomas Von Serdos, cornered Dan in the living room.
"You still haven''t gotten that appointment from Allen Rovenne!? Didn''t I say it can be unofficial as well if necessary?!"
From Dan''s perspective, it was Count Serdos who appeared more cornered about this than him. It just so happened that the Count was the target of snide remarks in the year-end gathering held in the main territory of Marquis Grauksh that was joined by many influential nobles including the Marquis and others who were of the same rank as him.
They hadn¡¯t outright said it, typical of nobles, but it was clear that they were pointing at him by saying ''Someone who''s a failure as the head of the family that even his son looks down on him''. Still, he could endure it one way or another. However, what he couldn''t endure were the biting remarks of Marquis Grauksh who gave him a rundown of the Marquis Meeting. The Marquis had straight out said ''Who could have expected that the father would fall so shortpared to his prodigal son... It''s just a waste to expect anything at this point'' with a sigh.
The Marquis Meeting had just been held a while ago, but seeing that there were still no rumors about Dan further pressured Count Serdos.
Dan''s achievements had put him in second ce of his ss. This fact alone should have garnered an endless stream of praises from everyone.
However, the situation had taken a different turn this year. The birth of the many clubs that Allen hade up with as a way to further his dream had caught many people unaware, and the people who were delegated as heads of these clubs were pushed into prominence.
Humans were a lump of desires.
Count Serdos hadn''t even stopped to think how much effort it would have required Dan to reach second ce, yet he started to expect even more. He wasn''t content with a mere 2nd rank. In a way, he was just the kind of person who would kill a goose thatid golden eggs hoping to get a heap of them immediately.
But if he really had to me someone for his predicament, then he could only me himself. Had he not bragged about how Allen came to visit his best friend during the summer vacation and rubbed it on other people''s faces again and again, perhaps he could have saved himself from the mockery.
"I tried to, but he''s quite busy..."
Dan lowered his head in an apologetic gesture, but on the contrary, he hadn¡¯t really talked about it with Allen except once. To start with, it was forbidden for unaffiliated people to directly send invitations for parties or meetings to students of the Royal Academy.
Nobles were nobles, and they wouldn''t miss out on using everything at their disposal, especially the ones closer to the top guns, just to recruit the students into their camp, which would be a huge obstacle to their studies. It was a lesson from the past after many geniuses had been ruined due to falling for the adults¡¯ honeyed words. Hence, the rule had always been strictly enforced.
One of the few options they could use to circumvent this was through other students, and even then only through personal discussions. Nothing more, nothing less. And as for Allen, he had refused everyone''s invitations, including Meria Dragoon¡¯s who was the overall supreme leader of the territory that his hometown was a part of.
Zatsinger and Leverance too had openly shown their interest in him, but he hadn''t nced their way one bit despite this.
Dan was sure that Allen wouldn''t be bored enough toe to a dinner meeting filled with nothing but stiff talk without any particr reason. Plus, if he epted one, then there would be a trail of people pushing him to ept their invitation as well, which would just waste his valuable time.
It was a rather easy to reach conclusion. Well, it was another matter that there was probably hardly anyone else who would shoot down invitations left and right like Allen does.
Every one of his ssmates was aware of the turbulent power bnce that had Allen at its center, and there was a tacit understanding between all of them to avoid crashing it on a whim. Or well, in truth, they were all just afraid of stepping into such a mess. From our perspective, it was a cesspool of political intrigue delicately hanging on a thread altogether, and while they haven''t been caught up in it, just a nce at it was enough to upset our stomachs. Yet, Allen was so nonchntly swimming across it that his ssmates were sure that he seriously had some screws loose in his head. In fact, even Bester, whom Allen had praised as a sensible fool, had to be careful in making a move when stepping into such a political maelstrom.
Considering all of this, one had to admire Fey who had been the first toe into contact with him when no one even knew about the Rovenne territory out in some hintend, or Jeu who had dered her intention to chase after him even before they shared any words and who had an uncanny intuition and courage of steel.
Was it women''s intuition, or were they just that exceptional?
Returning to the topic, Dan obviously didn''t intend to break that rule. Plus, even if he pushed through with it, the meeting would still be a pain he could already tell, and as a matter of fact, he had already asked Allen out of formality, and he had already received his rejection.
Allen did say ''I don''t mind doing it if it can ease your troubles so you can focus entirely on the Sail Club? I¡¯ll definitely pick some great words to say to him. Kukuku'' while giggling. However, Dan had said ''no need'' in a fluster. There was just no way he could allow the meeting between Allen and his father to happen when the former had even refused Meria Dragoon''s invitation. That would be akin to jumping in front of a ho willingly.
"It was wrong of us to expect anything from the son of a lowly concubine either way, Father. It''s the same with that bastardpany, meremoners would have no way of knowing just how cutthroat high society politics of the revered nobility can be."
The disdainful remark came from Codie, the tentative heir of the Count family, and Dan''s elder brother. The irony was that he himself had been avoiding social interaction due to his ineptitude. Though that had been changing recently after he received the praises, or perhaps, you could say he had ridden on the wave of the scant remarks, such as ''The future of Graukash now lies in the Serdos¡¯ hands. We''re all counting on you!¡¯, he had received during the end of the summer vacation when an array of influential nobles hade to congratte him for Dan''s achievements. It was one of the reasons why he was in the Royal Capital during this season of blooming social life.
Count Serdos turned to re at him.
"You think you can say those words when you haven''t done anything at all, Codie? The least you can do is to learn your ce in society, and get rid of that arrogance of yours."
Codie was yet another reason behind Count Serdos¡¯ headaches. Before, while he was already quite arrogant, he had enough sense to keep it private. But then, the inferiorityplex he had that made him the butt of the jokes for many somehow vanished as Dan showed his excellence, making his meager caliber stand out even more.
"Dear! What are you implying with that?! God forbid, are you saying that the heir of the Serdos family ought to be subservient to someone like Daniel, amoner''s child?! How can you fall so short in recognizing the hierarchy?! Codie-chan has only been here for a few days, so you''re just being unreasonable in asking for any result so soon. Tell me, am I wrong?!"
And there came the third source of Count Serdos''s headaches¡ª Brient, his legal wife and the mother of Codie. As much as he had wanted to retort at the order of hierarchy that she hadmented on, the Count was frankly just not good at dealing with her. Anytime he would berate her beloved son, she would immediately hiss at him like a cat whose tail has been stepped on.
They had a political marriage, and as someone from a respected lineage, she was eloquent and garnered much respect in noble society. Her only shoring was her strong bias for lineage. Even though Dan had been piling up brilliant achievements, she hadn''t shown any hint of epting him, and this had Count Serdos at his wit''s end.
Meanwhile, Count Serdos had gotten caught up in his work, giving him a reason to escape her nagging. However, the result of his continuous neglect made their rtionship of husband and wife just as distant. It was amon scene in whichever world you picked.
His chiding had always meant to push Codie to get his act together, but the argument between husband and wife showed just how ineffective it had been.
And yet again, Count Serdos had averted his eyes from the problem again and again.
Seeing no rebuttaling from the Count, Brient, who had been all but ready to go full ballistic, instead turned to Veena, Dan''s biological mother.
"And mind you, Codie-chan''s usation was correct. Veena''s little sister¡ª was it Mimosa? Whatever. Hasn''t she gotten a little bit too bold recently? Who does she think she is?... For a merepany from a rural port town, she has the gall to sponsor a Royal Academy''s club without informing her lord¡ Commoners are just getting too bold nowadays. Truly enviable!"
Veena lowered her head with an apologetic look, but otherwise she didn''t have much thought going on behind her expression.
Life in the Count family had been unptable for her, and now, she would dly wee it if they ever decide to throw her out of the family. So it was probably a bit toote already to assume her resentment for the joke of a situation she was in. But aside from her ''Whatever'' attitude, she actually found her husband pitiful. The situation he was caught in had surpassed the level he could deal with.
On the flip side, however, Brient couldn''t swallow that look of calmness and indifference on Veena''s face regardless of how much she berated her. Recently, she had been losing more and more grip on her anger due to that reason.
And having grown up in a different environment with a different set of values, Brient had no way to see through Veena''s heart.
"...I can''t express my apology enough for the actions of my little sister. And Dan, you, too, should learn not to cause trouble to your father."
"Understood."
And the final nail in the coffin that made the Count pull his hair in frustration was the report that Mimosa had bestowed the Royal Academy''s Sail Club a ship.
It should''ve been amendable fact that a merchant from his region actually managed to be the sponsor for a Royal Academy club¡ At least, that was how it should have been. But the Count was trying to bury the fact that Dan was his illegitimate child that he had neglected in the earlier days. He certainly didn''t like the fact that the said sponsor was none other than Serene Sea Co. where Dan had been raised.
The report from Dan stated that Allen just happened to visit the port town for sightseeing, happened to meet Mimosa there, and had taken a fancy to their ships, so he pushed for a sponsorship contract. But, the story was just too coincidental to be true, so he couldn''t fully believe it.
Besides, whether it was true or not didn¡¯t matter. The problem was how the world saw Serene Sea Co. In other people''s heads, they must have assumed that Serene Sea Co. had deep ties with the Serdos family, and more so with Dan.
He received plenty of probing from other nobles like ''Wow, you really hid yourself so cleverly. Say, why don''t you tell me the truth? I assure you, your secret¡¯s safe with me¡¯. He had a rough time making excuses all this while. After all, he couldn''t say he didn''t know about the sponsorship deal as their lord, could he?
He had summoned Mimosa once to this secondary house, and he had tried to coerce her, threaten her, and he even asked for a price to take over herpany. However, having prepared herself for the worst already, Mimosa took in everything with a stride. In her own words, she wasn''t such an easy woman who would throw a pie in front of her for crumbs.
Her elder sister still has the shoulder of this little sister to rely on was her message. Count Serdos''s head had almost burst out at Mimosa''s implied meaning.
He even thought of conceding this matter had the Sail Club actually had some achievements and made the world see them in a new light. s, he never got the desired result he had wanted, and instead, they even faded out of the public eye.
......Either way, he needed to take control of the situation. So the Count used all sorts of methods to harass Serene Sea Co.''s side store that they had recently opened in the Royal Capital. Unfortunately, the Crane-Dragon Union, their patron, had poured water on all of his efforts.
The man that went by the name Gin was especially a thorn he couldn''t remove from his side.
Count Serdos''s mind had once again started to escape from reality when the family''s steward jumped into the room with a pale face.
"I-It''s an urgent matter, Master! Marquis Grauksh himself has arrived as a messenger regarding the disaster in the Grauksh territory!"
"The M-Marquis himself, and a-as a messenger?! Who in the world sent him?... For what reason?!"
The Steward knelt and said,
"Yes, His Excellency mentioned an urgent request for the Young Master Daniel. And, h-he came in the... that.... a magic car with the Yuglia Royal Family crest, affirming that he''s here under themand of H-His Majesty!"
After a moment of spacing out, everyone''s gazes creaked in Dan''s direction.
Dan shook his head slowly, indicating he had no idea what it was about as his face muscles twitch uncontrobly.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 171 - Messenger (2)
"I-It''s an honor for you to visit us, Your Excellency. We didn''t have enough time to prepare, but please make yourselffortable."
Perspiring from top to bottom in cold sweat, Count Serdos came out to greet Marquis Grauksh along with Daniel.
As a messenger of His Majesty, they obviously had to respond, but the matter happened so suddenly that ack of preparation was inevitable.
"Time is of the essence, so the entrance is fine. In fact, I just came from the Academy where I heard that you were here. It''s been a while, Daniel. I guess thest time we saw each other was during your summer vacation. It''s good to see you in good health."
Marquis kicked-started the conversation with random talk, then he cleared his throat slightly before stating the reason he visited them as His Majesty''s messenger in a stately but clear tone.
"......And that was how it went. ¡®The only way I can respond to the kingdom''s distress call is with the support of my close friend Dan.¡¯ He announced it quite grandly in front of His Majesty and the other top ministers.
......So, Daniel. I can''t deny that I had thought that the activities of the Sail Club were nothing more than a waste of time, so everything I say may look like an adult changing their tune for their personal interest. I won¡¯t ask for your forgiveness, but if you can find it in your heart then please, assist us in saving the Grauksh territory¡ and this kingdom."
Standing at the entrance, Marquis Grauksh looked straight into Dan''s eyes as he talked, and lowered his head after saying his piece.
The scene was so absurd that Dan¡¯s thought process came to an abrupt halt with his eyes widening to their limit, and the only thought he could muster up was¡ª Ah, Allen got them good.
Meanwhile, Codie-chan, who had heard their words from afar, appeared while rubbing his hands together and chiding Dan.
"What''re you doing standing there like an idiot, Daniel!? There''s nothing else to think about! Hurry up and say you understand! Daniel understands what to do, Your Excellency, so please raise your head."
However, everyone present ignored him.
Dan,ing back to his senses, knelt on one knee, and pressed his right hand to his chest.
"......It¡¯ll be my honor to ept this duty."
Only when he heard Dan''s words did Marquis Grauksh raise his head with a sigh.
"I am really very much d to hear that...... You¡¯ve made a valuable friend, Daniel. Allen Rovenne was really furious for you. He didn''t say it, but his meaning was clear¡ª Stop it with your prejudice and take a good look at Dan, that he''s the one and only Daniel Serdos. It was as if he was persuading a kid, I couldn''t utter any words in front of His Majesty and the other ministers."
The Marquis quipped, and shed a bitter smile.
"......You shouldn''t take any of his words to heart, Your Excellency. He... Allen Rovenne is just that kind of person."
Dan almost had a headache at the shenanigans Allen had pulled, and was only barely able to muster a response. Marquis chuckled at his words, and then nced at Count Serdos¡¯ way.
"......You really hide yourself deep, eh, Thomas? No matter how you were reproached, you continued to protect him, and kept your unwavering trust in him. Not everyone has such nerves of steel. And, oh, I am genuinely saying this. Everyone had been spinning their yarn while having no idea, and kept asking for an immediate result¡ª I was no different.
You''ve shown your caliber as a noble, and as a father, splendidly so. Who would''ve thought I would be outsmarted."
The Count, meanwhile, was confused by the Marquis¡¯ praises as thetter tapped his shoulder, and was only barely able to reply.
"P-Please, even a hundred of me wouldn''t be enough to outsmart you, Your Excellency. I never intended to keep you in the dark."
The Marquis brushed him off with augh.
"Wahaha! Don''t look down on the Grauksh''s information department. I¡¯ve already discovered everything from Daniel''s upbringing to his connection with Serene Sea Co. So don''t bother exining things now, Thomas. You had everything in the palm of your hand all along¡ª or not. You''ve really made me look at him in a new light. Daniel Serdos, huh?... Truly the one and only in this kingdom. Mark my words: when this disaster is resolved, it¡¯ll turn into a tale for everyone to hear.
I bet the other nobles must have had a goodugh about the Sail Club after listening to the details of the Marquis Meeting. It''s going to turn into a good show, kukuku. Come, Daniel. Hurry up with your preparations. I¡¯ll give you a ride to the port in my magic car."
Dan bowed and then left to get his things. Marquis Grauksh watched him leave, and once he was out of sight, the smile on his face vanished. Instead, he wore a demonic visage-like mask¡ª reflecting the image of an Apex Noble who had survived countless cutthroat scenarios to reach his current ce.
"Speaking of which, some fe seemed to have thought highly of himself and forced his way in the middle of our talk when I came here as a proxy of His Majesty, and had to bow my head to Daniel."
The Marquis said as he red at the said guy like he was some insect.
The intense gaze had both Codie-chan and Brient, who had been there to support him, shudder in cold sweat.
"Daniel is someone who has made his name known among the council members while still being a first-year student in the Royal Academy, so... WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO SPEAK ON HIS BEHALF!"
Magnifying the huge build that he had trained during his military service in his younger days, the Marquis''s voice echoed like booming thunder.
"Eeeek!"
Codie-chan already looked like a scaredy-cat, so the thunderous roar made him fall on his back.
Seeing how the tears were pooling in his eyes, the Marquis sighed and restrained his intimidating aura.
"If you take even just a little bit of pride in being a noble of the Grauksh territory, I pray that you learn from this incident and seek to be better. The only time you have the right to speak with me is when you can get yourself on Daniel''s level, or leave behind some achievement."
Count Serdos lowered his head in panic.
"I¡¯ll make sure of it, Your Excellency! Corday Serdos will certainly aim to be a better noble, and in fact, he¡¯ll be joining the army meant for disaster management."
Brient''s eyes widened like saucers at her husband¡¯s outrageous remark.
"Dear! What kind of madness has gotten into you all of a sudden! Our child has always been a gentle soul. How can he be fit for the gritty atmosphere of an army!? What would you do if something happened to the heir of the Serdos¡ª"
However, Count Serdos sharply turned his head and cut her off.
"My words are final! If anything, you should be showing your gratitude to Marquis Grauksh for his benevolence. You have no idea what Codie-chan has done. He butted into the conversation when His Excellency had been officially pleading for Daniel''s assistance as His Majesty''s proxy. At such a time, he had no status to even make a sound.
No amount of misunderstanding can justify his behavior as the only person who had any right to speak back then was Daniel. You can''t just go and end the matter by saying ''Because he wasn''t aware of the custom'', not when he''s a graduate of an Aristocratic School.
His name could have been stripped from the family register if he ever brought the ire of His Majesty on our Count Family. Codie-chan''s political career would have been as good as dead then."
Leaving those words, Count Serdos turned to the Marquis and expressed his gratitude while bowing.
"......I have many expectations from you, seeing how Daniel turned out with your upbringing. Maybe you should start the training of your heir from scratch so that he doesn''t be a burden to Daniel. I''ll also make sure that he''s ced in an active unit, harsh training would drill reasoning into him effectively for sure."
"T-Thank you very much for your kind words, Your Excellency!"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Inside the magic car as it drove to the direction of the port¡ª
"......Thank you very much for protecting my father''s status."
Dan bowed his head to the Marquis. It was impossible for him to not understand that everything the Marquis had said ¡ª the ''You really had everyone in the palm of your hand¡¯ment ¡ª was intentional to push his father''s position up.
When he returned with his luggage in hand, he also happened to see the strange state of Codie-chan and Brient, but he had no idea what had happened. He had a rough guess, but he didn''t feel like confirming it.
Marquis Grauksh fixed his gaze onto Dan.
"It must have been rough on you...... Daniel, I hope you answer truthfully. What do you think of your father?"
Seeing the Marquis set his eyes on him, Dan guessed what he was getting at, and after a long breath, he replied, albeit with a bit of a stammer.
"Frankly, I barely see him as a father figure. But...... I¡¯m very thankful to him. For bringing me into his family, for training me. For bringing me up to the Academy¡¯s standard. For giving me a ce to love...... I¡¯m really thankful to him right now."
The Marquis nodded at Dan''s statement while staring straight into his eyes, and further questioned thetter.
"What if I say I want to bring you into our Grauksh Family as an adopted son? Of course, I¡¯ll also see to it that your mother Veena is meticulously looked after."
This must have been his real intention, Dan thought, and immediately shook his head.
"I¡¯m grateful for your offer, but my birthce holds an important position in my heart...... It must be the same for my mother as well. If there''s any ce we¡¯ll be moving to, then it''ll be Solcoast."
The Marquis made a wry smile.
"You really don''t know when to take advantage of the moment...... but I won¡¯t condemn you for that. I believe nobles have a duty toward their birthce that had raised them. Anyway, just forget I ever asked...... Also, I was thinking of investing in your aunt''s ¡ª Mimosa, was it? ¡ªpany, I wonder if you can arrange a meeting with her?"
Dan nodded with a dry expression.
"I¡¯m not an expert in business, but I can introduce you to her. It''s just that, I dare say, Sis Mimo ¡ª my Aunt ¡ª will most likely turn down your offer, even if Your Excellency gives it personally. She''s the kind of person who relies on herself no matter what."
This time, the Marquis''s eyes widened.
"Ohh? I heard she has quite the guts from my investigation team, but color me surprised if she would reject even my offer. Well, force would only cripple what makes a merchant, and kill their peculiarity. In that case, pass my words that I would like to have an equal level of partnership, and just introduce me. After all, it wouldn''t bode well for me to be your enemy if I used some backhanded means."
Dan nodded with a slightly awkward look.
"But life sure does work in mysterious ways, huh?...... Never thought I woulde to understand why Meria had been so annoyedtely."
The Marquis said while pouting like some kid, his brows shaped together in an ''¥Ï'' shape.
Dan had been feeling stiff being present in the same magic car as the Marquis, but he couldn''t help breaking into a smile when he imagined that figure who had been the cause of Marquis Dragoon''s headache.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Arriving at the military port near the Royal Pce, Dan found Allen looking at the loading of the luggage with an expression of boredom when he got down from the magic car.
A jet ck mantle ¡ª the color of the third legion ¡ª was draped on his back.
"Hey, Allen..."
Dan called out to him, and in response, Allen smiled like a mischievous kid¡ª or not, he simply greeted him with a ''Hey, today''s wind is pleasant, isn''t it?'' with a smile.
Dan felt a bit letdown, his shoulder dropping in dejection.
"You..... Don''t you have something to say to me?"
Allen''s eyes drifted for a moment when Dan threw him a straight ball, but the next moment, he gave him a thumbs up with a bright smile.
"I gave them a sound lesson in your ce. No need to thank me~."
Dan shed an amicable smile when he heard that, and¡ª brought down a hand chop enhanced with mana on that grinning face.
"Gahh! W-W-What the hell are you doing, you potato face!?"
"I should be the one asking you that! Of all things, you just had to advertise me in front of His Majesty! Learn some tact, for god damn sake!"
"Shut up. It''s up to me however I want to evaluate you! Heck, you know we just can''t trudge our way through with only slick words. Besides, you''re a much better sailor than me, and you can sail the ship much faster than me. Of course, I''d need you for us to make it in time. Can you say that I''m wrong?! It''s about time you made up your mind!"
"I¡ I mean, you may be right but...... I don''t think you had to be so bold in front of His Majesty..."
"Hmph, don''t mind the small details, that was mostly just a slip of the tongue. I mean, just imagine me saying ''I¡¯ll do my best'' like normal. That¡¯ll just bring even more attention to me, and it would be another mess of annoyance. So I just shared some of the glory your way."
Once again, Allen shed a grin while giving Dan a thumbs up, seemingly saying ''sharing is caring, after all¡¯. It elicited another hand chop from Dan.
"Gah!"
"Don''t take me for an idiot, dammit! What do you mean slip of the tongue?! It was definitely a calcted move from you!"
"Enough, you moron! Or I¡¯ll blow you away!"
Rubbing his forehead, Allen retorted and started to control the surrounding wind. Dan paused momentarily, and then hurriedly took action. He jumped over a 10 cm wide wooden board by the port side of the ship in one leap, and assumed a sharp karate-like stance.
"Try it, if you dare."
......But some people intervened and walked between them.
"...Haha, it''s great to see you all in high spirits, but I think it would be best to save your strength until our departure..."
They turned around to look, and saw members of the second legion ¡ª Glover-san and another person, seemingly his elder brother ¡ª looking at them with dumbfounded expressions. They both were wearing cyan-colored mantles¡ª the color of the second legion. And behind the two, Marquis Grauksh was giggling at them.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 172 - Transportation Assignment (1)
"I¡¯ll really blow you away!"
"Try it if you can."
Dan and I were just messing around when Glover-san appeared and interjected.
"It''s great to see you all in good health, but how about saving that energy for when we leave...?"
"Ah, Glover-san. Good evening."
Being told so by Glover-san, Dan and I awkwardly lowered our fists.
"Still, you''re already prepared, huh? So, after discussing our transport strategy with Olina-sama, I¡¯ll be takingmand here. This guy here is also a member of the Knight Order''s Second Legion¡ª Caster Burou. He and I are somewhat knowledgeable regarding ships. I recall you asked for one assistant; however, considering that you two need to get enough rest as well ¡ª we can''t have you tired when we encounter something trouble ¡ª I decided that a four-person team would be for the best. Well, the cabin would be cramped, but our safe arrival is top priority."
"Feel free to call me Cass. Let''s see this to the very end."
The other man, Cass-san, introduced himself and offered us his hand for a handshake.
He should be around 30 years old from his looks. Sporting long, quirky, brown hair, he gave off the impression of a mischievous person at a nce, but the brilliance in his eyes reminded me of Riyad-senpai. It was a sound first impression.
Our Sail Club''s newly built ship ¡ª which was going to be used in this mission ¡ª was 25 meters in length, bigger than our previous ship. It had quite the width in the middlepared to a typical vertical sail ship to give it more stability ¡ª it was to make sure that the ship remained straight on its path without rolling around too much ¡ª while the rest of the ship was made to be as slender as possible. Consequently, the cabin was also small.
Well, we never thought we would ever use this ship for long-distance transportation missions. The addition of one new helmsman meant increasing our food stock and other vital supplies, but this should also lessen the strain on us, allowing us to work better.
The ship also had a big and improvised keel (centerboard)¡ª a wing-like part that stretched out from the sole of the ship to the water. The purpose of the keel was to prevent the ship from rolling around too much when the restoring force granted the ship a forward pull. The keel was quite heavy, and the bigger it was, the lower the ship''s center of gravity, thus increasing the generation of the restoring force. We wanted the ship to remain as stable as possible when we began using our devised technique, hence this was one of our solutions to that. (T/N - Just in case, Restoring Force is an act to bring the body to its equilibrium (stability). In short, like how a rubber band would return to its original position after being stretched, imagine a ship sailing across the sea and a wave struck it, changing its direction from perpendicr (straight line) to tilted angle. Now the restoring force would act to bring it back to its straight line (an equivalent would be wobble toy/dancing toy).
Another of our solutions to the stability problem was making watertight spaces on the exterior of the ship, called Bulges, to make sure that the ship''s direction during travel doesn''t go awry. At the same time, it also acted as defense against monster attacks. We couldn''t risk another iteration of the orca incident or something simr, after all.
This had also served as an assurance for Mimosa and herpany''s employees. We saw the worry in their eyes, so this was one way to ease it. Every improvement had been to increase water resistance and reduce speed, prioritizing bnce.
Speaking of which, I guess we should use the supplies as crutches to shift the ship''s center of gravity instead of the bast which was often the main tool for this. Of course, changing the center of gravity while the ship was riding the waves wasn''t risk-free, and could destroy the ship¡¯s bnce which could consequently lower the dynamic force or result in losing control over the ship''s movement, but we had the wind under ourmand to manipte its speed, so this should lower the stakes. However, yeah, training was indispensable for this.
Anyway, there were still many ces to modify, but I believe we should be able to get enough speed.
"Woah, I''ve already seen it before, but this ship is really quite something! A beauty is better seen up close indeed."
"Beautiful... huh?"
Cass-san''s impression was quite striking, so I couldn''t stop myself from parroting his words. I mean, the ship only had the crest of the Serene Sea Co. in the name of decoration ¡ª it didn''t even have the so-called figurehead ¡ª so I was unable to see the beauty he saw in such a simple design. I assume he was quite a nerd for ships.
When he heard me speaking, the glint in Cass-san''s eyes brightened as he nodded and confirmed.
"Indeed, it''s a beauty in the making. It''s nothing short of a treasure, showing how meticulously it had been worked upon. I can¡¯t tell what the designers or builders were feeling when they gave shape to this ship, but it is undoubtedly one of a kind, disying a sense of harmony at a nce. Ah, I might have fallen in love with it."
Ahh! Another wild, entric person has appeared!
His words went over my head, but this made me look at him in an even more positive light.
"I''m Daniel Serdos. It''s a pleasure to meet you too. By the way, Burou... Is it that Burou Maritime Transport...?"
Dan seemed to have thought of something as he asked Cass-san. Thetter confirmed it with a nod saying ''Yes, it''s my family''spany.''
I had no idea before this, but from what I could gather from Dan and Cass-san''s conversation, the Burou Maritime Transport was quite a big transportpany in this kingdom. Either way, they seemed to get along well as they lost themselves in conversation. Cass-san eagerly asked for the details of the ship like where the lumber that was used for it came from, or the details about the bending angle, joint, and adhesion among other stuff that went half over my head.
"Umu, I really don''t understand a word of what all of that meant, but you guys sure have the makings of the pervert clich¨¦."
Hearing the remark that I murmured with a straight face and arms crossed, Dan''s expression twisted into a scowl.
"......Come on, you could have at least said entric. Putting me aside, you''re being rude to Cass-san..."
So he said. However, Cass-san, still wrapped in an air of enthusiasm, shook his head, his breathing rough.
"Huff This ship really has a fantastic rear. It¡¯s a curvaceous beauty for sure. Don''t you agree, Captain?"
"......"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
By the time the clock ticked 7 PM, the loading of the supplies had almost finished, and the ice mages had also been gathered.
It was just one more hour until our departure.
The Ice Mages was a gathering of misceneous groups. Beginning from the top, we had two mages from the Knight Order. Originally, the army would have its members divided into the knight group and the mage corps due to the underlying difference between their stamina and proficiency with Magic and Body Strengthening Magic among other things. However, there was no such distinction in the Knight Order.
All the mages of the Knight Order boasted above average stamina after all. Stamina ¡ª or Endurance ¡ª was the primary factor that influenced the pace of a march. To put it in ever broader strokes, their endurance was the key factor in the number of tactics an army could deploy. While there was no doubt that knights specialized in Body Strengthening Magic excelled in stamina, a team would undoubtedly be divided into vanguard and rearguard groups when the time of battle came. Plus, mages capable of emitting mana above a certain standard were naturally proficient in Body Strengthening Magic.
It was on ount of such situations that the Academy had set one of its policies: there was no ce for mages who could only perform from a safe distance in the Academy.
Aside from the two Mages from the Knight Order, we had one person from the Mage Corps of the Central Military Force, and another who was a civilian¡ª a researcher of Emission Magic.
They also issued an urgent nomination request seeking expert water mages to the Explorer Association, but there was no confirmation as to how many it could provide.
I believe they must have put up a hefty reward. However, it depended on whether they could get in touch with the association, if they would ept the request, or if they would even be able to make it on time. All the preparation would be moot if we couldn''t even arrive on time before the Hellrowcast eggs hatched, so our departure time was set in stone.
Those who we''d be able to meet on the way via the sea route or ports would be adequately contacted through Magic Bird.
5 minutes before departure¡ª A carriage dispatched by the Explorer''s Association made its way to the port. Three explorers got off from it. And¡ª
"Allen!? And Dan too!? What''re you doing here?"
Al was one of them.
I kind of expected him to be here. He was definitely a prodigy of a generation when it came to Ice Magic, plus when you put filters like ''Must be readily contactable'' and ''Havemendable strength'' within a limited time frame, he was someone who couldn''t be passed over. Of course, it would normally be impossible to mobilize a Royal Academy student, but as long as there''s a request for ''Explorer Al'' and the consent of the person himself, it was a cinch.
I recall it was these extended requests from the Association that caused Riyad-senpai to fall from ss A to ss B.
"We, the Sail Club, have been requested by the collective power of the Kingdom to carry out this transport mission. What about you, are you alright with leaving the Academy for that long?"
"Huh, ah, yes. I mean, if there are people who can be saved using my magic, there''s no way I can stay out of it as the President of the Mage Club, right? Seriously, the more I stay near you, the more my mind pushes me to think about what I want to do, or want to be, you know?
Anyway, I already confirmed it with Godorfun-sensei just to be sure, and he said he¡¯ll count this as an extracurricr lesson, and that the Academy will have no problem with it either."
As expected, that geezer sure was a prime reference to learn 101 methods of how to abuse your authority...... Though I guess he gets a pass this time given it was for a crisis affecting the entire kingdom. Then again, I doubt anyone would be yapping about the rules given the situation, and he himself had the might to push them away.
You could only have what those in power have decided. Oh well, I don''t care about the result, so whatever.
"Enough about me, you said something about... a request from the kingdom? I thought the Sail Club was just a pastime, Allen?"
Al questioned with a sharp gaze. I brushed him off with a chuckle and gave him a thumbs up.
T/N - Somehow, the image in my mind is like ¡®tehe¡¯ and giving the thumbs up. On the side note, if patreons are facing problems, please let us know via the discord server. It has been a patreon api¡¯s error where you may may not see chapters after login. It has been fixed for now. But feel free to contact us in such situation.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 173 - Transportation Assignment (2)
Three hours after our departure from the Royal Capital¡ª I manipted the wind while Dan controlled the ship from the cabin.
A veil of darkness covered our vision, but for us and the Knight Order''s Commander Glover plus Cass-san, it barely posed a problem for our cruise. Meanwhile, Glover-san also had all the dangerous zones like reefs that could block our ship memorized.
It was incredible, admittedly, but I think a precise river and sea chart would be way better than relying on intuition and experience.
For these past three hours, Glover-san and Cass-san had been staying close to Dan, learning our way of sailing.
I didn''t expect them to learn wind magic within the timeframe of this mission, but just being able to navigate the ship was a huge lifesaver as it would allow Dan and me to rest intermittently. They were necessary so that we could travel up the route with efficiency.
This was the reason why I requested additional sailors, though the two of them were much better than me in navigating the ship.
Cass-san, especially, seemed to own several personal ships of his liking, and his skills rivaled even Dan''s. But then again, Dan and I spent a lot of our time synchronizing our movements at our club activities, so in terms of coordination, they still had some ways to go.
Navigating with wind magic was a joint effort of the front ¡ª the one who maniptes the wind ¡ª and the back ¡ª the one who controls the ship.
In one of these moments, seemingly having learned the basics through asionally steering the ship, the two approached me as I controlled the flow of the wind at the center of the ship.
"I heard the basic principle from Daniel-kun, but...... this is unbelievable. It''s happening right before my eyes, however, this speed really blows away all that my knowledge and experience...... I mean, the wind isn''t blowing as strongly as the ship''s speed suggests. Anyway, you''ve been using your wind magic for three hours now, would you like to take a rest?"
Glover had an incredulous expression as he inquired.
"Thank you, but I¡¯m alright. This is faster than pushing the boat with wind magic."
The wind was currently blowing from the northwest at about 10 m/s.
Converting this to speed yielded around 36 km/h. In a scenario where we had a perfectly favorable wind directly behind us, using only the force of the wind on the sails without dynamic force, the maximum speed we could achieve would still be below 36 km/h.
Of course, the actual speed would be even lower due to many factors like water resistance among other things.
But right now, the ship''s speed likely exceeded 36 km/h.
It might be hard to grasp intuitively, but with proper use of dynamic force, a sailboat can indeed achieve speeds greater than the blowing wind itself, which is one of the fascinating aspects of this technique.
There were two crucial aspects to utilizing the Sail Wind magic.
I manipted the tailwind and turned it into a crosswind, using the dynamic force to propel us forward. This was, however, quite hard to achieve as one had to take control of the air spread out in a vast area. Dan was still incapable of doing it.
Of course, controlling all the wind in aplete 180 degree area was impossible even for me, and it was neither efficient nor practical. However, the mana loss was minimal if it was just turning the direction of wind to 30 degrees around from a distance and this was something I trained myself to do since the development of the flying magic car. The flying capability of this technique was totally dependent on where and at which angle the wind was striking the wings.
The second task was to keep the wind blowing within the confines of the sail ¡ª lest the wind dispersed ¡ª as much as possible and build up the dynamic force.
The general procedure was to curb the speed of the wind within the ship, which would cause an atmospheric difference with the drifting wind outside the ship. However, this required me to maintain a delicate bnce as overdoing it could easily push the ship to move erratically, or in a ''stall'' like situation that happens with airnes.
The erratic movements could be suppressed, but it was a lot harder to do so and it had its limit. This was why it was required to ascertain how much you could control, and build up dynamic force ordingly. And since Dan, who was sailing the ship, was familiar with my limit, we could bring out our maximum speed from the get-go.
Nature was never one to stay at a steady pace¡ª the wind could change its direction, or even die down altogether at the drop of a hat, hence there had to be an understanding between both sides. By synchronizing our rhythm ¡ª with me controlling the wind with magic and Dan steering the ship ¡ª we kept the ship bnced.
Anyway, that was the rundown on the Sail Wind Magic and why you had to dive deep into the technicality of it all. But, applying the various rotations we came up with was what made it worth it and fun.
Cass-san gave off a bright smile, an expression of excitement on his face, however, he suppressed it to the limit as he spoke.
"My word, this is nothing short of a revolutionary discovery. You were even able to sessfully execute it. As long as you reveal this technique to the world, your names will undoubtedly be engraved in the annals of history. I heard from Dan that you''ve been hiding everything so far because you weren''t yet sure if it could be replicated by the public, but you do realize that you can¡¯t shrug off such an achievement with a simple reason like that, right?
Ah, but I¡¯m not saying this to scold you for hiding it, by the way. No, you''ve taken a wise route, in my opinion. This can literally repaint¡ª bring a new dawn in maritime history. However, what exactly is your vision for this technique? Are you going to spread it worldwide? I was hoping to confirm this with you. Of course, depending on your intention, I and even Glover-san would be happy to cooperate with you."
"This is all for Dan to decide. If you ask me, I would love for the world to know more of this fundamental technique, it''s not really that important to me. This much is nothing to me."
I replied nonchntly, and it made both of their mouths open wide as they looked at each other.
Glover-san put up a strained smile as he put a hand on his chin, shaking his head wryly.
"...You heard him, Cass? This much is nothing to me¡ª a discovery that can overturn maritime travel as a whole is... just... nothing much? Well, it might be easy to overlook it from your vantage point, being a ss-A student of the Royal Academy, but this is a game changer in every possible way."
Err, hey, I do have some idea at least. But I didn''t care much about the money and fame. Plus, I¡¯m just borrowing what I learned in my past life. I was merely copying someone else''s discovery. I mean, I was a straightforwardd my entire previous life, so there was no way I could change my roots and suddenly grow a pompous nose.
"......I kinda know what you''re talking about, Glover-san, but I''m not interested in fame or money. I would rather have this spread throughout the world so that I can find more allies of the wind."
"......The wind... ''Allies of the wind'' what?"
"Hmm? Well, err, with the power of the wind at their beck and call, they''re friends who¡¯ll share and seek new discoveries together with me!"
As I made an impromptu reply, Cass-san burst into a chuckle.
"Kukuku!... I also used to admire the talent of external magic in my childhood, though I curbed that longing a long ago. But you''re doing great, even I¡¯m feeling all fired up. What do you think, how about we challenge the rumored ''Flip Path'' that you¡¯ve been researching in the Emission Magic Research Club? It has be quite the rumor, and we can have your Sail Club as the intermediary. I would like to see for myself the abyss that Mujikka called and evaluated as the ¡®Fiend Road¡¯. Aren''t you curious too, Glover-san?"
Huh? So he and Mujikka-sensei are acquaintances? Oh wait, they were almost of the same age, so I guess it wouldn''t be surprising for them to know each other from their Academy days.
Glover-san just shrugged at his question.
"I know, I know, this isn''t something I can avoid, but... for god''s sake, at least try to change the name from ''Flipping Flip Circle¡¯. My daughter is of marriageable age, and... I might not be able to speak with her if she heard that I joined it."
I could only scratch my cheek in awkwardness.
I mean, I did try to straighten out those morons, telling them that ''We aren''t a Flipping Blipping Road!'' countless times, yet they didn''t show any sign of improvement. Rather, they all continued to proim things like ''This is the path ''I'' live and die for-degozaru!'' and in the end it was me who raised the g of surrender in front of their persistence.
¡°Aha¡ ha, err, believe me. I didn''t set that up. So, you mean you''re going to join the Academy''s Sail Club for this?"
Was that even possible?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Glover-san shook his head.
¡°We may be graduates, but we don¡¯t have the right to join the Academy¡¯s clubs, nor the time for it. Realistically, we¡¯d sign a coborative research contract between the Royal Academy¡¯s Sail Club and the Kingdom¡¯s Knight Order to share the research results¡ It¡¯s not entirely unheard of since researchers affiliated with that Academy are quitepetent. However, I¡¯ve never heard of a case where a student-run club and the Knight Order coborated on research, even for the Royal Academy.¡±
Ah, so that''s it.
I assume it was something simr to the ''Spreadsheet Program'' I identally created, and in which the researcher Emi-sensei, the advisor of the Emission Magic Research Club, was a participant.
The advantages of a coboration would be honor and funding, which I didn¡¯t really feel like I needed, but there was no reason to outright refuse or oppose it.
It was a good thing for technology to advance, and an increase in the number of wind magic uses was a wee change for me.
¡°Well, all the final decisions regarding the Sail Club are for our President to decide, so you can continue this with him.¡±
That said, it was another tiresome matter, so I pushed it onto Dan.
As for why I said ''This much is nothing to me'', it was because Dan wanted to seek the possibility of creating ships fundamentally different from the conventional sailboats we were currently using.
It was when we were exchanging our ideas, and I was referring to this physical phenomenon as ¡®fluid dynamics¡¯ for convenience, when Dan, as sharp as ever, immediately asked ''Fluid? You mean this phenomenon can be applied to streams¡ I mean water as well, and not just air?''
I dodged the question back then with ''Well, for all that it matters, maybe?''
Back when I was in Japan, there was a passenger ship that travelled to a remote ind using a method called a jet foil.
By cing small wings underwater, the hull would lift, allowing the parts not covered by the wings to glide above the water without facing resistance¡ª essentially a flying ship.
Since water and air have densities that differed by hundreds of times, the dynamic force generated would be vastly different, resulting in such a strange phenomenon.
Out of curiosity, I did a quick search online and found that in the yacht world championship from my previous life, the foiling method of lifting the hull was the mainstream, and the top speeds were certainly over 100 km/h.
And that was only using the wind, with nary an ounce of magic. I could only wonder the speed we would be able to gain if we also brought wind magic into the picture. Besides, for a world where rowing the boat with physical strengthening magic was much faster than magic ships, it would be an absolute game-changer.
Our current ship was just a glimpse of that underlying technique, a mere milestone in the long path ahead. But, I had no doubt that Dan would open a brand new path for the world.
"Your discovery has put you far ahead of anyone else, but we''re also the kingdom''s renowned Knight Order. We''re not simply here to receive. We¡¯ll definitely bring out a result that¡¯ll be eye-opening for you as well."
Eyes brimming with fighting spirit, Cass-san shed a daring grin.
I also grinned back at him.
Meanwhile, our ship continued to sail through the Rune River.
E/N - F me, these past few chapters have been hard to edit. The sailing terms and theories just fly right over my head. ??
T/N - Can''t miss out on academic part after the magic, eh?
Vol. 1 - Chapter 174 - Transportation Assignment (3)
While Allen and Dan were sailing the ship, and at the same time exining the know-how and underlying principle of their Sail Wind Magic, the seven mages onboard were spending their time doing their own things.
Maybe they didn''t have much opportunity to ride a boat as some looked around out of curiosity, while the others set their gazes on the cockpit and marveled at how Dan navigated the ship.
Then, when they seemingly had enough of the tour, and the passing scenery lost its novelty, they rested at a corner of the deck to make sure they didn''t hinder the two captains as the day approached its end. Magic heaters were ced at the center of their little circles.
When it came to the open waters, the wind had nothing to block it, making it strike against the travelers sharply. Coupled with the wintry night, the chill felt like thousands of ice needles pricking their skin. But of course, everyone had prepared themselves to face such hardship back when they were preparing for the trip. They were also handed good-quality nkets made from monsters¡¯ skin.
Well, with the presence of magic guards, an individual''s resistance to the cold tended to be on the higher side.
However, maybe it was just that chilly, or perhaps they had nothing better to do as the ship sailed through the dark river, they circled around the magic stoves in two groups, casually chatting around.
One reason could be that the cabin of this ship was far from enough to amodate beds. The front and rear cabins were stuffed with logistic supplies and other daily usage items, while the middle cabin could possibly amodate the 7 people at least if they lied down, however, no one wanted to rest there yet.
Perhaps, they were trying to be considerate to Allen and the rest, or maybe it was the pressure as someone whose actions would decide the fate of the kingdom in this critical mission, everyone''s expressions were stiff.
Typically, this would have been the stage for the mood maker Al to step up, but he had been sitting a slight distance away from the stoves, knees drawn to his chest and a brooding expression on his face as he stared at the drifting scenery.
Soon, it would transition into another day. A man in histe 30s, an explorer who came along with Al from the Association, took out a mini bottle of alcohol and muttered to himself while gulping it down.
"The reward was so mouth-watering that I ended up epting it without a second thought, but... what do we have here? The great knights of the kingdom''s one and only Knight Order, the vice-chairwoman of the Simplex Institution renowned for her Ice magic ¡ª that she was even nicknamed ¡®Ice Elf¡¯ ¡ª Ruruce Simplex... and I, a mere C-rank adventure among these big names. Aye, maybe I jumped the gun a bit too hastily. Not that I intend to do it, but... will I be executed if I identally elerate their growth if I make a magic blunder, I wonder?"
The soliloquy was obviously heard by the others. Caprine, a member of the Royal Army and the leader of the mage corps in this mission, addressed him in an overly serious manner.
"C-rank explorer Dongo Irish. I have much faith in the assessment of the Exploration Association. If the Association pushed for your inclusion in this mission, then I believe you have what it takes to help us when the timees. But if you''re still unsure, would you like to test your strength?"
Caprine stood up and walked towards the cabin, and came back with a cage stuffed with hen''s eggs ¡ª they were a size bigger than what could be found on Earth ¡ª and put one of them on the deck.
"Try to freeze this egg with your magic. If possible, try to do it as quickly as you can, and focus only on the eggshell. Let me demonstrate it."
Caprine pointed her baton iid with an invigorating green mana stone at the egg after she finished speaking.
Crack!
In just a moment, a fissure ran through the egg. The inside of the egg should have expanded after the water within was frozen. But, because she had done it in a sh and in one fell swoop, not a single drop spilled out.
"Though you¡¯ll lose your share of eggs for tomorrow''s breakfast if you fail to stop it from spilling out."
Caprine said with a serious expression, and handed one egg to Dongo.
Dongo took another sip of alcohol as he epted it.
"Hmph! I¡¯m nothing but an uncultured explorer with a meh upbringing. So what if it spills out, I¡¯ll just lick it. This¡¯ll make a good appetizer for my alcohol."
Gondo said while raising a waist-length wand and pointing it toward the egg.
Crack!
A resounding crack echoed from the egg two or three secondster. A bit of the egg white spilled out, but otherwise the egg maintained its shape.
Caprine took the egg into her hand.
"......Hmm, your control is slightly rough, but this earns you plenty of points. I¡¯ve had the chance to freeze Hellrowcast eggs before¡ª of course it wasn¡¯t the mutated variant. Your output is more than enough to do the job. How''s your mana capacity?"
"Really?! Hehe. If you say so, I guess I can do it indeed. Maybe this¡¯ll open up the path for me to get to B-rank even though I¡¯ve already given up on it... Oh, my mana reserve is somewhere around 1200 units. It was barely one-third of that before, but my daily training paid off."
Dongo said gleefully, his finger scratching the base of his nose.
"I see¡ I¡¯ll arrange for more eggs when we stop at the next port for training. You''ll need to minimize your mana usage as much as possible, and since output is enough to freeze a Hellrowcast egg, this should be enough for your training.
The future of the kingdom is in your hands just as much as mine''s, Dongo-san, so try to freeze as many eggs as you can in a short period of time. I also promise that should you earn sufficient merit in this mission, I, Caprine Yukutsu, will personally write a referral letter to the Association as proof that you are skilled enough to be B-rank."
Dongo''s expression became joyous as Caprine announced that with her right hand on her chest.
"H-Holy moly, fer real?! I-It would be my honor to receive a referral from a revered knight, more so someone from the Royal Army! Haha, just watch me pile up a heap of frozen eggs on this mission!"
"I-I would like to try out my strength too!"
¡°Me too!¡±
Kafia, another C-rank explorer, and Pani, a member of the central army, rose to their feet when they saw that and chimed in excitement.
From their perspective, a member of the Knight Order was an existence more exalted than an A-rank explorer or an army general.
Going on a sudden mission together, they wouldn''t have been able to think of a way to approach her, and were most likely feeling awkward around her, but with Dongo breaking the ice, and Caprine''sck of pompous attitude, the gap shortened enough for them to give it a try.
Maybe the knights really were in need of their help.
Their morale shot up when they felt so from Caprine''s tone.
"Hey, you. Al, was it? Come here, and give it a try! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Oh, he''s already a D-rank explorer at his age, so I¡¯m sure he must have talent, Caprine-san! Perhaps he might even be outstanding enough to join the Knight Orderter!"
The easygoing Dongo raised his voice at the pale blue-haired young man Al, who had been ring at the void with aplex expression. Yet, despite that, the young man didn''t show any reaction and just continued to re at the void.
Dongo made a wry smile. He thought that the burden of the mission may have taken quite a toll on the young man, and he had been overwhelmed by the pressure. After all, it wasn¡¯t an ordinary request, and the details were quite grave. The same went for him, after all. He may be a veteran, but even he couldn''t sleep without the help of alcohol due to this mission.
Reeking of alcohol, Dongo took an egg from the cage, which had been ced beside Caprine''s feet, and approached Al.
"I won¡¯t say something like ignore the pressure since even I can''t do it, after all. However, your current task is to loosen yourself as much as possible. Come, try it! Whistle That''s quite a splendid wand you have there, eh?"
Dongo gave the egg to Al.
Crack!
Al''s eyes continued to stare at the dark shore, though he froze the egg without using his wand before giving it back to Dongo.
The egg was frozen much like Caprine''s demonstration. Nothing spilled out despite the crack.
Ruruce Simplex, who had been watching everything with an expression of disinterest so far, grinned as she cleaned her wand iid with a spherical, fist-sized mana stone. She was wearing a wide-brim hat, much like the conical hats that witches were often depicted wearing, with a design that screamed ''I''m a magician!¡¯.
She was a talent herself, acting as the vice-chairwoman of the Simplex Magic Institution ¡ª a cram school that boasted an incredible number of students in contrast to the others in the Royal Capital ¡ª for over 20 years now.
She took the egg Al had frozen from Dongo, and burst into an odd chuckle like that of a child when they were teasing an insect.
"......You...... Al, was it? I¡¯m intrigued. I wonder if you can tell me yourplete name?"
However, Al remained deaf to their words.
"Fufu. Quite a feisty kid, huh? But I don''t mind that. Let me show that to you. Make sure you take a look, Al. I¡¯m sure this would make you want to talk to me."
Ruruce then held the egg in one hand, the same way Al had done, and froze it before his eyes.
The egg made a cracking sound, freezing instantly, but, like before, not a drop had spilled out.
It was brief, and yet¡ª Al remained quiet as ever. In fact, he hadn''t even nced her way.
Sure enough, the senior adventurer Dongo couldn''t overlook this.
"Hey, boy! You don''t have to suck up to the big names, but the least you can do is reply!"
"Fufu. It''s alright, Donji. I''m sure his mind is preupied by something, an obsession that a normal person might never understand. Obsession over something is one of the fundamental qualities of a researcher, after all."
"Who the hell are you calling Donji?! I''m Dongo, note it down! And no, it''s my role as a fellow explorer to guide the newbies! In the world of explorers, a life can be lost at the drop of a hat if you''re working with someone you can¡¯t trust! Talent or strength can never rece the minimum manners required when interacting with people!"
Dongo pushed for his reasoning and grabbed Al''s shoulder, forcing him to look his way while murmuring ''I¡¯ll first have you face me!''
Meanwhile, Al had been faithfully following Schord''s teachings ¡ª turning the heart and mind to nihility ¡ª all this while, but the drifting smell of alcohol from Dongo finally brought him back to his senses.
He stood up with staggering steps, and lowered his head before¡ª
"Urghhg Grororror!!!... Haa¡ Haa... I was caught up in seasickness......"
He vomited on his hand. But that said, not a single bit of his vomit spilled on the deck. He had instantly frozen his vomit the moment he spit it out. Itnded on his hand, making a clink-clink sound.
He threw the ice vomit lump into the river, and used the water from his magic to clean his hands and mouth.
"Kahahaha! I must say, even I am thoroughly astonished by that unique way of conversion. I¡¯ve never seen someone freeze their vomit to stop it from spilling! You think I can do it if I practice it too? If so, I would like to give it a try! Anyway, so what''s your name?"
"Aldooooo grgh-gargle!"
Clink-Clink!
"Pff-hahaha! Oh, my word, this is truly astounding!"
Caprine sighed as she looked at Ruruce who was pping in amusement, and chimed in from the sideline.
"He''s the D-rank explorer Al¡ª never mind, he''s Aldol Engraver, a freshman and student of that ss A in the Royal Academy. He''s also the president of the Emission Magic Research Club."
She said, skipping to his actual information to avoid the hassle of exining it again while picking up the egg Al had frozen earlier¡ª
??
But she suddenly tilted her head midway.
"......It''s quite cold... much colder than it should be... And this is just with a direct touch instead of using a wand, huh? It shouldn''t be possible without special training. Can you tell me what kind of training you did, and for what?"
"Oh-ho, so you''re the president of that magic club that our chairman grumbled about, huh? You know, we¡¯ve received far less talent this year from the Royal Academypared to the past all thanks to your club. Oh well, not that I care. Anyway, tell me about your training."
The two pushed Dongo aside and crept up on Al.
"Huff... Huff... Gurg. Never had I thought my training to shoot ice beams out of my mouth would turn out to be useful in such a situation...... M-My apologies, but can you give me some space since¡ you know? Glurgh."
Caprine gazed at the pale-faced Al, his eyes bloodshot, and shook her head. ''You need care,'' she murmured. She took out her handkerchief, soaked it in water with her magic, muttered ''excuse me¡¯, and ced it on his neck while rubbing his back.
"It''s said that cooling the neck and head is effective in treating seasickness. Feel better now?"
Al nodded, his face still pale.
"Y-Yes. Thank you very much."
"It''s not good to keep your clothes so tight in such a situation. Wait, I¡¯ll loosen your belt a bit."
Ruruce moved to loosen Al''s belt¡ª or she was when the ship suddenly took a turn, and she instead ended up hugging him as she staggered.
"I-I''m sorry!"
"Haha, it''s fine. I would rather have you get better quickly. I have a lot to discuss with you."
Ruruce said as she rubbed Al''s back while still locked in an embrace with him.
Meanwhile, the ship continued to navigate through the Rune River without any hups¡ª or perhaps not. For some iprehensible reason, the air in the ship suddenly took a dreadful turn.
T/N - Lol, I had thought it was gonna be something serious, and maybe Al might talk back against Dongo. Who would have thought it would turn suddenly harem-y. I haven¡¯t checked the next chapter to see whom those sharp gaze (s) belonged to in the end, but I am sure who it is.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 175 - Transportation Assignment (4)
That sted Al!
Here I was, putting every fiber of my body and soul all to uphold the lofty goal of protecting the smiles of this kingdom''s denizens with nothing but a selfless heart, and what was he doing? Flirting at this time?!
And of all things, one of them happened to be the silver-haired super beauty Onee-sama archetype, while the other was a mischievous, petite magiciandy!
What in the devil''s name was happening in this world?!
Promptly, I shed the hand sign for ''We''re switching to maximum speed'' to Dan.
Kukuku!
Don''t me me, Al...... This is a necessary sacrifice to protect everyone''s smiles. We must get as much of a head start as possible right now while we still have plenty of stamina.
Dan promptly gave a thumbs up, signaling that he was ready. Immediately, the ship made a creaking sound as it cut through the water sharper than ever.
I changed the direction of the wind to the utmost, lowering its flow inside the ship. Immediately, the sail yard rotated while at the same time, Dan reacted by tightening the line of the sails in the same rhythm, thus giving a boost to the dynamic force.
The end result was¡ª our ship took an abrupt turn while its speed sharply rose, as if someone had stepped on the elerator.
Al took a full dive into the ample bosom of the magiciandy when it happened.
"I-I didn''t mean to¡ª"
"It''s fine, don''t mind such a trifling matter. Just focus on getting better for now since there''s so many things we need to talk about."
On the other hand, the magiciandy even gently hugged Al, and rubbed his back for him.
W-What in the seven hells......?!
Oh my god, since when did Al have the extraordinary passive skills of those protagonists from loveedy stories?!
I was baffled.
"Tsk, so it was just seasickness. And here I thought you were gued by some insane trouble¡ What has the worlde to¡? A ss-A student of that Academy is working as an explorer, huh?"
The explorer from before¡ª the middle-aged uncle who had taught Al the ways of the world ¡ª grumbled as he walked toward the restroom in the rear deck.
"Fer real, Donji-san. I believe you should have folded that naivety of his and thoroughly taught him what it means to be an explorer in this world. He really is taking this as a field trip, for crying out loud."
As I urged the Uncle to be more strict with Al ¡ª all to protect the smiles of this kingdom ¡ª he made a confused expression for a short moment, before seemingly understanding the situation and shaking his head.
"Again, I''m Dongo, not Donji. And I mean, seasickness is just one of those inevitable things. I still remember the time when I first took a request requiring me to travel to a distant ce, and I puked in the carriage. My seniors at that time gave me quite a harsh scolding, and I also had to clean up my mess.
......But anyway, I presume you''re a member of the Knight Order''s third legion given that mantle, eh? I''m surprised you know so much about the custom of explore...rs...? Hmm¡ A young member of the third legion wearing a mask named Allen means¡ª"
The Uncle mumbled so and came to a halt while looking as if he encountered a Unicorn.
Ack, crap! He acted so much like a veteran explorer with an easygoing attitude that I identally lost myself and entered my explorer mode.
I mean, one reason I wore a mask during my knight tasks was to save myself from being doxxed in case someone recognized me as explorer Ren. Incidentally, this was something I requested Mimosa to buy for me in Kirika town, and it was the new edition of that myriad expression middle-aged uncle mask line-up. It cost 49 real.
This time, the mask had two holes in ce of the eyes, allowing one to see. And when you stared into those eyes as a thin smile was spread on its lip like that of a venerable Buddha, it would give an impression of peeking into another cosmos.
I felt like I was Sun Wukong, who appeared from the arms of Shakyamuni, when I wore it. Honestly, this was one of my best purchases.
Anyway, this Uncle sure was kind, huh? Unlike the grumpy first impression his tough expression made him out to be.
It wouldn''t hurt to be more strict, you know......?
"My mask? It''s just a hobby of mine, ahaha¡ Ah, by the way, it''s going to be a rough ride for a while, so please hold on to something, alriiiight?!!"
I said while waving my hand to the right side, and a beatter, the ship turned again.
"Woaaah?!"
With staggering steps, the Uncle held on to the sidewall of the ship.
Tsk! He was damn sharp!
Damn you, Dan! We really were trying to save even a couple of seconds here, alright? A slight negligence could easily overturn the ship......
"Grgh..."
Meanwhile, Al let out another groan at the front.
"You don''t appear to have gotten better. Please take this mint medicine. I believe it¡¯ll relieve the irritation of your stomach for a little bit...... And I guess it''s going to be a rough ride for a while. Alright, please rest your head on myp."
W-What the fudge?!
"Huh!? N-No, it would be a mess if I identally vomited on your clothes! Argurh."
"You don''t have to mind that. What''re clothes? They can be changed. It''s just a trivial inconvenience in the grand scheme of things. It''s my duty to make sure everyone arrives there safe and sound."
".....Ahem, Caprine-san. I¡¯m also feeling a little dizzy~..."
"That''s the consequence of overdrinking. You should call it a day and rest in the cabin now, Dongo-san."
"........."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The light from the east gradually spread, driving away the shroud of darkness. The morning sunshine illuminated the ship.
Nevertheless, Dan and I still couldn''t rx.
It might sound like a prayer to something... or maybe an attempt to break through some sort of wall. s, our prayers went unheard.
Al, who emptied his stomach in the vomiting session, was sitting in a ''zen'' position facing the bow. And for some very iprehensible reason, two beauties sat beside him seemingly to support him.
They were sharing one warm nket, cuddling like they were old friends, and basking in the brilliance of the sun as it gradually rose from the tip of the Rune River.
Just what sort of force did you need to have two beauties cuddling in the same nket with you because you were seasick? I''ll never know. It was like I was gazing at a real life iteration of the northern wind and the sun tale. The more we roughly sailed the ship, the closer the distance between them.
8 AM.
Gazing at the approaching Mainon, the river port of the Dosperior region, I signaled Dan that we were lowering our speed so we could dock.
I stood on my spot in a daze after cutting off my connection with the wind after hours of work when Cass-san showed himself from the cockpit. His face muscles were twitching as he ced a hand on my shoulder.
"Boy... you''ve shown me a new horizon today. Honestly, I have no words to describe what I¡¯m feeling right now."
Immediately, strength left my knees and I copsed on the spot like ash.
My mana capacity was still nearly full. However, we had been sailing for 8 hours. It was a series of delicate actions like controlling the wind to ascertain the movements of the waves while keeping the rhythm of the ship the same. A single mistake could have resulted in us capsizing, after all. And considering we left the capital at 8 PM, we had been traveling for 12 hours.
We also shortened the 14-hour journey that I had first spected to 12 hours as well. So it was more of mental exhaustion than physical exhaustion, for various reasons.
"Are you alright? Phew, that was a ghastly sight, to be honest. Your aggressive style of sailing even gave me the illusion as if you were possessed by ?Syd?, the god of destruction in the fables.
...Anyway, you two should rest for now. I¡¯ll take care of the docking and loading."
Leaving those words, Cass-san returned to the cockpit to free Dan from his duty as well.
A bizarre atmosphere shrouded the ship as Dan and I exhausted ourselves for the people and the kingdom.
Glover-san and Cass-san were veterans, so they were immune to seasickness by now, but the other seven apanying mages had pale faces.
It wasn''t just Al; many people turned to the river to vomit.
After a moment, Glover-san approached me with aplex expression, and nodded.
"Your schemes sure run deep, huh? Now I find myself questioning if that carefree vibe of yours before our departure was just another mask of yours as well.
You know, the second tough task besides arriving earlier was how to bring this mismatched group under ourmand. A crisis may be upon us, but the members had all been hastily arranged, after all. However, your do-or-die attitude while navigating the ship, as if you were facing the battlefield itself, has inspired everyone, including me.
We''re already a team. As the one representing the Knight Order that has taken an oath to protect the kingdom no matter what... and, as one of its citizens, I am very much thankful for your determination."
......What was he talking about? I had no idea, so instead I made up a reply.
"...............It''s just for the harmony of the cosmos."
I had just replied when Dan came closer, his expression appeared weirdly refreshed. He extended his hand straight, the palms of both his hands facing the sky, and repeatedly closed and opened them.
The skin of his palms bore signs of rope burns, chafing, and blood. They were even slightly convulsing.
"So even you''re all motivated, huh, Allen? I had been thinking about how we could make it to the end point if we couldn''t even sail through the rtively calm waves of the river. But I¡¯m amazed that we actually managed to pull it off so splendidly, truly."
Dan shed a dazzling smile on his potato face, appearing content with our cooperation.
T-Too dazzling! That smiling potato face was so bright, so dazzling that I had to close my eyes.
Adrenaline was clearly pumping through his veins, like a runner''s high situation.
"Y-You idiot! Look over there!"
I swiftly pointed at Al and his pink surroundings.
"Hmm? Oh, fret not, I know. Just like us, he''s here to follow his path. However, our task is not to worry about him, and slow down just to make it easier for him. We''re here to reach our destination faster, even for just a second.
I¡¯m going to give it my all to achieve that! This is my determination."
Dan nodded assertively and gave me a thumbs up.
I was talking about their flirting scene though...... Damn that thumbs up.
E/N - Dang dude, Al''s hi protagonist luck is going strong! To think he''s got two older sister types fawning over him. All he needs now are the ¡®Ara ara~''s.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 176 - Transportation Mission (5)
As I racked my brain, trying to figure out how to pull Dan over to the dark side while chuckling to myself like a viin, Al approached us, his steps staggering.
His face looked so pale, it was as if he hadn''t eaten for days despite it only being half a day since our voyage.
"Allen, Dan. Sorry for embarrassing you guys there. But I think I¡¯m now a little bit used to the swaying. Well, I still can''t handle it if the motions are as erratic asst night, but this much should be fine."
Dan chuckled softly at the strong front Al was putting up, and shook his head.
"It''s fine, seasickness is just one of those things you don''t have control over. Besides, you''ve never trained your sea legs either. s, you can only get used to it bit by bit since it takes time to build resistance. I think you¡¯ll continue to feel under the weather, but just focus on getting better for us.
Many people typically recover after getting back on thend, so hold on until then. We can''t afford to lose our head start here."
''You really are determined, huh?'' Alughed feebly when Dan talked to him with a serious expression.
Silver-haired Caprine-san, who was watching, giggled cutely to herself.
"Ah, the friendship between boys is really tough, huh, Daniel Serdos-san?...... I can''t say I understood what you two did, but I¡¯ve seen plenty of your determination throughout this half day journey despite the fact that you¡¯re still students. It shouldn''t havee to this, however, please see this to the end."
"Hmm~, well I don¡¯t have any interest in anything other than magic, though... I did see the effort you two put in, as well as your faith in each other. Just don''t overdo it, alright?"
Magician Ruruce quipped with one eye closed, took out some salve from her bag, and started dressing Dan''s hands.
"Should I wrap them in bandages too?"
"Thank you, but no. It would dull the sensation of my hands. I just skimped too much on using magic guard."
Dan shed a wry smile.
In fact, line work barely had any requirements like ''you must feel the ropes through your hands!'' or such, however, using your bare hands was better to feel any abnormalities especially when you were aiming to bring out maximum output. I mean, it could happen that my control over the wind slipped, so the excessive speed would throw the ship out of bnce.
Having finished putting salve on Dan''s hands, Ruruce-san turned to me with a broad smile on her face.
"Well, well...... I¡¯ve heard the rumors, but that mana maniption skill of yours is truly out of this world¡ At this point, I feel like it has gone beyond the current concepts we know of. Wind magic, huh? It''s certainly a new concept of magic that overthrows what we''ve known up until now. As a magic researcher, I must say this is praiseworthy, but......"
Ruruce-san paused in her speech, and that broad smile transformed into a deadly re.
"......I was quite troubled, you know? I had to hold my fluttering long robe down since the wind, which had been changing direction at the wave of your hand, was being quite mischievous. I did hear about your title... Flipping Master, eh? Say, you''re taking this seriously, right? Why are you even wearing that mask with such an obscene smile anyway?"
T-This national treasure level faint smile ¡ª the smile which was akin to gazing at the benevolent Buddha''s smile ¡ª was obscene, you say......? Woah there, did she not fear that she would drown under theints of the Nara prefecture citizens first before the water?!
"I-It''s a misunderstanding! I wouldn''t go as far as to say I understand the heart of the maker of this mask, but I definitely think this smile reflects a merciful heart. Also, I wasn''t trying to flip your robe at all!"
I hurriedly exined, but Ruruce-san still narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"Heh, who can tell what''s actually hidden inside your heart, eh? Though it even flippedpletely one time when I left for the restroom¡"
Dan then chimed in with a bitter smile.
"As a sailor, I can assure you that he had no leeway to pull any mischief while pushing the speed of the boat to its limits. His control of the wind had been precise with no form of wastage."
"I concur. He may have some loose screws in his head, but he''s quite reliable in times of need."
Al also nodded assertively. Ruruce-san gave a loud chuckle and finally cken her scowl.
"Pfft. My bad, I was kidding. Well, I did let down my guard and got caught in the situation, but at least, I had my red underwear on to save me from embarrassment instead of someme design."
"Huh?"
No wait, I was sure that when I identally saw her back then, it was whi¡ª
I suddenly realized something and looked up, and sure enough, Ruruce-san had a broad sunshine smile, but her eyes were ring daggers.
"You saw, right?......"
I averted my gaze and shook my head. I saw Dan''s gaze was simrly darting around restlessly, so I threw the hotpot at him.
"......Not at all. But maybe Dan did?"
"Why''re you bringing me into your mess?! And no, I didn''t see anything!"
"Liar! There''s no way you would''ve missed what was happening on the deck from your position!"
"What do you mean by that?! Don''t pull me into this!"
"Wait, whaaatttt?! What the hell were you doing while I was sick here?! Don''t tell me even that erratic sailing was just you goofing around while the kingdom is facing a crisis?!"
"Shut up! And as I recall, it''s all because you''re rubbing your flirting scene on our faces!"
"So that really was what you were doing!"
And so an argument broke out between us. Carinpe-san burst intoughter when she saw it.
"Fufufu, you really are good friends, huh? I expected more cunning discourse from fellow Royal Academy students¡ Something that stinks of politics for the most part, but......
I think I now know one of the reasons why ss-A managed to break that immortalized score of the outdoor sses. How I wish I could have taken my ss with you all, truly enviable.
Something like a skirt getting flipped is a rather trivial thingpared to saving the nation. Should it help you in getting to our destination faster, I¡¯ll dly change my trousers to a skirt. Should I?"
Hearing Carinpe-san, who said so with a serious expression, Dan and I immediately made stopping motions at her.
"......No, there''s no need......"
I wasn''t bold enough to say ''Yes, please''......
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Mainon was a river port located in the territory of Viscount Marninni. The viscounty was located at the edge of the Royal Family''s vast Rune ins, and the Dosperior region.
The town offered andscape with a profound history ¡ª it had been a strategic location ever since due to its voluminous stream that was connected to the Rune Riverter down the line ¡ª though we didn''t even have enough time to go down.
The ship barely stayed in port for five minutes to wee one C-rank Ice Attribute Mage plus the additional materials they''d been informed about via magic bird before departing almost immediately.
I took a nap after that, though Dan didn''t.
One of us who could control the wind had to be present to help the boat speed up. While we traveled faster when we both were at it together, this was a battle of attrition. It was important for us to take our due rest on time. We wouldn''t want to endanger the ship due to apse of concentration.
Meanwhile, Dan has already learned how to reduce the speed of the wind, which was the crucial point in generating dynamic force. I think he was probably the only one who could pull that off among the members of the magic club.
Well, he had been blessed with a knack for mana control. I remember that he was the first to achieve manapression while taking part in the activities of the Hill Road Club. But, what propelled him in learning this technique was his passion.
There were other idiots too who were capable of at least rousing the winds¡ for a different passion than Dan''s.
It was just that he still couldn''t control his mana with near zero dissipation. When it came to the biggest mana capacity in our ss, he was only second to Leo, but the best he could do was keep going for eight hours before his mana dried up.
In addition, he also needed mana to keep his Body Strengthening magic up to handle the ship and its controls. Given the situation, he probably wouldn''t have enough time to recover sufficient mana. Consequently, that would reduce the time Dan could control the wind. At the same time, my time to rest would also get shorter as his recement.
This was why taking a rest as much as possible was the key.
Leaving the navigation to Dan and Cass, I ventured into dreand in the main cabin.
After around five hours, Glover-san and I relieved them of their post.
The fore-and-aft sail ship traveled at an angle, so the rhythm of our synergy was the key here. Hence, we were currently going at around 80% of the maximum speed Dan and I could do until our tune matched precisely. The speed was reduced, but that granted us more time to react should anything go wrong.
Again, sometime after that,mand of the ship came back to Dan and me. Like this, our rotation was settled for the voyage.
Al was no longer flirting, and the wind had be pleasant, granting us a bit of leeway in our control. Of course, the ship continued its sail with more or less the same speed.
One and half days after we left the Royal Capital, we arrived at Rabeldin, the former royal capital, and now the central city of Dosperior Marquisate.
The Dosperior territory was touted as thend of creation, and this city had been under the reign of the Dosperior family for a very long time. Apparently, they had ruled from around the time that the continent was most prosperous.
I recalled the details as I gazed at the looming scenery¡ª and what should be the famous Tower of Rabeldin.
Apparently it had existed for as long as one could remember, a tower that symbolized the exalted existence of the Fabled Emperor Aeolus, the one who had brought a golden era to this continent. It was said that only the people of the Dosperior family were ever allowed to enter the tower. Nevertheless, it was still one of the most famous tourist spots in Rabeldin, and there were even visitors from foreignnds who dropped by to get a glimpse of it.
The city was filled with average height buildings, offering a ssical yet exotic scenery to gaze upon, yet the tall tower, instead of appearing mismatched, appeared in the same color as the cityscape. It was a beautiful ce, as if a painting hade to life.
......So this was where my mother had been raised, huh?
I had no fate with it today, but it wouldn''t be bad to visit itter for sightseeing someday.
As we stopped the ship by the beautiful port, a dark brown-haired refined olddy was waiting for us along with her people.
Seeing Glovering out to meet them, the olddy deeply bowed in greeting.
"We give you our utmost gratitude for taking this mission. These are the materials we were able to scour. We weren''t sure if you could make it here on time, so we¡¯ve already dispatched the ship loaded with the other materials and personnel the moment we received the report about the Hellrowcast''s mutation.
But since you were able to get here in only one and a half days, I believe you should be able to catch up with them around the Crutz Penins. I¡¯ll inform them with a magic bird so that you could merge with them without a problem."
"It''s been a while, Freria-san. I very much appreciate the Dosperior family taking the time to help us out. This should have been a meeting to reminisce about our past, but s... time isn''t on our side today. I pray for your long life."
"Please, you''re shouldering your part as the kingdom''s noble well enough, and that''s sufficient...... You''re already more experienced than me, so this warning may be uncalled for, but the sea is rough, and the monsters are strong, so please be careful. May fortune shine upon your journey."
The olddy loosely interlocked her fingers as she held it before her chest and prayed, her knees slightly bent like the bow samurais in the past used to make.
In the meanwhile, the sailors had been loading the materials. I guess this pit stop was only going tost for less than ten minutes.
After confirming that the two other mages who were unable to make it in time during the first trip, had already boarded, the ship slowly distanced itself from the port under Dan''s control.
I noticed an intense gaze from the olddy named Freria, and after a bit of mental struggle, I turned around with my mask still on and performed the ceremonial knight¡¯s bow¡ª with my right hand on my chest.
I was sure I felt her gaze. However, by the time I fixed my gaze on her, Freria-san was also in a bowing stance, her head hanging down.
As the echo of a shellfish flute reverberated around, noting our departure. I felt a pang of pain in my chest alongside an inexplicable sensation of grief.
T/N - This arc sure is gonna be ever changing like a voyage in the sea, truly. Guess, the character development time is here, maybe.
E/N - MC really has no luck with women. Al and Dan got praised, but he got treated like a pervert. Well, what did he expect when he flipped a skirt in front of thousands of people? ???¡á?
Vol. 1 - Chapter 177.1 - Transportation Mission (6)
One day had passed since we left Rabeldin. We came out of the Rune River''s mouth and entered the sea going to the north while our ship ran parallel to thend.
Ourst stop was the Crutz Penins, slightly jutting out from the east side of the continent, so north-west should have been our direction, but the ship was running straight north under Glover-san''s direction.
Apparently, the first transport ship was a Galley, thus making it impossible for them to cruise through open sea. So, if we took a shortcut through the open seas, we might overtake them identally and miss the meeting time, resulting in a huge waste of time that was essential to this mission.
Contact through a magic bird wasn¡¯t omnipotent as well. After all, the other party departed even before we left the Royal Capital. So unless we knew which port they were going to anchor in, it was a nigh impossible task to contact them in this vast sea.
Another reason was Dan''s ''It''s probably the calm before the storm'' fortune-teller like divination that he had uttered while staring at the serene sea.
There was nothing to back up the shortcut route, and it could be a miss as well, so as someone who was brought up in a coastal region with the sea spread wide open before him every day, Dan''s gaze was grim. As such, Glover-san decided to discard the shortcut, and instead, sail alongside thend straight north after a hard look at Dan''s expression.
But that said, he reached the same conclusion after some consideration, aside from seeing Dan''s expression. asionally, the northern wind would change direction to the south in this season at the drop of a hat, ultimately taking the shape of a storm. Hence, he contemted if the shortcut was even the right call in this case.
So in case the sea did go wild, we could quickly secure a safe location by running along thend.
Then, around the 9th hour after we started sailing again, Dan''s prediction took the shape of the storm he had warned about. The wind suddenly changed direction, the undtion of waves became rough, and in the blink of an eye, we found ourselves facing a sudden downpour. The raindrops were quite cold as they struck the sea surface.
"What''s our next move, Glover-san?"
We could still navigate through the storm quite well, however, there were indications that the rainstorm would only intensify.
I asked Glover-san while staring at the fishing harbor to my left. He took a moment to think before replying.
"I would suggest proceeding for a while longer. At our current pace, we should be able to reach Jello Harbor, which is just an hour away from here. But let me know if it gets too rough for you."
"No, there''s no problem."
Following his judgement, we aimed for the trade port/fishing harbor.
The clock struck 6 PM.
Soon, it would be three days since our departure from the Royal Capital.
To reach our destination, aka the Yabure Barony, I predicted that our journey would take 6 days to the council. It could take even longer considering that our first objective was to prevent the hatching of the Hellrowcast eggs.
The weather had blessed us for the first three days, but now, if this weather became an obstacle, we might as well risk it, after all was said and done.
With a feeling of impatience brewing inside us, Dan and I concluded that ''We should be able to move safely even in this rainstorm as long as we''re careful and run close to the penins on our left'', but Glover-san apparently intended to adopt a wait-and-see attitude regarding the weather.
As much as it left us vexed, no one but Glover-san had a plethora of experience when it came to dispatch missions and transport missions, along with keeping everyone safe.
Jello was a lively town filled with a reinvigorating vibe and thick with the breezy scent of the rocky coast reminiscent of Dan''s hometown, Solcoast.
"Both of you have the foremost duty to keep yourselves energized, Allen, Dan. We''re here to take care of the trivial matters like maintenance of the ship, sorting out supplies, and departure timing. Much to my chagrin, the burden on you two would only increase from here on out. So give your bodies some good rest."
So we were told by our veteran senior, Cass-san. I was thinking of sightseeing for a change of pace, but it seemed like rest was the only option for us here.
Our ce of stay was a high-ss inn on the elevated ground of the quarry, offering an oceanic view from our room, and it waspletely rented, leaving one to wonder at what would have been the total price.
A bitte, but we had our dinner there, and slept on the luxurious, topmost floor allocated to us.
We hadn''t noticed, but our bodies were more tired than we expected. In just a few moments of us hitting our beds, we immediately ventured into dreand. Then, in the wee hours of the morning, we heard a reserved knock which turned out to be Cass-san.
"Did I wake you up? How are you feeling now?"
It should be around 3 AM.
"Perfectly fine, as you¡¯ve been shouldering the rest. How is it outside?"
Cass-san nodded, a smile on his face.
"I''m d to hear that. The rain seems like it¡¯ll stop in a little while, but the sea is still turbulent. However, it should soon start settling down soon ording to Glover-san. So I''m here to ask what would be our best departure time as our helmsman."
Dan opened the window and looked at the dark sea outside.
"......Hmm, it does seem like the rain¡¯s going to stop soon. It shouldn''t be a problem to venture out even at the moment, but the burden may be a bit too heavy to do so in the rain. How about one hourter, at 4 AM?"
"Aye-aye. Come to the ship 5 minutes before that."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
As we arrived at the ship 5 minutes before our departure, the preparations had already been done.
Surprisingly, the Galley transporting the supposed mage crew and supplies from the Dosperior region had already joined us.
Apparently, much like us, they were waiting for the storm to pass in the port around tens of kilometers ahead. While we were taking our sweet nap, they muscled their way through to transport everything to us viand route.
The impact of this was huge. Now that we no longer had to worry about stopping over the port and fear that we might have overlooked them, we could now devote our entire energy to progressing forward. After all, the speed of sail ships were most dependent on the angle at which the wind struck the sails, hence they benefit more from the open seas than a shortcut that ran close tond.
Only Cass-san was present during dinnerst night. So that''s why, huh?...... They must have been transporting things back then. But to do so in a dark, rainy night ¡ª through a possibly monster-ridden route for this was a distant area ¡ª required more than just bravado and absurdity.
Anyway, since the ship would be full, the rest of crew, aka the rowers and other 20 something soldiers from the Dosperior region selected to deal with the aftermath when the eggs hatched, were going to take the Galley to reach the destination just as they had nned in the beginning.
"...Now I feel bad that we alone were able to take a nap."
While I scratched my head in awkwardness, Cass-san nonchntly shook his head.
"Now, didn''t I say your foremost task is to take a proper rest? So sleep is one of your duties. The more you rest, the easier we canplete the mission, after all."
Cass-san said, giving us a thumbs up, but fatigue was quite obvious on his face.
"......You didn''t seem to have slept?"
"Hmm?...... Ah, yes, I did some maintenance on the ship. This was the best time to thoroughly inspect it for anything wrong, and since I had spare time, I fetched the materials I needed from the town to fix whatever I could for the moment. So, you don''t need to worry and go ahead at full speed.
......Frankly, this burden shouldn''t have fallen on your mere students¡¯ shoulders. I can onlyment that my usefulness is only limited to this extent. This is why it''s our knightly duty to support you with everything we have. I believe Glover-san should be more aggrieved at this fact than myself."
He said and pointed at the Glover-san on the deck.
Seemingly noticing our gaze, Glover-san ¡ª who had been ring at the dark sea with a grim expression ¡ª looked our way and nodded.
Once Glover-san confirmed that we had hopped on the ship, and Cass-san had untied the rope from the mooring pir, he gave the signal in a booming voice.
"Raise the anchor! Unfurl the sail!"
...Wasn''t that supposed to be my...... Oh, well.
I swiftly pulled back the anchor.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 177.2 - Transportation Mission (7)
Now cramped with even more personnel and luggage, our ship sailed through the rough, dark sea with caution.
Speaking of Al, now that undtions apanied the swaying of the ship, his headache that had slightly gotten better once again red up, which once again started the rom-like flirty scene.
''Tsk,'' I tutted inside my head at the scene that was like a bitter medicine for me. Meanwhile, one of the veteran-esque explorers who joined us at Jello raised his finger at Al.
"I''m the B-rank explorer Shagora. You¡¯re quite talented to hit D-rank at such a young age, but... what the heck are you doing? So pathetic. Don''t tell me the explorers of the Royal Capital are so weak willed?"
And here ites. The temte-ish greeting from a senior explorer. By pointing out his shorings, he would establish his position as the one on top. Indeed, this was how the explorer world worked¡ and it definitely wasn''t because he was envious of that flirty situation, yeah.
"Urgghh¡ª I-I apologize. I, too, think that I¡¯m in a pathetic situation.¡±
Seeing Al''s humble attitude along with his pale face, a grin crept on Shagora''s face. He must have assumed Al to be some roguish, strong headed person when he heard thetter was a D-rank explorer despite his age.
"Hmph! If ya consider yerself to be an explorer, then at least get the grit to retort for darn sake. And what''s with that subservient attitude? Pathetic! Ya have the talent, but... you''d simply drown among the F-rank and E-rank explorers from Reberdin like this, fer real. Magic talent alone doesn''t make you a capable explorer. What¡¯s the Royal Capital? Just a simple ground forzy bums to easily rake in achievements. So don''t think ya be the best yet."
Oh-ho, so it''s the typical ''my hometown¡¯s the best'' type of pride, huh? Well, this was also a catalyst to spur on growth through rivalry, so this much was within permissible range.
''Hmm-mm,'' I nodded to myself as Shagora built his momentum against the groggy, seasick Al to settle who was the ''boss'' of their group. In between, the magician Ruruce chimed in, covering Al.
"It appears you''re not aware, so I want to remind you that Al-kyun is a student of that Royal Academy. Moreover, he¡¯s a prodigy of ss A. It would be best if you don''t lump him together with the D-rank explorers of your hometown."
Haaaa!? Did she just say A-Al-kyun!?!
As Ruruce-san recounted the details with a smug expression, like it was her own achievement, Shagora harrumphed.
"Hmph! So what? I was thinking somewhere along that line too. Otherwise, him reaching D-rank despite his age is quite impossible even if he doesn''t have to dive into troubled waters as much in the Royal Capital. Either way, what''s the use of armchair experts when they piss themselves at the battlefield?"
Wonderful. Maybe it was because Raberdin was just too far away from the Royal Capital where the influence of the Royal Academy was the most prominent, Shagora-san remained unperturbed even at the mention of ¡®the Royal Academy¡¯.
Looking at it from his perspective, hearing that the students of the Royal Academy were D-rank by default and C-rank at the time of graduation while he worked himself to the bone for his rank probably wasn''t pleasant.
Frankly, even I thought that this privilege was too much. Shagora was right, what was the point of all that knowledge when you¡¯d get cold feet in the actual quest. Experience wasn''t something one could gain within the confines of the Academy''s walls.
"I''m Dongo, a C-rank explorer from the Royal Capital. I intended to be quiet, but you really have a huge mouth toe up with thatst phrase. Haa, you think we from the Royal Capital would falter against some country bumpkins like you?"
Woah, what¡¯s this, a new contender stepping in?
Heh, Dongo-san wasn''t bad either, huh? He could have blissfully stayed out of this mess, but here he was talking back against his superior¡ª a B-rank explorer.
Now, if only Al, who represented the Royal Capital, could be just as gant, it would have been perfect.
"What did''ja say?! And who''re you even, his bodyguard? Hmph, so since he couldn''t defend the Royal Capital''s honor, his bodyguard stepped in, huh?... If you also call yourself one of us, an explorer, then let him stand up fer himself on his own!"
"I¡¯m no bodyguard, nor am I rted to that brat in any way! All I¡¯m saying is that you have a big mouth to underestimate our northern branch, huh?!"
Well, well, now it has transformed into a childish squabble, huh? They were now just hurling whatever they came up with at each other, with not a shred of logic present in their argument.
Shagora-san and Dongo-san were stuck in a staredown.
"Gorrgh! Clink-Clink-Clink"
At the sideline, Al had just stood up with a determined look, but couldn''t maintain it for even a moment before falling to his knees, and vomiting again.
......You sure have grown up, huh, Al?
For dinner, he only had easy-to-digest soup, so his vomiting was quite smooth this time. While the low viscosity must have made it harder to freeze, not a bit of it had spilled out of his hands.
It was during one of our casual discussions that I had jokingly advised him about how he could try to build up water inside his mouth and then shoot it out while freezing it. It was just a passing idea I remembered from my previous world, but seeing him now... maybe it wasn''t as impossible as I had thought.
There was no need to say this out loud, but¡ª
"Shit, now you¡¯ve really made a mess! Just vomit it out into the sea if you can''t hold it in, you mor¡ª"
Someone from the Raberdin group shouted, and had thought of approaching Al with the intention of straightening him out, but Shagora-san stopped him via hand signal.
A confusion dyed his face, his gaze fixated on Al''s hand.
"...............What the¡ª no, how in the world did you do that...?"
"Fufu. So you''re not just all bark as I had thought. Very perceptive of you to have caught on to Al-kyun''s ?Ice Beam?."
Shagora-san remained quiet with aplex expression.
"You''re telling me that... even if your hands and legs were tied up with magic locks, you can still use emission magic......? I must say... I underestimated the Royal Academy if they''re so eagerly training mere kids while theorizing such unsavory situations already."
"Indeed. In fact, I was just like you, uninterested in the stuff of the Royal Academy, but...... I had to change my mind after I learned all sorts of things from Al-kyun when I visited his roomst night. Truly, what a passionate night it was, no, Al-kyun?"
Ruruce-san giggled and wrapped her arms around Al while saying that. Al''s pale face turned even more paper white as he nced at my direction.
"Wait, hold on, really. We only discussed my ns for my Ice Magic and my training regime. It''s not at all what you think, Alle¡ª heyyyy..."
I immediately made a hand sign to signal for full speed¡ª but I stopped since Dan was already way ahead of me while giving me a thumbs up.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Thus, following the route, the urgent transportation mission to the Yabure Barony had been sessfully executed.
?Those two had subverted whatever we had thought to be absolute.?
Such was the consensus of all the witnesses on the ship as they recalled the visage of Allen and Dan with a shiver.
After leaving Jello, the two sailed straight to the port of their destination while not once taking a rest in the middle or passing the baton to the assistant sailors.
Carrying the fate of the Yuglia Kingdom on their tiny backs, ''We now leave the rest in your capable hands'' were their words when they finally made it to their destination and after giving it their all. Immediately after uttering that, the two fell on the spot, falling into deep slumber.
But, the strangest part was that while they had spent every fiber of their beings in thest spurt, their faces wore vacant expressions¡ª it wasn¡¯t the face of an achiever who had broken through the impossible. It was as if what happened from here on out was no longer their duty, nor did they care about it.
Their recorded navigation time had been an astonishing 143 hours and 20 minutes, roughly six days.
It was an unbelievable time no matter who you asked. Like a wildfire, the words spread across the whole continent.
The top brass of each nation had their specialists from all sorts of fields dissect the news, but their verdict remained ''It''s absolutely impossible¡¯.
They chalked it up to some kind of magic trickery, and investigated this matter thoroughly, but even after going through everything, they couldn''t shake the im that the ship from Yuglia Kingdom''s Royal Capital had indeed made it to the Yabure Barony in a mere six days.
The existence of the ''Great Wind Spirit Sylph, one of the four great spirits¡¯ ¡ª the iprehensible existence that Allen Rovenne had spoken of during the Rising Star Cup ¡ª that they had dismissed as nothing but rubbish now weighed greatly on their minds.
They had more than one reason to believe it now. It was the appearance of a supernova that had clinched the right to join the Knight Order while still in his first year, something that even Leo Zatsinger couldn''t achieve.
It was the same boy who had been thoroughly ridiculed behind his back until around a week ago, but hadpletely ignored it no matter what was thrown at him, remaining steadfast to his beliefs.
The name that had been carved into the history of the continent also often brought up the evaluation that Allen Rovenne once put forth in front of the king¡ª ?There would surelye a time when he, Daniel Serdos, the first generation president of the Royal Academy''s Sail Club, would sail through the uncharted seas. A horizon that no one has ever seen before.?
It was still a short whileter before the world could thoroughly swallow the full implication behind Allen Rovenne''s prediction.
E/N - Lol. The two do realize that the more seasick they make Al, the more dog food they have to eat, right?
Vol. 1 - Chapter 178 - Interlude - While they made their way to the destination……
"...So he''s the rumored Allen Rovenne, huh?"
Shagora''s body shivered when the images of Allen and Dan came to mind.
In the Dosperior region, tales of the Royal Academy students rarely captured the interest of the locals. Of course, it wasn''t as if the information was being regted, or that they had been restricted from challenging the entrance exam. Rather, as an established warrior family, the Dosperior''s inhabitants took pride in their lord''s family who had maintained their distance from the academic-obsessed society and the bureaucratic structures beyond the military. This sense of detachment bred a natural indifference among its popce.
The Yuglia Kingdom boasted a high ratio of students venturing for advanced studies after elementary education, but when it came to the Dosperior region, it was more of a fifty-fifty. For the popce whose livelihood revolved around traditional primary and secondary industries ¡ª like collection and processing of monster materials, or the production and harvesting of wheat ¡ª any knowledge beyond basic reading and writing wasn''t top priority.
And even for those pursuing advanced studies, their aspirations leaned toward the Aristocratic School, and the vocational institutes in the Dosperior region rather than the Royal Academy. The vocational institutes for soldiers and explorers, in particr, boasted high standards, attracting students even from distant regions seeking to learn.
This background naturally resulted in Dosperiorgging in industrial prowesspared to other areas. While it had economic growth, it was slow, thus it was criticized as being in decline very much like their title ''Setting Sun Marquistate¡¯. One could also say that these remarks also disyed their fear of Dosperior.
Regardless, returning to the topic, even as someone from Dosperior, Shagora had heard about the recent exploits of Allen Rovenne who came from the Dragoon region, and the other first year students of the Royal Academy. Some rumors even said that they would be the future pirs of the kingdom.
However, at the end of the day, they were mere kids 12 years of age.
But that wasn¡¯t the end of it. He even heard that someone from the Liancool Barony ¡ª a far countryside region primarily focused on animal husbandry, a region even more oblivious than Dosperior ¡ª had cracked their way into the ss 1-A of the Royal Academy, a feat as monumental as bing an S-rank explorer. So despite hearing that they had set a new record in the outdoor ss orientation, he couldn''t help but be skeptical.
Those who admired their patron, the Dosperior family, had a strong belief that if one of their own were to enroll and truly tackle the entrance exam challenge with all seriousness, their subsequent result would undoubtedly leave the other regions wide-eyed.
But¡ª
¡°What about Allen, Shagora?¡±
Al inquired, but Shagora eventually dismissed it with a ¡®No, it''s nothing¡¯.
Incidentally, after going through the intense seasickness-inducing voyage ¡ª which seemed to reflect the herculean task that Allen and Dan had been tackling ¡ª the mages on board had forged a bond of solidarity by the time they arrived at the destination.
A memory was unearthed inside the mind of Shagora. He recalled the young girl from the Dosperior family that he had once seen.
It was when he passed through the exam site of the Dosperior region''s Aristocratic School, and was enjoying the fruits of hisbor, that the young girl visited the school as an assistant for the Body Strengthening magic training ss.
She was an outrageous user of Body Strengthening, and had a sham battle with the teacher. Though the sham battle had ended in a draw, it was clear to everyone that the young girl had the upper hand in strength.
She made a carefreeugh, yet there was a touch of mncholy within her, otherwise she was a charming beauty.
It was a whileter when he heard that the young girl was actually no older than him, and was a generational talent even for the Dosperior family.
He had thought what a fortune it would be to fight under hermand for their hometown in his childhood. Perhaps, there might have been many who shared the same thought.
But, while he was nearing his graduation from the Aristocratic School, the words spread that thedy had caught a disease ¡ª mana copse ¡ª and was beyond saving. He was filled with indescribable, unsettling emotions when he heard that.
Ultimately, his mind veered from the path of the military, and turned to bing an explorer. He shouldn''t have been the only one to opt out of that path, he was sure.
But what brought even more sorrow was the thought that the young girl had probably already contracted that disease before that sham battle.
Typically, the members of the main family would attend the Aristocratic School, fostering a bond with themoners while also undertaking private lessons at home. However, she hadn''t pursued higher education.
Her brightughter echoed throughout the noble school as she curiously gazed around, but he could only wonder about the unfathomable depth of fear and frustration behind her mask. For someone overflowing with brilliance, what would have been the thought of that 12-year-old girl when she had been there as a training assistant? How did she confront the slow decay of her own body, and what thoughts haunted her as she ultimately lost her life?
...Why was he recalling such memories now?
Yet¡ª
There was something in the solemn determination of those boys that inexplicably brought back the long-buried memories of Cecilia Dosperior deep within Shagora¡¯s heart.
"What even is that Royal Academy?...... A nest of monsters?"
Stealing a nce at the blue-haired boy sitting before him, Shagora felt a pang of shame for not realizing the heavy burden they were carrying on those small shoulders.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After disembarking, the crew traveled for three hours in a magic vehicle.
The mages and the magical tools transported from the capital had been divided between two six-wheeled transport trucks, which sped toward the scene of the action.
Meanwhile, Allen, Dan, and the two members of the Second Legion were resting at a rustic inn near the port where their ship had docked.
All of them were long past their endurance. The former two had skimped on rest starting from Jello to reach their destination as quickly as possible, while Glover and Cass werecking rest since they devoted themselves to supporting the two, and selecting the safe routes.
Both Allen and Dan had tirelessly navigated the waters without a proper break, while Glover and Cass, who had provided support in dealing with monsters and charting safe routes, were also on the brink of exhaustion.
With hatching imminent, the four of them could only do so much at the site, so one could say they had instead put every effort in arriving even one second earlier.
C-R-A-S-H!!
Suddenly¡ª
A loud crash echoed as something fell on top of the tarp covering the back of the transport truck just as they neared the site.
Tension rippled through the group.
But then, a familiar voice called out from above.
¡°Hey there, it¡¯s been a while, Caprine. I was really doubtful when I received word that the mages and equipment were being transported from the capital by ship, but holy moly, I can¡¯t believe you really made it here in just six days! Where''s Glover?¡±
Through the rear opening of the vehicle, a figure flipped gracefully into the cabin. It was Hugo, themander of the First Legion and the supervisor of the mission this time.
He wore an amber-colored mantle ¡ª though it might have once been pure white ¡ª which was the symbol of the First Legion, emzoned with his family crest in golden embroidery, something exclusive tomanders and above. Gold was the color of the royal family, hence onlymanders or higher are allowed to use them.
¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Commander Hugo. So you''re already here, huh? Glover-san is currently at an inn near the Zapra fishing port. The boys pretty much pushed hard for thest three days with barely a wink of sleep, and he too exhausted himself in the journey so they''re now resting there."
Hugo chuckled as he heard that.
"I''ve heard from the report. It''s that guy and... Daniel Serdos, was it? I wanted to have a long talk with them, but oh well."
Hemented and gave a friendly p on Al''s shoulder, who had been sitting beside the window in the rear seat.
"Oh, hey! Aren''t you Aldol Engraver, the president of the Emission Magic Research Club? You have quite a good reflex, eh? It took you about 0.8 seconds from sensing the anomaly to casting magic in your hands. That¡¯s second only to Caprine. You look promising!¡±
He sparked a conversation, yet Al simply crushed the Ice Bullet he had created in his hand and simply stared at the flowing scenery from the backseat, trying to clear any and all thoughts from his mind.
Though he felt slightly better after disembarking the ship, he was far from his best shape. Havinge from a rural area, he was unustomed to the bumpy ride of the magical vehicles and was now battling motion sickness.
¡°Hm? ording to my intel, you¡¯re supposed to be quite the social butterfly¡ Ah, I see¡ It¡¯s motion sickness, isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t hold back, just let it out!¡±
''Gahahaha,'' Hugo let out a heartyughter as he strongly thumped Al''s back.
"You''re still a data nerd, huh, Commander Hugo? Then I presume you already have the information about the people and the magical tools here?"
Hugo withdrew his smile as Caprine inquired.
¡°Of course! It would be a shame to us adults if we wasted the ''pruning time'' window we earned from the frantic efforts of those kids. Anyway, we¡¯ll be arriving at the site in 15 minutes, so I¡¯ll brief you about the strategy until then. I hope you''re listening, Dongo!"
Dongo, who was seated at the very back, was stunned when he heard the Commander of the First Legion calling out his name when he had yet to introduce himself. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that, and so he barely managed to give a nod of acknowledgement.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 179.1 - Charrock Wetland
Chapter 179 (1) - Charrock Wend
The crisis site in the Yabure Barony was the Charrock Wends in the south, which featured a vast, gourd-shapedke enveloped in a somewhat deste atmosphere.
The squad had adopted the use of a magicmp ¡ª even then its radiance had been kept to a minimum while torches had beenpletely prohibited ¡ª to avoid giving the eggs any stimuli.
From the wend extending from the north into the hilly terrain, a multitude of translucent eggs densely covered the area.
Upon closer inspection, therge eggs, about the size of an adult¡¯s arm, were packed with roughly a hundred wrinkled, cocoon-like objects that resembled an adult male''s index finger. Two beady, red-ck eyes moved ominously within.
A transport vehicle carrying a new group of mages and magical tools arrived on-site.
As they arrived within the perimeter ¡ª strictly secured by the army to keep unrted individuals from approaching and serve as a defense line when the eggs hatched ¡ª a young man approached Hugo while pointing at him.
"Ahh! You''re finally back, Commander! Sheesh, how many times have you disappeared without notice, and how many times have I told you not to do it?!"
"Hahaha! You¡¯re still so uptight. What¡¯s the big deal? There¡¯s nothing for me to do here anyway. Besides, you know well enough where I¡¯ve gone and what I¡¯ve been up to, don¡¯t you, Ravel? I¡¯m just making the best use of my time."
Hugoughed heartily, showing no sign of guilt.
"What do you mean ¡®uptight¡¯? All I want from you is to not just disappear without warning, so what''s strange about asking the obvious!? It''s irresponsible to do things half-assed! If you think beingzy is the way to go, then please choose someone else to be your aide!"
"No way. I would have to handle everything myself if my aide turned out to be a slob."
Hugo rejected his suggestion, seemingly implying it was nonsense.
"And that''s what I¡¯m saying. If you don''t want either side to be sloppy, then please do everything in the proper order, Commander Hugo! I heard that you were quite a capable aide when you were still under themand of that ''Frenzied Tyrant'' Shellbul Monstel! I even heard that he never found a recement for you. So I don''t want to hear you say that you don''t get what I have to go through as your aide!"
The mention of the charismatic rogue and current president of the Explorer Association made the newly arrived explorers perk up with interest.
In a sense, he was a living legend who reached the pinnacle of an explorer¡¯s career, even having a title to himself.
Shell¡¯s sess story of wing his way up from the bottom of the barrel as an orphan to serving in the Kingdom''s Knight Order and ultimately bing themander of the First Legion was well-known, but the opportunity to hear about his activities and how he was evaluated internally was rare.
The stories about him usually mentioned the countless monsters he had hunted during his tenure in the Knight Order. He even subjugated many ''Named Monsters'' that had been sticking out like nails for the Kingdom, but the rest were......
The explorers listened with a mix of pride and embarrassment.
Hugo had an indifferent expression up until now as he responded to Ravel, but he grimaced in disgust as soon as Shell''s name came up.
"What do you mean ''Frenzied Tyrant''?... Stop putting him on a pedestal¡ Do you even know how he was referred to in the First Legion? ''Slipshod Shell''... He''d spout how only kids need to prepare and n and woulde up with the most deranged ns you¡¯ve ever heard of, even sometimes changing our destination at the drop of a hat... That was the worst time of my life!
He once set off to defeat a giant worm in the Jigo Desert without even preparing proper heat measures, munching on cacti while our squad nearly got lost and wiped out! And I had to write up the report for that mess! Do you know how hard it was toe up with a usible excuse each time? I never set off without water, so you should be thankful!¡±
The eavesdropping explorers nearly slipped on the spot.
Who would¡¯ve thought that the exemry student praised by the other kids turned out to be the problem child in the PTM (Parent-Teacher Meeting)?
Caprine murmured her confusion with genuine doubt.
"...But as themander of the illustrious Knight Order, there''s no way he could be a scruffy person......"
Hugo sighed.
¡°...During his tenure, the rate of monster-rted disasters across the kingdom visibly dropped. He was strong, sure, but he had something beyond that¡ª an undeniable ¡®instinct¡¯. Plus, after being dragged around with his absurdity, the First Legion dramatically improved in strength. At first, the casualty rate of the squads he led was terrible, but over time, it actually decreasedpared to before. He must have been evaluated highly for that.¡±
"I see¡ He may be beyond the understanding of ordinary people, but he has a strong sense when nurturing others. And seeing as how Commander Hugo is now leading the whole legion after bing his aide, he also seems to have an eye for talent."
"Don''t paint him in a rosy light. He may show a ''nonchnt attitude, but actually, everything is as he had nned'' vibe, but he only thinks with a single cell of his brain. If anything, he''s just someone who lives through his instinct."
Seeing how Hugo vehemently rebutted, Caprine giggled and turned to Ravel.
"Fufu, let''s agree on that then. You have be a lot sturdier since joining the ranks of the First Legion, Ravel-san, in contrast to your slender self from the Royal Guards. Hugo-san personally selected you, right?"
This time, it was Ravel''s turn to grimace in disgust.
"...My word, Commander Hugo really does treat me like a toy. Anyway, since you left specifically to meet them earlier, I believe you''ve already briefed them about the situation and our strategy, right? We currently have approximately forty million unprocessed eggs left, clearly an anomaly even inparison to past mutations.
It would be a disaster spanning the entire continent if we don''t stop them from reproducing post-hatching. The hatching should start at around the dawn of the 3rd day from today, which means we barely have two days and a few hours left. The eggs on the south side of theke are progressing faster, so we¡¯ll start from there to dy the hatching as much as possible.¡±
Caprine nodded.
"Understood. Then, the reinforcement mages will focus entirely on reducing their numbers while we''ll use the magical tools to process any overlooked eggs. If fortune shines upon us, we might be able to dy their hatching by at least one day."
The magical tools delivered from the Royal Capital and the Dosperior region were more than just the wands or tools that only Ice Attribute mages could use. They operated using stored mana, allowing anyone to use them. But, since they could only be recharged by Ice Mages, they were only good as one-time use tools in the present situation. After all, it would be far more efficient for the mages to handle the eggs themselves rather than wasting their mana on tools.
Hugo nodded, his casual expression reced with a serious one, and shouted hismand in a booming voice.
"Starting now, the Hellrowcast Eggs Extermination Mission shall transition to the second phase! Let''s show the continent the radiance our Kingdom holds! Let''s give it our all!!!"
" "Yes, sir!" "
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Al turned the tip of his beloved wand toward an egg.
A white frost umted over the translucent, squishy-textured egg. Subsequently, the wriggling inside slowed down, the light from their eyes vanishing.
The assistance personnel confirmed that and swiftly but cautiously carried the egg away from the congested region and finally, with precision, swung down a big hammer, crushing it.
It had already been researched that Hellrowcasts don''t awaken from their dormant state once frozen, thus allowing them to process the eggs easily. Without the freezing effect, a physical impact would simply cause them to hatch earlier, and then there would be no stopping them.
There had been enough precedents from the past where such forceful processing simply triggered the great disaster earlier.
In the meantime, while the egg had been destroyed by the assistant, Al had already frozen three more. The other assistants ¡ª there were as many as three following him ¡ª reced the previous assistant and carried the eggs away.
Thus, the processing of the eggs kicked off at midnight, with the members proceeding carefully but solemnly.
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Vol. 1 - Chapter 179.2 - Charrock Wetland
"Hey, you''re still at it...? Even Knight Caprine, who boasts top-ss mana capacity, raised her hands in defeat and stopped to take a break. How''s your mana right now?"
With the time already being noon of the next day, Hugo shed a bitter smile as he called out to Al while approaching him.
"Err, I¡¯ll take a break after 2¡ª no, 3 hours."
Hugo checked his pocket watch and squinted his eyes.
"One every five seconds, huh? Frankly, your pace isn¡¯t that greatpared to the other explorers. I was sure you¡¯d be down for the count after going through your seasickness¡ but man, you sure are rocking a huge mana capacity, huh?"
Al, however, shook his head.
"I would say it''s more of a difference in technique than mana capacity. I wanted to increase my pace a bit, but then I would outpace my mana regeneration and drain myself before I could fill my reserves back up using manapression during the activation and movement of my magic. So this was what I settled on instead."
Hugo''s eyes turned as wide as saucers.
"Manapression...? You''re saying you can focus on manapression while doing strenuous actions that strain both your mind and body at that age?"
Al confirmed with a casual node.
"Well, yeah. Then again, I¡¯m still a beginner in it. ording to Allen, you should be able toplete the manapression in the split second your leg leaves the ground andnds back down again while running. Though the best I can do ispress it gradually at a slower jogging pace, and that too after participating in the club activities every day."
"Pfft! Fuhahaha! What a bizarred. But yeah, this technique is indeed a godsend given the situation, very much so¡ However, I can''t imagine where you¡¯d need such a huge pool of stamina except in some rare scenarios. Just what is your end goal that you would keep doing this nd basic training, a battle of attrition? For how many hours?
I mean, after getting this far, there should be thousands of other methods you can use to raise your strength, right? Is it because of your coach''smand, or was it Sir Godorfun''s suggestion?"
Hugo asked Al out of profound curiosity.
"Well~, Godorfun-sensei doesn''t often say anything in our club activities. Allen is our coach, but even he doesn''t give us specific directions. He just shows us the value of something, and then the rest of us just pick it up voluntarily...... though I can''t deny if we had just been unknowingly led to think this way. In the end, you just never know what goes on in the head of that guy."
As Al awkwardly said so while scratching his head, Hugo chuckled and signaled the three assistant personnel to take a break.
"Forgive me for stopping you guys, but I¡¯ll take the hammer from here. You may return to your duties."
Hugo then casually carried away an egg and swung the hammer down on it.
"Ahh!" The assistant who was watching Hugo in action made a startled cry. The egg was ttened and smashed with a thwack. A faint ''scree'' echoed amidst the egg''s death throes, but even that died down soon enough.
¡°Don''t worry, I¡¯m eyeing things carefully. You guys check on Ravel and see where your assistance is required."
After finishing his words, Hugo once again brought down the hammer on another egg. Al also resumed freezing the eggs after confirming that.
He aimed his wand at an egg, bringing an umtion of white frost over it. Hugo would then carry it away and smash it.
Though they had some silly talk in between, they mostly stayed quiet while working for nearly two and a half hours. Finally, even Al started to feel the fatigue creeping in. Right around then, the aide Ravel called out to Hugo.
¡°Ster work there. However, you should take a break right now. Your mana control is slowly slipping. Hard work is appreciated, but idents can easily set you back.¡±
It had been fourteen and a half hours since the mission started.
After freezing around ten thousand eggs, Al wrapped it up and took a nap.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"He had been at it sincest night without stopping¡ What do you think of him, Commander Hugo?"
Hugo narrowed his eyes and told him how Al had been working while performing manapression.
"But aside from that, hmm... His control over lowering temperature is phenomenalpared to other mages. One usually starts by freezing the water, but he can freeze something to its very depths far beyond the norm. That¡¯s why I simply crush the eggs as it would be a waste to spend time checking the dormant state of the Hellrowcast inside otherwise.
It''s like he''s in a ¡®form¡¯ of a loop. He''s able to ascertain that each spell has the same output. Then there''s also that wand of his. It''s made out of a somewhat special material from his hometown, but it fits his hand exceptionally well for his age.
I heard he¡¯s been holding it like a toy since he was a toddler, long before his mana organ developed. It''s quite a valuable piece of craftsmanship, though they took quite a gamble on a child whose talent was uncertain at that time.
He also has a good temperament, and his base magical power seems quite high. In two years, there''ll be a scuffle over him among the Knight Order legions to get him in their ranks. You might want to keep an eye on him."
Ravel appeared astounded. He hadn''t expected such rave praisesing from Hugo.
"Oh? I''m quite surprised to hear such praise for a mere student. I don¡¯t have the eye to ascertain a mage''s strength like you, Commander, but is he really that exceptional?"
Hugo promptly nodded.
"Yes, very much so. He¡¯s a born prodigy, but that doesn''t eclipse the nd, tasteless basic training that he''s been doing for so long without giving up. A look at his magic makes that apparent. If I have to assess him right now for Knight Order employment, his potential would be...... B+."
Hugo uttered with a narrow gaze.
"......B+? That means he has sufficient caliber to join the Knight Order... but have you found anything noteworthy?"
"Well~... given his age, I wouldn''t say it''s that much of a w, but¡"
Hugo''s hand glided up and down his arm as he dragged his words, his eyes sharp.
"He''s too reliant on Allen Rovenne. That''s why his spirit is so soft despite his strength. In the future, when he meets a nigh impossible wall, whether he can surpass it, or face the setback¡ would be the moment where his true worth would beid bare.
Well, he''s just 13 years old now, so I''ll give him that. Plus, he appears aware of his naivety and is even challenging it. His crazy foundation is proof of that. The broader and firmer one''s foundation is, the higher their leap will be¡ª were the words of Shell-san."
"......Oh, what? After all that talk, you still respect him, don''t you? Though, you could have discarded that ''slipshod'' attitude of yours, at least......"
''No way,'' Hugo shrugged off Ravel''s murmur with a wave of his hand and asked him to report the team''s overall progress.
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Vol. 1 - Chapter 180 - Decree
Afterpleting the transport mission at 8 PM, Dan and I fell into a deep sleep in the fishing vige inn, indulging in rest until the following morning.
The inn wasn''t particrly sophisticated, having only hard, wooden beds. But for us ¡ª with me not being the type to fixate on such things, and Dan who had amoner upbringing ¡ª it was barely passable.
We slept in our two-person room until around 6 AM, waking up to the morning light streaming through the window.
After getting ready, I stepped out of our room to find Glover-san and Cass-san enjoying coffee in the cozy dining area.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
I nodded and replied, "You both are up early." Cass-san broke into a smile.
"We just woke up too. I honestly didn''t think you would sail from Jello to here without taking a break. We couldn''t just take it easy when both of you were pouring every fiber of your being for the cause. Though, well, maybe it''s just that we lost touch with our youthful passion, I guess. Frankly, I was all but ready to give up when we had to stop because of the storm, but that turnaround was fantastic. And true to your word, we got here in six days. The ''Pruning'' time you¡¯ve earned us is far heavier than 1000 pieces of gold, am I right, Glover-san?"
Glover-san took a slow sip of his coffee before speaking.
"It''s beyondpare to any amount of gold, if anything. Watching the tactic you both developed had been marvelous, but¡ your tenacity to bring us here within 6 days is awe-inspiring. I¡¯ll make sure His Majesty learns the extent of your determination...... You may not think so right now, but this transportation mission you''vepleted will undoubtedly be the turning point of this era on various fronts. It is my duty to report your achievement as factually as possible in the records.¡±
Flustered by Glover-san''s words, I shook my head and raised my hands immediately.
¡°This achievement was not done by just the two of us. We only made it this far due to the wless support of the logistics¡ª everything from the route selection, dealing with the monsters, resupplying at the ports, the coordination of the mages and cargo, and the arranging of the amodations were all perfect. It didn¡¯t feel like an emergency mission at all. Whatever we¡¯ve achieved was built upon the immeasurable hard work and determination of countless people.
Without all of you, it would have been impossible to give our 100%. If you really do want to record it down, then please make sure to give the ¡®entire crew¡¯ who made all this possible their due credit too. Yes, including the valiant people who are currently dealing with the eggs while we slept."
I had keenly experienced how much of a nightmare it was to manage logistics in my previous world when thepany I was employed at held an event.
The two might not be exactlyparable, but logistics, originally meaning supply lines, epassed tasks that multiplied inplexity the more one strived for perfection.
It was even worse in this world without mobile phones or email features. I wouldn''t even want to imagine just how much pressure they had to endure with the sudden urgent mission to achieve this level of perfection.
As I imagined their hard work and grimaced while speaking, Glover-san and Cass-san exchanged a stunned look.
Dan had a wry smile on his face.
"But weren''t you singing a different tune before, Allen? You said you were lying low and concealing the information until the right moment ''to make a headline''! Ahh, by the way, I¡¯m not reallyining about it.
It''s a grand discovery. You''ve pioneered a new horizon and even became the savior of the Kingdom. It should be your moment to shine, leaving your achievement in history. You don''t have to downy your part that much."
Cass-san urged me so, but I sharply shook my head.
It was bing repetitive, but my goal had always been to lie low.
A calm, free life would be a mere fleeting dream if my name spread around with such trumpets, pulling me deep within the circle of society.
Well, I do have the ultimate trump card of Isekai Reincarnators ¡ª discarding everything for a slow life in the frontier ¡ª but as I said, it was myst resort when every other option was closed.
"......You really don''t have any idea what you''ve achi¡ª never mind, let''s not bore ourselves with such boorish discussion. But I hear you, Allen Rovenne. Your ''thoughts'', to be precise......"
Glover-san locked his gaze with mine for a moment before putting a stop to the topic.
I was depressed at the thought of another series of rumors about me, but he turned out to be quite an understanding person, to my surprise. At least... this should stop any outrageous rumors.
"By the way, Daniel-kun. I¡¯ve been thinking of taking you into our Knight Order Second Legion as a provisional member. I haven''t mentioned it yet, but I was entrusted with a decree before we left the Royal Capital. My role was to confirm your potential. Well¡ I don''t need to exin that now, eh?
While we are in a position to seek your guidance, there will be times when it¡¯ll be troublesome if you don''t have the status of a knight, such as when you''re learning in the field during missions or procuring military ships that involve confidentiality. Of course, we sought you out for your strength as well. I¡¯ll do my best to ensure that it doesn¡¯t interfere with your studies, so would you consider epting it?"
I then immediately pped Dan on the shoulder and praised him wholeheartedly.
"Damn, boy! You don''t know how much I had to beg and bow to Godorfun-sensei for it, but the Knight Order is actually actively seeking you out! Indeed, a fitting offer for the first-generation president of the Sail Club. You''re definitely our club''s pride!"
Kukuku¡
Fantastic. Once Dan became a provisional member of the Knight Order, the tag of being ¡®the only student to join the Knight Order in his first year¡¯ would finally leave me. It would be one less rumor about me.
While I put up a joyous smile and pushed Dan onto a higher pedestal, Dan gazed at me with cold eyes.
"...Ah, yes. You begged, huh? Maybe look at your face in the mirror... Even kids have heard of the tale of how you made Godorfun-sensei lower his head at the end of your argument. He then personally rmended you to the Knight Order. You think too highly of me to believe that my rise would allow you to slip into obscurity."
Tsk.
Did he worm his way into my mind to even read my dark thoughts...?
Also, why the hell do even children know about it? Who''s their teacher? Bring them to me!
¡°......Those are just baseless rumors. It was a mere exchange of opinions. Anyway, what''s your choice? Will you ept it or not?¡±
Dan slumped his shoulders as he red at me.
"What do you mean by my choice?! Do you think I have any say after all this?! Had it been only my family, or even Marquis Grauksh at best, maybe I could still say no. But you just had to bring His Majesty and even the Knight Commander into this mess...... For how long have you been plotting this?!"
"Huh...... err, since the beginning?"
"B-Beginning!?...... No, where exactly does that beginning start for you?"
¡°From the very start, of course. It was when I realized the existence of the dynamic force¡ª basically when we were being chased by the Orcas. I had been anticipating this moment."
I cheerfully said so while giving him a thumbs up. At that, Dan slumped his shoulders yet again.
Well, his astonishment was understandable. For me, as soon as I realized I could use Wind Magic to amplify the generation of dynamic force, I knew the discovery would take the world by storm. I was d actually to see a new possibility for my Wind Magic, but I was also acutely aware of how much of an absolute pain it was going to be in the corner of my mind. So I thought that I might as well push this potato face to the front... I mean, he was the one more immersed in such stuff, after all.
Meanwhile, Dan had been skeptical of being able to recreate the phenomenon, and to what extent he could do so.
It was merely a difference in our nning all along.
"Anyway, I only suggested creating the Sail Club because it sounded fun, though I definitely had no deeper interest beyond that. It was you who finalized it on your own, earnestly tackling any challenge that came your way and pioneering a new realm in sailing, ultimately even bing the savior of the Kingdom.
I believed that you could achieve it. No more, no less, O'' Hero!"
I patted Dan''s shoulder one more time while he was still in a daze, and turned to Glover-san.
"If you want to learn how to sail with Wind Magic, then Dan''s indeed the way to go, Glover-san. After all, I¡¯m only good at Wind Magic, while anything else is a mere pastime to me. I definitely don''t have the skill to teach anyone, plus my schedule¡¯s already packed.
Even in our club, Dan was the one handling everything from the foundational research on theplex rtionships between sail area, ship shape, wind angles, and the resulting dynamic force, to managing the design of the Sail Club''s practice ships. He¡¯s truly the world''s leading expert in this field!¡±
As I summarized this, Glover-san looked at Dan with a sympathetic expression.
"...I¡¯m notpletely aware of the inside details, but...... you must have it hard, huh, Daniel-kun? Alright, if everything¡¯s settled, then¡ª"
Pausing on his words, Glover-san stood up from his seat and nced at Cass-san. Cass-san swiftly brought out a brand-new Mantle of the Second Legion from the box ced near his seat.
¡°The countryside may becking as a backdrop for such an asion, but as they say, never dy good things. So¡ª
Decree!
I hereby appoint Royal Academy ss 1-A student Daniel Serdos as a provisional member of the Knight Order. Henceforth, you will serve under themand of the Second Legion Commander Glover Von Ocean to the extent that it doesn''t interfere with your studies.
From Olina Zatsinger, the Supreme Commander of Yuglia''s Knight Order.
Read by Caster Burou.¡±
Dan momentarily closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then raised his head with his right hand over his chest.
¡°It is an honor!¡±
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Vol. 1 - Chapter 181 - Rustling Hearts
The border zone where the boundaries of the Yuglia Kingdom and Rosemieur Empire mashed together was wrapped in a tense atmosphere.
It was after the Empire learned about the Hellrowcast mutation outbreak in the Yabure Barony ¡ª a region in Marquis Grauksh¡¯s territory that directly shared a border with the Empire ¡ª that they decided to concentrate their army near the border region under the pretext of an ''unforeseen situation.¡¯
Since their army would have to march by the border region to gather their forces against the Hellrowcast outbreak, Yuglia had to notify the respective nations sharing a border with the affected territory.
It was equivalent to showing one''s wound to the enemy, though it was impossible to move such arge army in secrecy in this war of extermination otherwise. The centralization of such a huge army at the border without prior notification would undoubtedly be taken as a sign of war.
The Empire suggested providing Ice Mages as well as the necessary magic tools from the nearby region via diplomatic channels, but the Kingdom turned down the offer.
They might have epted it under any other circumstance, but with the border region being little more than a countryside, improving the number and quality of the said region would only do more harm than good. Past precedent had taught them that a hatched swarm of Hellrowcast would often move in the direction of warmer climates and resourceden regions.
It could also be that the said mages could turn out to be spies. It would be a disaster if they hastened the hatching instead and caused damage to the Kingdom.
But that said, after the Kingdom''s foundation was weakened, the situation could also have unfathomable risks even for the Empire. So while their sabotage might be unlikely, the Kingdom had too much to lose to wager on this gamble.
Seeing as how they were embroiled in a crisis, the Empire probably didn''t expect Yuglia to ept their offer either. But none of it mattered to them as all they sought was an excuse to station their army near the border. They could always say ''We tried to aid them for a humane cause, but Yuglia turned us down¡¯.
The Kingdom tried to protest against their behavior, but as it could be guessed, with the real motive being obscured by an ''official cause'', any words were as good as harping to a pig. Above all, the Kingdom believed it wouldn''t be surprising if they breached the border for an impromptu reason once they learned that the Hellrowcast swarm had started to move to the south, the heart of the Kingdom.
Veiling themselves with a righteous reason, the air ran thick with tension more than ever.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Huh? We won''t be joining the action site?"
It was after we had breakfast ¡ª which was just a simple ham and cheese sandwich ¡ª at the inn that I asked about our next action n while sipping on post-meal coffee, but then Cass-san informed us we wouldn''t be joining the others.
"Oh, and Allen, you too are under the care of the Second Legion along with Dan right now. So as for helping out, no, that isn''t your task. If anything, there''s already enough Ice Mages and other personnel there helping out, so we''re not really needed there."
Cass-san mentioned the main reason, but then his expression shifted to a solemn one.
"And ording to our information, the Rosemeiur Empire is in the middle of converging their army at the border under the pretext of ''Promptly dealing with unforeseen circumstances.'' The situation can change at the flip of a coin. The Kingdom''s first priority is to keep the future generation from being engulfed in the mes of war, and we may truly have a situation if the Empire learned that Allen Rovenne is frolicking around the border region. They would rather nip you in the bud before you could blossom, and be an eyesore for them.
We''re still far from the border, and although we''ve set up alert lines including the routes from the sea, a fishing port like this isn''t exactly secure. So you''re going toe with us to the Second Legion¡¯s military port 30 km south. Once Aldol Engraver joins us after they finish processing the eggs, he, along with the other mages, will take thend route to arrive at our location. We¡¯ll then depart for the Royal Capital via ship. Glover-san will be staying behind tomand the navy."
......I see, so they feared that the hatching site would be engulfed in a war.
Well, my winning style was certainly a bit¡ immodest in the Rising Star Cup match, but I doubt a major power like the Empire would be fuming mad about it enough to want my blood at all costs. But the battlefield was also an unpredictable ce where anything could happen.
I wanted to satisfy my curiosity by checking out the Hellrowcast''s mutation as an explorer, but it would be tactless of me to waltz into the site nonchntly.
"30 km south means... the Roma Port near the Shalomke, right? Alright."
As it was near his hometown, Dan showed an understanding expression.
"Hmm, have you visited there, Dan? What kind of ce is it?"
"Ah, the port is just north of the Corrida Strait that we visited during our summer vacation for Deareise fish. The port holds strategic importance for the Kingdom, and the harbor is cluttered with a staggering number of military ships. It''s an impactful sight.
This season is also the time for the Blue mingos to gather at Shalom Lake, making it a popr scenic spot. I also once came to see them along with Gramps and Mother."
A nostalgic look came to Dan''s face as he wistfully answered my question.
Blue mingos, huh? I remember reading about them. They were wild birds with peculiar, peacock-blue feathers. Even among birds, they had quite distinctive ecological habits. During mating season, their partner selection was often influenced by the profoundness of their blue sheen, and they grew up sucking on a milk secretion called mingo Milk.
They were omnivorous by nature, and there had been cases of the birds growing mana stone, turning them into monsters. Otherwise, they didn''t harm humans that much.
As migratory birds, they would travel around based on the season, and by virtue of their beauty, they were considered one of the three extraordinarily beautiful birds of the Kingdom.
Ever since I read about them in the Canardia Monster Encyclopedia, I made a mental note to see them at least once. Coco, too, shared the same dream.
"......Well, now that we¡¯re free until Ales back, you should guide us, Dan."
I requested Dan and giggled to myself, imagining the frustrated expression Coco would have when I bragged about this to him.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Al returned to the site after three hours of napping and a meal.
Hugo confirmed his arrival and sorted out the overall data.
Up to this point, Caprine had disposed of 15,000 eggs, Magic Researcher Ruruce from the Royal Capital had a headcount of 12,000, and Al had taken out 10,000 eggs.
For the rest of the staff, Conpe, a Magic Knight from the Knight Order, had taken out 8,000, Shagora, a B-rank explorer from the Dosperior region, disposed of 5,000, while 3,000 were destroyed by the rest of the mages and magical tools.
It was a rough approximation, but overall, they had disposed of at least 80,000 eggs out of 400,000. It was a tide in their favor. A single egg gave birth to approximately 100 Hellrowcasts, and considering that their initial guess was 40 million of them, eliminating 800,000 Hellrowcasts was a boon for them.
2/3rd of the first day hade to pass, and the hatching was guessed to start in 36 hours at the very least.
Maintaining their current pace should allow them to dispose of more than half of the eggs before time ran out.
However, the second phase was far from such an ideal scenario. Everyone started in their tip-top state, but after 16 hours of work, they would have to act carefully from now on while keeping an eye on their mana, thus significantly slowing their pace down.
The many unfavorable factors would even bring down Al''s pace despite him being capable of manapression, much less the others. Plus, the magical tools they brought from the Royal Capital and the Dosperior region had also been used up.
By including the other mages and magical tools that they were nning to bring in from the nearby regions, Hugo estimated that the overall disposable of the eggs would reach¡ª¡ª
"Roughly... 20 million, huh?"
Hugo murmured out loud, and Ravel, his aide, nodded in affirmation from the side.
"......Sure enough, we can only do this much due to the support from the Royal Capital. At least we now have a better chance of controlling their reproduction after their hatching. If fortune favors us, the hatching might be dyed by one more day as well. We can then make quick work of the remaining Hellrowcast...... Ahaha, if only, eh?"
¡°It would be perfect if that did happen...... But I doubt we¡¯ll have such fortune. We need to keep ourselves alert for the worst situation. Seriously, this mission really has no breaks for me, goddamn."
While his heart was hoping for a fortunate situation to happen, the reality of the situation that he could only watch from afar had Hugo annoyed. He shifted his gaze at the horizon in the direction of the border the Kingdom shared with the Rosemieur Empire¡ª the sole factor that made him swallow this bowl of irritation quietly.
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Vol. 1 - Chapter 182 - Military Port Roma and Shalom Lake
The ship glided smoothly at a leisurely pace down the calm sea, entering the military port that was our destination.
The Roma military port was an artificial harbor base that felt somewhat out of ce against the backdrop of an untouched natural coastline.
The bay, nestled within steep cliffs, was difficult to see from the outside, making it an ideal refuge from wind and waves. Various military ships were docked, the majority of which were galleys with oars protruding from their hulls.
In addition to standard port facilities, there were buildings that appeared to be barracks and arms factories bustling with activity as many people worked diligently.
The military base housed not only officers of the Kingdom''s Knight Order but also arge number of ordinary sailors, contributing to its town-like atmosphere with restaurants and other amenities.
Truly, the port didn''t betray its image as the first line of defense against the Rosemieur if the sparks between the two nations ever developed into war.
"Well then, I¡¯ll take my leave here. I have a mountain of tasks to attend to. I might not be able to see you off, but I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll meet again at the Royal Capital. I look forward to it."
Glover-san said, flipping his cloak as he stepped off the ship.
The ordinary soldiers, caught off guard by his unexpected arrival, momentarily showed shocked expressions before hurriedly saluting with their right hands to their chests.
"Long time no see, Sir Caster."
As Glover-san walked away, a soldier adorned with numerous medals and insignias came to greet us while we were preparing to disembark.
He was a sunburned, stout man with a muscr build and sharp eyes, mirroring the relentless activity on the site.
"Been a while, Yakkul. Where''s Revol-san?"
"Captain Revol¡¯s in his office and will be organizing information with Commander Glover. Rosemieur seems to be equally preparing their navy, apparently, so the Captain¡¯s on high alert."
"Can¡¯t me him for that. Ah, let me introduce you, Yakkul. You might have heard of them already, but these two are the key figures that made it possible toplete the emergency transport mission: Allen Rovenne and Daniel Serdos."
Yakkul nodded once and directed his sharp gaze toward me and Dan.
"I am Yakkul von Furstel, the deputy basemander here at Roma Military Port."
"I¡¯m Allen Rovenne, a provisional member of the 3rd Legion."
"And I¡¯m Daniel Serdos, also a provisional member of the 2nd Legion."
As I shook the offered hand, I was taken aback.
The thick calluses on his hand likely came from years of rowing in galleys. From the stable and unwavering strength of his grip, I could sense a level of physical enhancement magic that rivaled that of a Knight Order''s knight.
But for some reason, he just held my hand tightly, showing no sign of letting go.
¡°...It¡¯ll only be for a short time, but we¡¯ll be disturbing you, Yakkul-san.¡±
¡°Oh? Regardless of your young age, you''re still a member of the Knight Order, Sir Allen. It''s surprising that you''re sticking to formalities. I¡¯m usually fussy about hierarchy myself, but you really have me stumped right now.
This is certainly not Sir Allen from the rumors who was said to have grown up with the famed mantra of ?Unceasing Prudence?. Please, feel free to drop any formalities with me."
What the hell did he mean by the famed mantra ?Unceasing Prudence??......
Aren''t rumors spreading a bit too much?
¡°Speaking of which, could you show this poor, outdated old man some new theories on ship sailing? Ah, I''m not belittling you. I¡¯m very much aware of your service in saving the nation through this mission.¡±
Yakkul-san spoke, further strengthening his hold on my hand.
¡°It''s just... this senile mind of mine is finding it hard toprehend how a mere sail ship outpaced a galley, more so when it''s missing the magic engine that has seen a revolutionary breakthrough in recent times.
Including me, there are many stubborn people who won''t believe in what happened unless they witnessed it themselves... Just a short demonstration is fine. Could you take me and a few young folks for a little ride?¡±
A smile tugged the corner of Yakkul''s lip, but it certainly didn''t reach his eyes.
I nced at Cass, feeling bewildered, and saw him frowning as he stepped in.
¡°Allen has told us of his n to spread the new theory, but now is not the right time. This technology will undoubtedly be integrated into the Royal Army and will eventually spread to the civilian sectors as well, but it must remain a revolutionary technique pioneered by the Kingdom. It¡¯s not something to be carelessly unted. There''s no problem showing it to you, but... do you believe you can keep it from spreading, Yakkul?¡±
Cass-san said as he directed his gaze beyond Yakkul.
I noticed that the sailors behind him were watching us with wary expressions.
¡Ah, I see.
These men have dedicated their lives to galleys. And there should be many more like them in the army.
They are grappling with the fear and absurdity of watching everything they¡¯ve builte crashing down.
The technological advancements that should have evolved steadily were now happening suddenly and unexpectedly. Such tension was bound to ur.
We could show them our navigation skills just as they wanted, but overflowing emotions could easily leavesting consequences. We had no way of knowing how it would adversely affect themter. If things went poorly, it could significantly impact the development of sailing ships using wind magic.
But more importantly, the fact that this seemingly sensible person was insisting on confirming it in this situation showed that it would undoubtedly affect their morale.
¡Well, that wasn¡¯t my concern. As I pondered on what to do, Dan, who had been quietly observing Yakkul¡¯s worn hands, stepped in calmly.
¡°I¡¯m Daniel Serdos, the president of the Royal Academy''s Sail Club. This might not be the best time, but how about a match with my sailing ship? We¡¯ll race from this Roma Naval Port, through the Corrida Strait, and around Corrida Ind,peting in speed.¡±
A skeptical expression shed on Yakkul-san''s face when Dan suggested that.
"Quite a gant suggestion, as expected of one who bears the Knight Order¡¯s mantle at such a young age. But the Corrida Strait... Do you know that it¡¯s often called the ¡®graveyard of sailing ships¡¯? How do you intend to deal with the Sea Falcons?¡±
¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware. Therefore, I¡¯ll handle the navigation, and Allen will take care of the Sea Falcons with his bow. He''s quite an impressive archer.¡±
Dan replied with a grin, further adding ¡°There''s no better yground for a sailor than the sea, right?¡±
Yakkul-san broke into a delighted smile when he heard Dan.
¡°You truly are a one-of-a-kind genius of Grauksh, Daniel Serdos! You have something that sets you apart from the other elite knights who graduated from the Royal Academy. That''s very reassuring! You must still be tired for today, so let¡¯s hold the contest at 1 PM tomorrow. The patrol ship is set to sail at around that time, so we can depart together. Many here, myself included, are from the Grauksh region. This is going to excite everyone for sure!¡±
Seeing Yakkul-san¡¯s tense expression crack to reveal a bright smile, Dan epted the suggestion with a wry expression.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The dawn of the next day.
I visited Shalom Lake ¡ª located near the Roma port ¡ª along with Dan.
Cass-san seemed bothered by our decision, asking back, ¡®Can''t it be left for another asion?'' but I remained adamant about my stance.
It seemed Cass-san was worried about possible idents, but I wouldn¡¯t miss the chance to see the wild blue mingos, an opportunity that might nevere again, just because there was a ''what if'' chance of some incident happening.
I would have endured if there were still pending tasks for me to undertake, but I had none. That was the entire reason why I detested being a man of rumors or status. Someone in a position of authority was severely restricted in their actions. They wouldn''t be allowed to do anything even if they have a valid reason like ''I had nothing to do.¡¯ But with me, I was a student first before a knight.
Cass-san showed his intention to apany us as our guardian and protection, but I swiftly stated that it was unnecessary.
"You going out of the port area on your own would absolutely not be allowed. The typical procedure would be to send a few escorts along with you, but that would instead make you stand out more," Cass-san countered.
Cass-san should''ve had a multitude of things to do as well, but here he was, fretting over us due to our decisions.
I did feel a bit bad, but I couldn''t back down here.
If I keptpromising in situations like this under the guise of cooperation, it would go against my motto of an unfettered life.
There was nothing more terrifying for me than that.
And so, here I was, enjoying the sights of Shalom Lake...
To put it inly, I was d I came here. One of the Kingdom''s three great birds, the blue mingo.
Their ovepping blue feathers ranged from pale sky blue to deep navy blue, and the depth of blue varied among individuals.
Moreover, depending on the angle of the light, the colors took on the hues of red or yellowish blue, creating an indescribable palette. I¡¯ve been watching them for nearly two hours now, and I still haven''t grown bored of them.
The high-pitched cries of "kawawa, kawawa" resonated across the tranquil morningke from their uniquely curved beaks.
They were about the same size as earth mingos, but some were more than twice asrge¡ª those must be the ones that have be monsters.
Given the current situation, there were fewer tourists than usual, but still, a few were scattered around.
As I stood there in casual clothes, trying to disguise my identity and staring intently at theke, a local gramps called out to me from behind.
"You¡¯re watching them quite ardently, kid. Is this your first time seeing the blue mingos?"
Cass-san moved to wedge between us immediately, but I gestured for him not to.
"Yes, it¡¯s my first time. The beauty of this scene is beyond words. It truly moves my heart, making me forget the passage of time."
When I replied like that, the man smiled happily.
¡°Haha! You¡¯re quite the honest kid, aren¡¯t you? I like you. I usually give tours around here, but due to that foul incident, there haven¡¯t been many tourists despite the peak season. Would you like to try feeding the blue mingos? It''s just that¡ª¡±
The man said this and grinned while offering me a fishing rod about 1.5 meters long.
¡°You¡¯ll have to gather your own bait. Normally, it would be 30 rea an hour, but I¡¯ll let you have it for half price!¡±
I was immediately caught by his words.
¡°For real?! Thank you very much! Hey, Dan, let¡¯s have apetition to see who can catch more!¡±
¡°...I don¡¯t mind, but remember, unlike you who grew up in the mountains, I grew up in a port town. Have you ever fished, Allen? If you haven¡¯t, I honestly don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be much of a contest.¡±
Heh heh heh.
I may not look it, but I was actually quite fond of fishing myself.
It wasn''t connected to my past life, but before my memories awakened, I often thought about what I would do after skipping my studies. Fishing was one of the things I was most hooked on back then.
Fishing at sea might not beparable to my time at rivers, but judging from the shortness of the fishing rod, the thinness of the line, and the size of the hooks, fishing in theke was definitely going to require delicateness.
If my guess wasn''t wrong, then I should have a fair chance, having honed my skills in the stream confined within our walled city where the fish were already wary.
In fact, I could only see myself winning.
¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯ve tried a bit in a stream near my house. Though I doubt it would beparable to a sea guy like you, so go easy on me, alright?"
I said while trying to maintain a calm facade in an attempt to bait Dan into lowering his guard. Dan, however, narrowed his eyes and stared at me for a moment before addressing the man.
¡°...I want to examine the equipment. Please bring out all the rods, tackles, and bait. I¡¯ll pay, of course¡ I¡¯m going to take this seriously, Allen. Noints, right?¡±
Wait, what?!
What the hell did he read from my expressionless face?! What was he, a long-time wife of mine or something?......
¡°...Do you both even know what the situation is right now?¡±
Cass-san''s shoulders drooped feebly, seemingly feeling a wave of powerlessness, as he murmured so with a distant look in his eyes.
E/N - Hey guys! Sorry for missing yesterday''s chapter. Trantor had to deal with something important and I myself wasn''t doing too hot with the storm and nonstop rain in my area. Here is the one we missed. We should be able to post thest one for this week as scheduled.
If you like the novel, you can also rate and review it on novelupdate, it will help both the site and also others to find the novel!
Vol. 1 - Chapter 183 - A Passionate Match
¡°Yo. You''re already up?¡±
Dongo called out to Shagora.
¡°...Hmph. I just can''t bring myself to sleep soundly when he''s going over and beyond.¡±
Shagora replied, his face appearing pale.
The fatigue from the constant usage of mana to his limits was weighing him down, and while he had been taking naps intermittently, it barely helped out as his body still felt as heavy as lead.
The two shifted their gaze to the blue-hairedd.
Out of everyone here, Al was the only one who worked non-stop for over half a day, dealing with eggs. When it came to rest, he merely took one for three hours before returning to work. He continued for another six hours, then took an hour break to meditate and refill his mana pool with manapression and resumed the cycle.
Much like everyone else, he wasn''t unfamiliar with the exhaustion umted from consuming too much mana. But in his case, having gone through the activities of the Hill Road Club, then Godorfun¡¯s practical sses immediately after ¡ª a routine that was beyondmon sense ¡ª he built up quite a resistance against the bitterness of exhaustion.
He just single-mindedly focused on the task at hand, seemingly considering that even just thinking of something else was a waste of energy.
The key point about manapression, which he had been fostering through the club activities, was to turn it into a subconscious action during work.
Allen called this process ¡®molding it into a form.¡¯ In his words, by turning an action into a subconscious form, the body could process information in a way that was different from conscious thinking, thus allowing oneself to pull off moves that would''ve been strenuous to do normally.
This was something often seen in sports as well. For example, in baseball, there was hardly any human who could hit a 140 km/h curveball by consciously sketching out a n on how to hit it. Instead, yers would use their reflexes to strike the ball, a result of pre-programmed muscle memory.
But developing this sort of habit required special, repetitive training that would be otherwise impossible in everyday tasks.
From Al¡¯s perspective, he was just following his training, but to Dongo and Shagora, it appeared abnormal.
Even someone like Carinpe, an illustrious knight of the Knight Order, or Ruruce Simplex, the renowned Ice Fairy and vice-chairwoman of the Simplex Magic Institute, had to take frequent breaks after emptying their mana pools. Inparison, Al¡¯s bottomless stamina made him a monster in their eyes.
In terms of strength, he might be iparable to the twodies. However, his abnormal concentration and his repetitive movements akin to that of a machine made him look like the most bizarre freak they''d ever seen.
¡ªThey had 24 more hours before the situation took a turn.
If they were lucky, they might earn one more day, but overall, there had been a severeck of time to dispose of all the eggs.
¡°...I know, really. I thought those two were freaks, but he''s also no less of a crazy personpared to them. He really got us with that harmless persona of his on the ship, huh? I wonder, is that Academy crawling with monsters like them?
¡Haa, anyway, an egg is worth 50 rea. This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get rich overnight. I''m not going to lose either. I promised my family that we¡¯d build a house in the downtown area of the Royal Capital.¡±
Dongo murmured more to himself to reignite his spirit. Shagora had a wry smile upon hearing him.
¡°Just don''t get too greedy, and make a stupid mistake.¡±
********
The fishingpetition between me and Dan was gradually heating up.
In the beginning, I was at the lead with my intuition, figuring out where the fish might take the bait ¡ª a skill I honed in my childhood when I skipped my studies ¡ª and my precise mana control, employing an active fishing style, or ¡®dynamic¡¯ fishing as it was called.
Meanwhile, Dan was using the ssic fishing technique to lure in fish ¡ª the ¡®passive¡¯ fishing style in short. This difference led me to earn a head start in the beginning.
¡°Hyahahaha! Come on! Be serious, sea-born Dan,¡± I teased, letting out a maniac-likeughter simr to that of dorm mother Sora¡ I guess this was, what they say, the adverse effects of badpany?
Dan simply muttered ¡®It seems like the depth isn''t enough,¡¯ and started modifying his fishing rod.
The depth, in his words, was the water level where the fish were crowding in.
Eventually, he came up with a modified fishing rod which he named . The modified rod basically allowed him to hook multiple fish at a time.
With my fishing experience merely limited to a small-time stream inside a city, Dan¡¯s action of tying three hooks at a 30 cm interval from the main line hanging from the rod was iprehensible to me.
¡°H-Hey, that''s not fair! Teach me how to modify my fishing rod as well!¡±
I protested immediately, but Dan smiled and said, ¡°Watch and learn,¡± in an old-school craftsman style.
So I stared intently whenever he tied the fishing rod, but his movements were so fluid and deft that I couldn''t make heads or tails of his technique.
Dan''s improvised technique promptly showed fruitful results. I had to turn to my secret technique ¡ª fishing with a rod in each hand ¡ª as well, but he eventually turned the tables on me at thest 15 minutes of the 2-hour time limit.
¡°Golly, you two youngsters are really skilled. Are you sure this is your first time fishing for gray herons? I''m sure not even the locals could dish out the same results in a mere two hours.¡±
The surprised old man remarked when he came back to check on us. His gaze was fixated on the four buckets we filled to the brim with gray herons, which were our spoils.
¡°S-say Gramps, don''t you have any advice to give?! I¡¯m gonna lose at this rate!! Wait, what''s this big hook?¡±
¡°Oh, this? This is to use the gray herons as bait to catch Lake Perch, a big, carnivorous fish that asionally shows up in theke. They''re quite delicious, but only the monster-ified leader of blue mingos could chomp on such a big fish. Plus, to use it, you need to have a certain level of streng¡ª¡±
I skipped the rest of what Gramps had to say and swiftly took that hook that was meant for Lake Perch. Seeing that, Gramps momentarily stopped me.
¡°Wait, just stop, kid! The Lake Perch are very few and far between this season. Even locals can spend a whole day without any results. You''re better off sticking to the standard to boost your fish cou¡ª¡±
¡°Let me do it, Gramps! My tutor always taught me to keep moving forward. Because you''ll lose the moment you stop improvising!¡±
I put up an excuse using a phrase from my previous life, throwing all ountability to Schord ¡ª which had recently be a habit now ¡ª hooked the jaw of a just caught gray heron to the hook, and cast it towards theke.
¡°Kukuku! Well, the bet was ¡®who can catch a lot of fish.¡¯ ¡®A lot¡¯ can not only refer to the number but also the *weight* as well, so this¡¯ll work. You haven¡¯t won yet, Dan!
However, Dan just burst into a triumphantughter at my desperate logic.
¡°Pfft. You''re jumping down on the same mistake rookies often make.¡±
¡°Darn, you! Laugh while you can, Dan, because you''re gonna cry when this ends!¡±
¡°¡¡Do you two even realize the situation we¡¯re in?¡± Cass-san mumbled again. He had been staring at theke with a distant gaze all the while.
We ignored him as we moved to our final confrontation.
******
There had been a total of four explorers from the Royal Capital currently present at the site. Aside from Dongo, hisckey, and Al, the fourth explorer took a different route.
He just happened to be in the Grauksh territory when the emergency request was posted.
His name was Drois, and he was quite a promising explorer even among the other talents, having reached C-rank explorer at the young age of 24.
But opposite of what the crowd thought, Drois personally believed he was progressing slowly.
He began his career as an explorer in his hometown in Count Masculine''s territory, a notable family in the Valconde region. He had already earned the D-rank at the young age of 18.
This was an exceptional performance from someone who was from the countryside. The praises naturally gave birth to other thoughts in his mind.
¡ªMaybe, he was a genius.
¡ªA mere countryside couldn''t contain him.
So, in the spring of his 18th year, he decided to head to the Royal Capital alone.
Since then, he steadily built up achievements, reaching C-rank by the age of 24. He was leading an impressive career.
However, if people were to ask if he was an unparalleled genius, most would shake their heads.
While there were only a few who could get to C-rank by the age of 24 in the Royal Capital, a ce where many talents gathered from the whole kingdom, it wasn''t anything rare.
In fact, those who eventually rose to A-rank tended to be prodigies who had their talents blossom at an early age. Drois was aware thatpared to the feats aplished by these individuals at a young age, his achievements fell short.
He, who wanted to be hailed as one such prodigy, further multiplied his efforts away from the eyes of the public ever since he arrived at the Royal Capital.
He took on requests at a pace that worried those around him, but despite his advantage as an Ice Attribute mage, he only made it to the C-rank by the age of 24.
The genius of the countryside finally faced reality.
Nevertheless¡ swirling still in one corner of his heart, he dreamt of a glorious futurevished with everyone''s praises.
Drois was still too young, diligent, and talented to have a realistic outlook.
Frustrated by his stagnation and feeling a sense of anxiety, an urgent request came his way in his travels: the Hellrowcast extermination mission.
This might be his chance to overturn his destiny.
After all, if he could distinguish himself in such an important assignment, it might pave the way for him to be a B-rank explorer.
Moreover, though he happened to be nearby, the site was in a remote area that was difficult to ess. Many skilled ice-affinity mages wouldn¡¯t be able to make it in time before the critical stage.
Obviously, his achievements would stand out even more.
If he could get a promotion to B-rank at 24, demonstrating abilities and achievements that set him apart, it would be considered a rather exceptional advancement even in the capital.
With visions of that future in his mind, he epted the request¡ where he encountered him.
The true genius hailing from the exalted ss-A of that Academy¡ª a ce where only true geniuses who surpassed the minimum requirements in both academic skills and magic capacity were admitted. An academy he hadn¡¯t even qualified to apply to.
Irrespective of his choice, he finally had to swallow that bitter reality. That he was an ordinary person.
Just being a graduate of the Academy earned them C-rank. A far cry from someone like him who made it this far by piling up a mountain of effort.
Upon graduating from the Academy, its students registered as explorers at C-rank right away. Compared to him, who, despite all his efforts, had barely reached that rank.
Drois, who once thought nothing of Royal Academy students, came to a stark realization when he saw Aldol Engraver, a 13-year-old who had arrivedte to the scene.
He finally understood what it meant to be a member of ss A in the Royal Academy.
¡And eventually, the tremor in his heart would soon lead to the nightmarish incident everyone had feared would happen.
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Vol. 1 - Chapter 184 - Chained Hatching (1)
"Haa~. Hey, Drois. You should also take a break now. Don''t stress your body too much."
As Dongo dragged his heavy feet toward the makeshift tent to take a break, he saw Drois engrossed in his work with a brooding expression.
Being simrly based in the Royal Capital, Dongo had known Drois for a while already. While they belonged to different branches, north and south respectively, the pool of C-rank explorers was small enough that many faces became familiar.
Among them, Dongo was particrly sociable and had a wide circle of acquaintances.
"Ah, Dongo-san. I was... well, thinking of taking a break after a while..."
Noticing Drois'' dull mumbling and his fixated gaze in Al''s direction with a hint of grudge with a faint glimpse of awe, Dongo''s expression shifted into a wry smile.
Drois was probably fatigued in more than one aspect.
He could understand. With his age approaching 40, he already gauged his true caliber long ago. Nevertheless, he also felt a sense of hollowness whenever he gazed at Al. The boy was like a window showing the unfair reality.
......He didn''t mean to be like that though. Dongo passed his gratitude to Allen Rovenne and Daniel Serdos mentally. Had he not seen those two in action, he would be swallowing the same bitterness as well, drowning in misery.
The talent for magic. A brutally stark divide between those who have it and those who don¡¯t.
Ice mages, due to their rarity, were not ustomed to beingpared to others from the same perspective.
Dongo understood Drois¡¯ feelings as if they were his own.
"It''s just now that I finally realized why that Academy was said to be a den of monsters¡ On top of that, he¡¯s a first-year student in ss A, said to be among the best of this generation, and the leader of a group of magically gifted students gathered from all over the country as the president of the Magic Research Club.
You don¡¯t need to belittle yourself. At your age, being a C-rank explorer is already quite impressive. Far more than me, at least. The worlds we inhabit are fundamentally different. We knew that from the start, didn¡¯t we?"
Drois clenched his teeth and nodded slowly.
"Yeah... I knew. I knew it, but I just kept looking away."
He couldn¡¯t bring himself to voice the reality that he was just one among the many, a mere ordinary person.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Just before time was up, the tip of my rod bent slightly, informing me that the fish this time was something different.
I wanted to set the hook immediately, but I held back.
ording to Gramps, if you set the hook on the initial bite, theke perch would escape more often than not.
I slowly reeled the line in, mimicking the movements of a fleeing heron.
After that, if I count to three before setting the hook, I¡¯ll catch one out of three ording to him.
I shifted all of my concentration to it and counted in my mind.
One¡ª
¡Had I ever been this serious in apetition before?
My head was unprecedentedly clear at this moment. It was as if time around me was in slow motion, much like what boxers in my previous life used to say they experienced.
Two¡ª
The moment I counted to two, the tip of the rod bent sharply. I instinctively activated my Body Strengthening magic and pulled the rod back forcefully.
In that instant, the rod bent significantly, and a huge fish, presumably ake perch, began thrashing around on the surface.
"Hyahaha! I can feel it, Dan!"
Dan''s eyes went wide, but after a moment, he raised both his hands in surrender.
"...You know what, I give up. Your tenacity is something else."
Feeling pleased with his deration of surrender, I got a bit carried away and said¡ª
"Don''t sweat it! I must say you truly are a man of the sea! No one has ever managed to get me this serious in fishing before! Hey, how about we start a fishing club together? Traveling all over the kingdom in search of the legendary fish¡ª"
"Hm?"
Amid my speech, Dan made a strange noise as he looked up at the sky above theke.
I traced Dan''s gaze and saw a vividly colored,rge blue mingo gliding down¡ª it was definitely the boss of the flock.
Then, with its massive beak, it snatched theke perch I was carefully trying to reel in.
Caughtpletely off guard, and having neglected my surroundings, I could only stand there, dumbfounded, as I watched the scene unfold.
"...Pfft!"
The awkward silence thatsted about five seconds was broken by Cass-san. This triggered everyone to burst intoughter.
"S-sorry! Allen''s dumbfounded face just hit me right in the funny bone! Pfft!"
"Gyahaha! Carelessness is often one''s greatest enemy, kid!"
"Ahahaha! What was that about the legendary fish? Say it again, Allen!"
" "Gyahaha!!!" "
As tears flooded my eyes, I snapped.
"Unforgivable..."
The wind started to swirl quietly.
"...C-calm down, Allen! You win, alright?!"
"I will NEVER forgive it¡ª!!!"
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Less than 30 minutes after Dongo fell asleep, he was jolted awake by the sound of the emergency whistle.
He hurriedly jumped out of the tent and saw people rushing toward the area where Drois had been working earlier.
With a sense of dread swirling in his chest, Dongo forced his tired body to run in the same direction¡ª and gasped.
He saw Drois who had copsed on the spot. He must have lost consciousness frompletely exhausting his mana. And much to his horror, the eggs under him were squashed by his fall. Hatched Hellrowcasts were jumping out, attaching themselves to the nearby eggs and tearing apart their transparent membranes.
A mere momentter, Chief Commander Hugo rushed over to the scene and smashed down the bitten eggs with a hammer.
*Bang!*
¡°Giii!¡±
However, as the eggs hadn¡¯t been frozen, several Hellrowcasts made attempts to jump, even as theycked legs.
Hugo turned toward those Hellrowcasts and swung his hammer down again, even crushing one of them with his bare hand while bellowing.
¡°What are you standing around for?! The bitten Hellrowcast eggs are done for! Just focus on suppressing the chain hatching! Don¡¯t use any magic other than ice! If you use magic, the hatching will elerate exponentially! Ravel!¡±
¡°I¡¯ve already summoned the entire Ice Mage team!¡±
¡°Anyone with detection magic should focus on searching for any stray Hellrowcast! Don¡¯t let any of them get away! It¡¯ll be over if the chain-hatching spreads any further! Also, gather everyone from the security perimeter one to five and spread them out! If we can¡¯t stop this, we¡¯ll crush as many as we can before they all hatch!¡±
¡°Understood!¡±
¡°I¡ I should have known this would happen¡ I understood his feelings¡ Why, why the hell didn''t Ifort him?!"
Overwhelmed by a swirl of intense regret, Dongo stood there frozen in ce.
Around then, Caprine, with her silver hair tied back, also arrived and immediately raised her baton, swiftly freezing up three eggs.
However, given that she barely recovered her mana, her technique was rather rough in freezing the eggs, leaving her panting.
Still gritting her teeth, she continued to contain the situation as best as she could, while carefully spinning her words for Dongo.
"Can you move, Dongo-san? I know you feel strongly responsible for this, but no one can me you or Drois, who has been putting in effort for days. But we need to focus on what''s before us right now, alright? We¡¯ll tackle it one step at a time, starting with what¡¯s nearby. You can do that, right?¡±
With his face pale, Dongo barely managed a nod, and turned his wand toward an egg, holding it with both hands. However, gripped in his sweaty hands, the weight of his wand felt more pronounced due to exhaustion, and it slipped from his grasp, striking the egg directly.
Dongo''s head went nk and he immediately scurried to pick it up, channeling his mana in it with full force.
¡°Dongo-san!!¡±
Caprine sensed the abnormality and hurriedly tried to stop him, but she was a stepte.
The mana stone affixed to the wand released a dazzling white radiance in channeling his pure, unaltered mana, and then it turned it into arge quantity of ice.
Seeing this, Caprine couldn''t maintain her usualposure and shouted with a pale face.
"M-Mana explosion inbound! It''s unstoppable!!!"
After a moment of silence, Hugo shouted.
¡°W-What the hell!! Dongo! What about the safety mechanism?!¡±
Dongo moved his mouth in a daze, his voice unfocused.
¡°I was¡ trying to be more efficient¡ to process as many eggs as possible¡ Why now?... How did I fail to transform attributes now?!¡±
Tears streamed down Dongo¡¯s face as he desperately tried to control the rampaging wand.
¡°I failed¡ The resistance is too great.¡±
The moment he let go, the wand would explode. And even if he didn¡¯t let go, once Dongo¡¯s mana ran dry¡ª
Hugo briefly shut his eyes tight, gritting his teeth to the point of bleeding, then calmly announced in a t voice.
¡°...Everyone, fall back for now. We¡¯re raising the subjugation operation to phase 3!¡±
Despair ran across Dongo¡¯s face as he shook his head vigorously.
¡°No... I don¡¯t want to die... I don¡¯t want to die! My wife is pregnant. How long... how long had we waited for this blessing!!!"
Nevertheless, Hugo didn''t look back at Dongo again, and gave another shout for everyone to escape in a merciless tone, but¡ª
¡ªIn a split moment, a blue-haired young boy rushed past Hugo, beelining for the Dongo.
T/N - So¡ onion cutting ninjas iing I guess.
E/N - Dang, lots of stuff going wrong in this chapter. Though I doubt Al will die given that spoilers from the end of volume one gave us his future title already.
And lol at Allen, he does have the habit of counting his chickens before they hatch ??
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Vol. 1 - Chapter 185 - Chained Hatching (2)
"Commander Glover has summoned you."
It was after Dan and I came back to the port base from our sightseeing tour of Shalom Lake and the race with Yakkul-san and his chosen crew using galleys.
At the port, the deputymander named Ravel was waiting for us there with a disturbed expression and pulled Dan, Cass-san, and me to themander''s room.
Inside, only Ravel-san and Glover-san were present while the rest of the people were made to empty the area for some reason.
Dan whispered to me as we both sensed the tension drifting around the room.
"Hey... what the hell did you do this time, Allen?"
"I¡¯m all clean... and what the heck, wasn''t I beside you all this time? If anything, it must be because of your mischief."
"Don''t spout bullshit. You''re trying to drag me into the mud."
I mean, nothing has been exined yet, but I unwittingly rebutted Dan as hebeled me as the troublemaker from the get-go.
''Haa¡ª'' Glover-san saw this and let out an exhausted sigh, his expression tired.
"It''s all so... hard to talk about that I don''t know where to begin."
He prefaced with that remark, and with a heavy tone mixed with some stuttering, he began to exin the situation.
"Starting from the site''s situation... An explorer named Drois seemingly fainted on his work spot from consuming all his mana, and his wand ended up piercing through the eggs. This spurred a chain hatching, and now they are in an emergency trying to deal with it. I learned this from the periodic information ry we were set to receive at noon via magic bird."
" "An ident?!?!" "
Dan and I let out baffled shouts at the same time. Glover-san narrowed his eyes, seemingly ascertaining something as he stared at us.
"......The situation had been chaotic for a while, it seems, and we didn''t receive any further contact. Then we got another report at 3 PM as scheduled, but the information ryed was ''We''re still processing the chain hatching¡¯ which surprised me. I could understand if they said they failed to stop it. But, they''ve been at it for about three hours already¡ There''s definitely something else going on, don''t you think so?"
Glover-san made his statement as one of his brows shot up, his gaze directed my way. I didn''t get what all that meant, so I just replied with ''I think so.''
"...It''s just that a while ago I finally got a detailed report, and... it left me speechless after grasping all the details.
Apparently, just as it seemed like they were going to fail and were about to begin the extermination n, a flock of blue mingos that were supposed to be gathered around Shalom Lake suddenly flew to Charrock Wend and began to prey on the Hellrowcast. It''s truly a turn from a horrifying moment to a mystical one. Strange, no?"
Immediately, Dan and Cass-san cast usatory nces at me.
"The strange turn of events made the chaotic processing of the eggs post-hatching a breeze, allowing them to progress considerably. While it almost turned the site upside down, it could have been much worse with the number of Hellrowcasts after hatching being estimated to be somewhere around 12 million."
"W-Woaahh! I-It''s truly a goddamn *miracle*, ain''t it?!"
I pumped my fists with a deliberate tone of delight.
Yet, Glover-san''s expression remained stony as he said ''There''s more...''
"After preying on the Hellrowcast for around 3 hours with frantic movement, the flock of blue mingos settled on the gourd-shapedke south of Charrock Wend.
Their pace fell once again after losing the support of the blue mingos, and so they finally transitioned to the extermination phase. But, the situation took another surprising turn...... Can you guess what it is?"
Continuing with his stony expression, Glover-san stopped his words at the climax scene of the site and threw a quiz at me.
"W-Who knows? I can''t even begin to guess......."
I did have a rough guess, but to preserve Golver-san''s suspenseful build-up, I tilted my head with a serious expression. As a professional in Japan, I know better than to spoil the punchline of their boss¡¯ story.
"......The Hellrowcaust probably disliked the presence of the blue mingos, so they moved to the northwest instead. All the experts who had followed the military said that it was an unprecedented phenomenon.
The imperial army, who was about to cross the border, fell back in panic to deal with the approaching horde. They shifted their frontline further back from their border and are taking measures to surround the Hellrowcast.
Basically, the Kingdom was expected to keep the Empire''s army in check while also tackling the 20 million Hellrowcast¡ª that is, if the situation didn''t worsen even further. But the threat of the Empire''s army has receded, and now we''re left to deal with just six million Hellrowcast. That¡¯s the turnaround that had urred in thest 6 hours. For the Kingdom, it was a miracle among miracles......"
Once again, I forced a bright expression and raised my fists in delight despite the somber atmosphere.
"O-Oh gosh, that''s so l-lucky of us!! You know what, I finally understand the meaning of the phrase my best friend ¡ª it''s Dan by the way ¡ª said: Nature is something you can never predict, you can never be its ruler...
We mere humans are just a speck of dust in front of the grandeur of nature! It''s just that the wind has suddenly started to favor the Kingdom... though it''s unfortunate that the temper of nature has fallen onto the Empire. Having said that, this is going to be the first Hellrowcast incident where the people of this continent will avoid a heavy tragedy!"
Hearing my reply as I strongly held onto Dan''s shoulder, Glover-san had a speechless expression for a moment, before he staggered and fell over his desk.
The next remark came from Cass-san who was cradling his head in his hands.
"D-Do you have the faintest idea what you''ve done, Allen?! Can you imagine what would happen if others came to know that we deliberately guided the Hellrowcast to another nation?! Your face will undoubtedly be stered on the first page of the international wanted list! A full-color feature! Five pictures from every angle! Do you understand what that means?! Why didn¡¯t you at least consult us beforehand? No matter the reason, this ''deed'' isn¡¯t something a child should have to bear!¡±
Seeing as Cass-sanunched into his absurd reasoning, showing his concern for me, I firmly countered.
¡°Ahaha, you sure know how to make a joke, Cass-san. How did you think that was all deliberate? Sure, I swirled the wind with murderous intent, a bit pissed seeing as my fish got stolen, but I didn''t foresee that the whole flock would instead follow after what seemed to be their boss and fly north...
Everything ¡ª the fishing, the fish theft, and their northward flight ¡ª was just a series of coincidences. The responsibility lies with nature itself.¡±
I asserted this with conviction.
¡°...So we are witnesses now, huh?¡ That¡¯s why you insisted ¡®I absolutely need to go see the blue mingos now¡¯ and that ¡®You don''t have to follow us, Cass-san'' despite all my efforts to keep you here¡ª¡±
With half-closed eyes brimming with tears, Cass-san started to spin even more nonsensical head-canons.
¡ª*Bang*
At that moment, Deputy Commander Ravel mmed his hand on the desk.
"......Stop with the nonsensical reasons, Cass. It''s impossible for us mere humans to guide the group of blue mingos! Allen Roveene is right, we''re mere specks of dust against the grandeur of nature.
And before that, did you *forget* that you were at the base port all along, training with our members to learn about the new sailing method? You *never* even went to see the blue mingos, right?"
Ravel-san pushed to rectify the whole script with bloodshot eyes. I promptly protested.
"What?! But I was going to brag about visiting theke with my friends. It''s why I even borrowed the portable ''Camera'' from the base to record there¡ª"
But Ravel-san didn''t pay a single heed to my words, and instead snatched the recording apparatus from my hand, interrupting me, and, despite it costing a fortune, smashed the camera onto the floor.
*Crash!!*
"Nooooo! Not the favorite angle I spent so much effort on!"
Nevertheless, even as I screamed in despair, Ravel-san repeatedly stomped on the broken device with grudge-filled eyes as if it had been the cause of his parent''s death while echoing his earlier words.
¡°*Huff*¡ *Huff*¡ You never went out to see the blue mingos, right?¡±
Oh no, this is bad. It''s the same as being stuck in the default canon option in a game where you must choose ''Yes.''
Reluctantly, I nodded.
As an awkward silence enveloped themander''s room for a moment, Glover-san, who had been slumped over the desk, slowly lifted his head.
¡°Revol is¡ right. For now, we¡¯ll proceed in that direction publicly¡ However, since there are likely a fair number of witnesses, and there¡¯s no certainty that it won¡¯t leak, we can¡¯t risk covering it up at the scene¡ At the very least, we¡¯ll have to report it to His Majesty and Captain Olina¡ I guess. Ugh, my stomach hurts.¡±
Glover-san remarked, then pressed on his temple while continuing ''There''s one more thing... I must tell you.''
With a pained expression, he dropped a shocking news.
"......Your friend, Aldol Engraver... has been seriously injured."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Al didn''t hesitate at that moment.
He had a strange premonition of what he was trying to do and what the oue would be.
¡°You idiot! Get back!!!¡±
Hugo shouted angrily from behind, but Al kept running straight toward Dongo without slowing down.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the mana stone at the tip of Dongo''s wand with one hand.
¡°Uoooooohhhh!!!¡±
The white glow of the mana stone gradually changed to blue, decreasing in intensity.
At the same time, frost began to cover Al''s left arm.
Dongo dropped to his knees in shock, his expression twisted in agony as tears streamed down his cheeks.
¡°W-Why did you... a chosen person like you could have done well had you not bothered with me¡¡±
Al stared into Dongo''s eyes while suppressing the rampaging mana stone through sheer will.
"You''re a kindhearted person, Dongo-san, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be a good father. I have three sisters¡ though it seemed like my father had always wanted a son. However, I don''t have any memory of him."
He squeezed his words while channeling his mana into the mana stone.
His arm visibly adopted a shade of bluish-purple, starting from his fingertips to his arm. Everyone present had pained expressions on their faces.
"Wha¡ª it can''t be! Al-kyun, why in the world are you¡ª"
Ruruce, who btedly arrived at the scene, let out a mournful scream.
"...Damn it. This big moron... What the hell are you all dawdling for?! Hurry up and deal with the eggs now that *Al* has cleared the path!"
Confirming that everyone had returned to their task, Hugo quietly drew his sword and approached Al.
"What are you doing? Stop right there! He¡ª You haven''t even seen Al-kyun''s talentpletely! He¡¯s destined to be a great mage who¡¯ll be far, far better than me!"
Ruruce tried to stop Hugo, but he shook his head firmly.
"I know, it''s obvious from his act. He used his remaining mana in a tired state to override the mana attribute, and he¡¯s even suppressing the outburst of mana...... He would¡¯ve grown to be a historical figure... if it hadn''te to this."
Hugo grabbed Ruruce''s shoulder, a distressed expression on his face, as he uttered his words with intensity.
"Step aside. He''s going to die."
He pushed the silently weeping Ruruce and approached Al, calling out to him as he raised his sword upward.
"...We must deal with it now before it''s toote. Your nerves should have no sensation left but... are you prepared?"
With a pale face, Al slowly shook his head.
"I¡¯m... ready, but there''s¡ still... one thing left. I¡¯m sorry Hugo... pushing you to deal with this unpleasant situation...... Please take care of the rest..."
He then touched the water surface of the wend spread beneath his legs with his beloved wand sped in his right hand.
"The daughter of Undine... one of... the four pirs of the Great Spirits... he said it was Brizeria of the Sub-Frost... ¡ª?Ice¡ª?."
Al murmured in a soft voice audible only to Hugo, and a split momentter, the mana stone from Dongo''s wand turned into fine powder within Al''s left hand and scattered around. Immediately, a cold wave of an unprecedented level spread out from the tip of his beloved wand.
The stagnant water of the wend, along with the eggs, froze within tens of meters around Al.
"...Allen is... definitely going to... scold me."
Having squeezed everyst drop of his mana, Al fainted on the spot.
"......This is one heck of a magic you''ve been researching...... and you''re really a moron of the highest level. What''s with that content expression... Goodness."
Hugo channeled his mana to his legs and forcefully extricated himself from the frost bindings.
"......I was mistaken. You do have it already in you, Aldol Engraver."
Hugo heaved a sigh as he swirled mana inside his body. And¡ª with a swift stroke, he swung his sword down.
Fresh blood sshed in the air, dying the muddy ice red.
E/N - Well, I didn''t see thating with Allen scaring the mingos away only to solve everything. But I really should have though. And Al will most likely need a *hand* in the next chapter. Ehhh¡ Ehhhhhh¡ T/N - Or I would say in chapter (s) toe.
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Vol. 1 - Chapter 186 - How It Began
"There''s one more thing... I must tell you...... Your friend, Aldol Engraver... has been seriously injured."
Hearing the news from Glover, a sharp aura emerged from Allen, who had been listening to everything so far with a flippant attitude.
A wave of bloodlust crackled in themand room, momentarily recing the earlier rxed vibe.
With a pale expression, he stared at Glover.
"...What do you mean by that? How is he?"
Dan ced a hand on Allen''s shoulder and sought an exnation from Glover, his tone of voice simrly cooling down from earlier.
"......It''s not life-threatening, at the very least."
The news had Allen heave a sigh of relief, the tense air in the room slightly lightening up.
"I¡¯m not aware of the details as well... But Dongo-kun, who apparently became timid when the chain hatching began due to the ident, fumbled in controlling his wand... eventually causing a mana berserk state in the mana stone.
Seeing that nothing could be done to resolve it, Commander Hugo abandoned the mission of dealing with the Hellrowcasts and immediately ordered everyone to evacuate¡ The report didn''t say it directly, but Dongo''s death was all but confirmed. However, before the mana stone could blow up, Al-kun rushed in to save Dongo-kin, ignoring the evacuation order. He grabbed the stone bare-handed, and wrestled control over the mana from its berserk state, suppressing the iing explosion.
......But he paid the price by losing his left arm. Commander Hugo personally handled the matter in order to avoid necrosis. That''s pretty much all I know."
Allen mmed the table with his fist, then he staggered down on a chair.
Given how straightforward the guy was, Allen could already imagine Al unhesitatingly rushing up to Dongo.
A heavy, profound silence dominated themand room.
"......Also, right before his arm was severed, Al-kun seemed to have casted an astonishing ice spell, turning the area tens of meters around him into a frozennd. That earned them time to stabilize the situation until the blue mingos dropped in at the site.
I¡¯ve already exined what this means¡ for our kingdom. ording to Hugo''s analysis, Al sucked in the rampaging energy of the mana stone into himself and released it at once. Presumably, he must have already worked out a theoretical n beforehand."
Allen felt his vision go dark.
He remembered it. It was one of the many magic spells he had fantasized about and prattled off to him with a smug grin. That said, he absolutely didn''t believe in such a method that was built upon self-sacrifice. Neither has he heard of Al having such a thought.
Al shouldn''t have ever thought of using it himself for sure. But¡ª he must have fumbled around for an answer. The door to unlocking the myriad possibilities of a mage. How he could bring the fantastical spells his good friend Allen had exined to him.
The only reason why he used it directly must have been to save Dongo.
And having suggested the option to Al in an indirect way, Allen believed he also had a hand in how it turned out. That he was somewhat responsible for what had happened.
Such thoughts swirled inside Allen''s head.
"... As a hero who saved the nation from a grave situation, the Kingdom would surely guarantee his future. So much so that he would never feel inconvenienced in his life¡ª"
"I don¡¯t want to hear about that. We all know how much he had been adored by others, yet he never cared for such luxury. What I need to know is his future itself. He has a dream. A vow. That he would be the world''s greatest Ice Mage. He took that oath in the name of his deceased father. He cherished it more than his life."
He knew nothing would change byshing out at Glover, however, Allen''s tone couldn''t help but turn increasingly sharp.
Glover made a long sigh, closed his eyes for a moment, and continued.
"He... could still pave a path as a researcher. But, having lost one of his arms, he probably would never reach the greater heights he envisioned... unfortunately."
Allen found himself at a loss for words as Glover broke down the cold verdict to him. He stood up, his steps wavering, and turned toward the exit door.
"............I would like to be alone for a while. Either way, leaving the base is forbidden."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"......You¡¯ll catch a cold, Allen."
As I quietly gazed at the night sea atop the tower erected on a steep cliff overlooking the bay, Dan called out to me in a hushed tone.
He had been around for tens of minutes already, but he remained in a tree shade while looking at my state, making his presence known. It was probably his way of allowing me to stabilize my mind.
"Dan, I........... he lost his dream because of¡ª¡ª"
I opened my mouth to say it was my fault, but he instead put a hand on top of my head, and rubbed it with clumsy movement, interrupting my speech.
"It''s not your fault."
He had always been present by our side, watching as I took Al for a ride on my crazy ns and theories, so he must have already assumed my inner state and t-out cut my reasoning.
The state of my mind that I thought had already stabilized wavered as Dan''s palm cradled my head, and tears streamed down my cheeks in abundance.
"......It''s not your fault."
He didn''t turn to nce my way. He just repeated the same sentence.
Our gazes stared at the night sea for a while.
Listening to the sound of the waves while looking at the dark sea, Dan quietly chimed in.
"......Al was supposed to travel to the Royal Capital viand route. But after you pulled that move and warded off the threat of the Empire, they managed to provide wless medicare for the journey. We¡¯ll depart for the Royal Capital by ship tomorrow morning."
"......Understood...... We''ll need to get some sleep then. There are also some preparations to do tomorrow. Today''s been... a very tiring day."
I stood up and let out a despondent voice. Dan gave a mild tap on my back.
"Get a grip of yourself, Allen. Such an expression doesn''t suit you...... Do you remember what Al said when we were about to depart from the Royal Capital? ¡ªI just find myself looking for an answer for the future whenever I¡¯m by Allen''s side, for better or for worse.
He isn''t the only one who feels that way. Everyone has been led astray by you, and they now wish for a straightforward way of life, focusing on what they want to be, devoid of any vanity. The same goes for me, and it''s just as much for Leo. Al may be a happy-go-lucky person, but he''s not a simpleton. He¡¯ll never give up on something he absolutely cares about. That¡¯s what I believe.
Everyone will sympathize with him. But only you¡ª you must never look at him with pitying eyes. There''s no saving him if even you feel pity for him...... Besides, don''t you believe in him as well?"
Being asked that question, I recalled Al''s face¡ª his bottomless optimism, his straightforward gaze, his unceasing passion.
"I believe in him... I believe in Al¡ He definitely won''t fall¡ no matter what happens! He¡¯s a one-man optimism parade after all! He¡¯ll definitely rise!"
As I muttered so to persuade myself, Dan gave me another pat on my back.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
While he escaped the jaws of death, the tragedy of Aldol Engraver was far from over.
He lost his Ice Attribute Conversion talent along with his left arm.
The precise cause of this had yet to be unearthed, but it was alluded to losing an essential aspect of his body, creating a deficit. Some specte it was due to casting a spell beyond his capacity, overburdening his body. The diagnosis hadn''t ruled out any chance for him to recover, but the current healing techniques weren''t that advanced yet.
The dream he had sworn before his father''s grave... The hard work he had strenuously stacked from 12 ¡ª it was said that his potential as a mage blossomedpletely at the age of 12 ¡ª up to his first year in the Academy all vanished like a fleeting thought.
Eventually, when it came time for the ss promotion, he was demoted to ss E.
In the beginning, many protested against his demotion despite saving the nation at a perilous moment.
But the fact remained he had lost his arm. He would surely have a rough time keeping up with the practical lessons, which was obvious enough. But above all, his presence in ss A would only be painful to everyone around him and the person himself. Godorfun believed that this would be the case. That was how his demotion was settled.
Aldol Engraver lost the golden future he almost had in his grasp by a decision of his own making.
He was like a tragic protagonist of his story, having sacrificed himself for the good of the nation. This earned him a wave of sympathy andmendation throughout the Kingdom.
¡ªThe Postscript about the ?Great Cascade?¡ª
Aldol Engraver lost everything. The story of his life hade to an end. Everyone believed so¡ª except for a number of his friends who adored that passionate soul of his.
E/N - Dang, that was pretty heavy. I highly doubt this was it for Al though. Not if the MC has anything to say about it.T/N - Well, one thing is for sure, it''s going to be a long ride.
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and
continue reading tomorrow, everyone!
Vol. 1 - Chapter 187 - Report
Glover, believing it was necessary to report the details directly to the King, returned to the Royal Capital after changing his ns now that the threat of the Empire had passed.
¡°...That concludes my report.¡±
The people who were present were King Patrick, his advisor and Allen¡¯s homeroom teacher Godorfun, the Knight Captain Olina, and Allen¡¯s mentor and themander of the Third Legion, Dew.
While Patrick had been in a good mood during the progress report of the transport mission, his expression darkened significantly upon hearing Glover¡¯s report about Allen Rovenne¡¯s unprecedented move.
This matter had not beenmunicated to him through magic birds in fear of potential leaks.
¡°...I would like to think it was mere luck... but it seems too fortuitous to dismiss everything as a coincidence. To ce such a heavy burden on a child his age is quite troubling.¡±
Next to him, Captain Olina continued, her tone incredulous.
¡°...He''s far bolder than what I¡¯ve heard. If this matter leaks, our Kingdom¡¯s international standing will be in serious jeopardy. Even if we had been consulted beforehand, it would be impossible for us to approve such a thing. Frankly... I can''t imagine anyone with a sane mind attempting something like that, let alone effectively pulling it off.
Considering the circumstances, it seems he hadn''t conceived that n at least until he was ordered to move to the Roma Naval Port. Had he shown any sign of contemtion as if he was deep in thought beforehand?"
Glover firmly denied it.
¡°For the times that I had seen him, there were no unnatural signs, surprising enough. Cass, who was with him the whole time, was rather surprised at how rxed he was despite the nation¡¯s peril.
However... Looking back, perhaps that in itself was the unusual sign all along. Cass and I had seen his grim determination during the transport mission first-hand, so we really should have noticed it. That there had to have been a reason for him to act so nonchnt after putting in all that effort.¡±
Dew, sleep-deprived and with bloodshot eyes, which was amon trait of his, nodded in sympathy for Glover as he listened to the details and chimed in.
"Haha, finally had a taste of the bitterness I''ve been having eh, Glover? That brat is so adept at hiding his thoughts behind his carefree attitude that I, for the love of my life, can never figure out his ideas, and he definitely doesn''t have any self-restraint as well. His excuse has always been ''It was a coincidence'', ''It just kind of happened'', ''Aha, I was careless'', or ''U was a bit off...'' All of it had been so irritating that I was very close to giving him a beating so many times!
You know what? How about you take that brat under the Second Legion for a while? I think it would definitely straighten out that crooked personality of his when he finds himself surrounded by fellow ruffian sailors like himself who are more fussy about discipline¡ª¡±
¡°I refuse. He¡¯s beyond my capabilities¡ Moreover, he said sailing is just a hobby to him, and that his true forte is wind magic. Since that¡¯s the case, then his mentor can only be you, Dew, who has no rival in this Kingdom when ites to outer mana cirction and detection magic. I can now understand why even Sir Godorfun went against the established customs and enlisted him under your care."
Glover firmly rejected Dew''s suggestion.
¡°Hmm. I merely listened to his wishes and introduced him to Dew. I personally never assumed he would have such influence over the Kingdom''s state of affairs in a mere span of a few months, not even years. I don''t have such a irvoyance ability. It truly was once a series of coincidences."
Hearing Godorfun''s remark as he stroked his beard, Dew red at him.
"This¡ That brat has undoubtedly taken his infuriating, unmanageable aspect from you, Sir! What in the world have you been teaching them?!"
¡°...What¡¯s done is done. There¡¯s nothing we can do about it now. But frankly, this much is concrete: Our kingdom has been dragged back from the edge of the precipice.
However, if this is ever exposed, the Empire would undoubtedly publish an international bounty for his head. His extradition, if ever requested, is certainly not an option for us, but that would possibly trigger a war. After all, they couldy the me for the mutation of the Hellrowcast on us.
Furthermore, with the crisis of the Empire''s assassination attempts looming over his head, he will never be able to have a tranquil life. This absolutely has to be confined within our walls... Have you secured that civilian who was acting as their tour guide?¡±
Glover shook his head at Oliana''s query.
¡°We haven''t made any moves yet. They kept their identities as knights hidden, so it''s safe to assume that he also doesn''t know that the flight of the blue mingos was caused by Allen Rovenne''s wind magic. Cass, who had been following them, evaluated so.
It¡¯s impossible to identify all the witnesses, plus we risk unsavory things happening if we capture or persuade them without a concrete n. That could be a critical vulnerability in our current predicament, so I thought it would be better for me to return and seek your guidance.¡±
King Patrick immediately shook his head.
¡°I will never allow the arrest of innocent citizens who just happened to be at the wrong ce while my body still breathes. However... attempting to silence them without a n is also dangerous. In a way, that third party who happened to speak to him and witnessed the oue of that fishing contest is also a witness to his innocence.¡±
Olina, too, nodded at the side.
¡°...It¡¯s somewhat precarious, but we can only ce our hope on the scenario Allen Rovenne devised. Officially, we¡¯ll say that he was training at the Roma Naval Port. The fact that he raced against military ships in front of many witnesses will bolster his alibi.
However, we¡¯re still left with the mystery of his timing. Dew, you mentioned that his detection range through wind magic is gradually improving. Do you think he was aware of the situation at the scene several dozen kilometers away? His timing in driving away the blue mingos north perfectly coincided with the beginning of the chain-hatching due to the ident. It¡¯s hard to chalk it up as mere coincidence."
Dew showed a contemting expression.
¡°I think that is still beyond his capability... but I can¡¯t say for certain. He might have some hidden ace aside from wind magic detection. I hadn¡¯t heard of anything about the ship matter or that ¡®organization¡¯ behind Rose. Personally, I doubt that brat had grasped the details to that extent..."
''Speaking of which,'' King Patrick chimed in, seemingly figuring something out.
¡°...Perhaps¡ Perhaps I do have an idea. It''s that new, ssified magical tool that is currently being developed in secret at the Academy for Advanced Magical Tools. I can¡¯t divulge the details with you yet due to its confidentiality, but if that magical tool already exists¡
...Keep this to yourselves, but the researcher behind its development is actually Allen Rovenne¡¯s sister. I heard that it¡¯s a prototype only usable by highly skilled mage engineers, and mass production is impossible... but it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he secretly borrowed that prototype from her. Bringing it outside the academy is a serious crime, though¡ Hmm, is something the matter, Olina?¡±
Seeing Olina¡¯s troubled expression as she rested her chin on her hand, Patrick tilted his head in curiosity.
¡°No... It''s just, my grandchild holds Allen Rovenne¡¯s sister in high regard. I heard that he waspletely floored by her martial prowess when he went to visit Allen Rovenne''s home in the capital. So, I didn''t expect her to be a considerable genius in magic tool engineering. Maybe it shouldn''t be unexpected though......"
¡°...I won¡¯t go into details, but this is revolutionary research. If it leaks, not only the other countries, but even the unsavory elements within our Kingdom will take great risks to try and seize it with underhanded tactics. Therefore, until the technology is generalized, we¡¯re keeping it strictly confidential for her sake. I doubt she would carelessly spill anything, even if a friend of her brother drops by to hang out... but considering she¡¯s the sister of that trailzing Allen Rovenne, I can¡¯tpletely rule it out.
Keep an eye on the situation. If he learns anything, issue a royal decree to pass the gag order. Still, she defeated your grandchild, the champion of the Rising Star Cup, bare-handed, huh? Now I really want to meet Roselia Rovenne in person.¡±
Seeing Patrick¡¯s old habit ring up again, his blue eyes sparkling, Glover brought the conversation back on track.
¡°Ahem... Even if he somehow knew the situation at the scene, it seemed unlikely that he had the detailed information. You might have heard about it, but the shock he disyed when I told him about the tragic ident that befell his friend was too genuine to be mere acting. His change in attitude from flippant to grim certainly didn''t seem like a lie."
King Patrick grimaced.
¡°I received the report from Hugo. It¡¯s truly tragic what happened to this young man, having risen up for the sake of our Kingdom. For what he has aplished by his sacrifice, we must pay him respect as the representatives of the Kingdom¡ Have youe to a decision over him, Gramps?¡±
Godorfun¡¯s face contorted with sorrow.
¡°The decision regarding Aldol Engraver will be made at the staff meeting. There¡¯ll likely be many opposing opinions, and it¡¯ll be a bitter choice for me as well, but I believe we have no other option than to drop him to ss E at the next grade advancement period. ording to that boy''s temperament, keeping him in ss A regardless would only add insult to his injury and maintaining his slot out of pity would likely be more harmful than beneficial. This is the only conclusion I coulde to after having taught him up close for over a year."
¡°...Is there really no other way?¡±
Godorfun shook his head when King Patrick asked, his toneced with mncholy.
"There will be criticism from all over, that is for certain¡ You¡¯ve always been covering for us and taking all the me, Godorfun-san. It should''ve been you, not me, as the Supreme Commander of the Knights..."
Godorfun shook his head again as Olina said so with a sigh.
¡°Do not worry about this old man. However... With what I have seen, with their experiences, Aldol Engraver''s character, and his position in the ss¡ª this would be a change too painful for him, as well as the other kids.
As rational as those kids are, have sophisticated ways of thinking, they''re still kids by heart. I... can only watch over them, and it will be aggravating, but we can only pray for them in hopes that they can ovee this."
Out of habit, a cross-armed Dew picked on his ear, and blew on his fingertip before uttering.
"......Look at you, old man, haven¡¯t you been molded into the persona of a ''Teacher'' quite well?"
But no one reproached him for this impolite behavior in front of King Patrick.
T/N - Well, well. If anyone¡¯s wondering about Al¡¯s situation and everyone¡¯s reaction, it will have to wait. Author hasn¡¯t dumped everything in one chapter, rather it¡¯s more of gradual reaction and situation unfolding¡ªan overarching story point. As the title of thest chapter goes, it perhaps is origin story behind Al¡¯s title.
E/N - Well, ¡®The Great Cascade¡¯ never really screamed Ice Mage to me. My guess is that Al will probably transition to water magic after Allen builds him a prosthetic arm artifact. Who wants to bet?
Vol. 1 - Chapter 188 - Arrival (1)
Runereliya Central Station.
It was the Royal Capital¡¯s station and was by far the biggest train tform in the Kingdom with train tracks directly connected to all the nation''s major cities. Unlike the rtively peaceful capital, the station was dominated by the constant bustle of a crowd.
The station square had to be the busiest ce all day long no matter the season, with its space filled with passengers along with magic cars and carriagesing to see them off.
Today was the weekend, which brought in an evenrger crowd than usual. However, unlike other times, the station square was wrapped in an unusual atmosphere.
The reason was due to the presence of ''Empress'' Meria Dragoon of the Dragoon region. With her escorts by her side, she had set up her convoy right in front of the exit, the route disembarking passengers took.
¡ªJust who was the person that the Empress herself hade to meet?
The question naturally appeared in the minds of the passersby, a murmur breaking out among the crowd.
However, a quick look revealed she wasn¡¯t the sole noble present. Amidst the crowd, an amicable-looking old man donning a snug robe raised his voice to greet Meria.
"He is...... wait, is he Sir Godorfun the Buddha...?"
One of the onlookers guessed the identity of the old man, making the crowd noisier.
The overwhelming tense air continued to dominate the station until ten minutes after 10 AM. The arrival time of the direct train from Dragreid.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"How long has it been since west met, Meria? How are you doing? But to think a person of such illustrious standing as yourself would personallye to greet a mere viscount family, what a day to see. Don''t you fear tainting your reputation if word spreads?"
Hearing a nostalgic voice from behind, Meria harrumphed. Though the nostalgia wasn¡¯t due to fond remembrance, it was just that they were once ssmates in their time at the Royal Academy.
"...And here I wondered which dying insect¡¯s chirp just reached my ears, so it''s just you, Godorfun. Indeed, it has been a good while. But for all that is holy, would you mind not getting on my nerves today?
Surely, you must have heard of the shame I had to swallow during our seasonal local lords¡¯ meeting. When ites to that family, my honor has already been shredded. One time could have been a mishap, but I wouldn''t let shame get the better of me again.
Anyway, let''s not talk about me, so you''re out again withoutpanions, huh? Must be nice being a leisurely old man like you. But what''s the meaning of youing here and greeting a student''s parents? After bing a teacher of the Royal Academy, you need to at least make sure that no student will receive preferential treatment, alright?"
Godorfun narrowed his eyes, his hand stroking his white beard.
"Hohoho. A pot calling the kettle ck. I am here as the director of the Royal Academy, not as a ss teacher. As for my goal, then it''s simply to check if I can recruit them."
As soon as she heard Godorfun words, Meria''s face scowled in disgust.
"Tsk, so you know, huh? Maybe you should stop being a fly on everyone''s walls, old geezer. That said, while there''s no doubt about their talent... is that really the only reason for this personal visit?
But sheesh, that family is certainly going to be the death of me. Ever since word got out that that irksome family went out for a trip, our magic birds had been working overtime, from the countryside to Dragreid to the Royal Capital. They¡¯ve been so busy that those birds have lost so much weight despite them being trained precisely for such long flights! Do you know how manyints I have received from their breeder?!"
Godorfun, however, had a pleasant smile as his hand continued to slide down his white beard.
"Fuhahaha! It must have been a festive time for the handlers of the magic birds with all that postage¡ As for whether I¡¯m sure, it''s certainly impossible without meeting Sir Schord in person... though it seems that he doesn''t have any children."
But contrary to his ''uncertainty'', Godorfun''s expression was certainly that of rejoicing, akin to an excited child awaiting his parent''s arrival. Meria further scowled at his reaction.
"Hmph, I know no ordinary person can elicit such vagueness from you... As far as I¡¯ve heard from our scouts¡¯ reports, he seems like an average, good-natured old man, nothing special... But it could be another of his masks for all we know.
I don''t care anymore, however. Even if we had a chance before, it would be impossible to make him our Dragoon family''s exclusive tutor now no matter what tactic we use, considering he''s caught your eye. The world won''t allow it. Either way, I¡¯m more concerned about the Rovenne couple right now...
I''ve tried to summon them so many times, but each time, they would decline, citing excuses likeck of funds,ck of free time due to territory management, and they even had the audacity to use the maintenance of their kitchen garden as an excuse once. I couldn''t get them to meet me ever since that seasonal meeting. I had wondered if they were nning to migrate to another region, though all the reports stated that they truly were busy with management and farm work. It was as if social life wasn''t even within their range of activities."
Meria ranted in a begrudging tone.
But as a crafty noble that she was, there was always more to it than what she made things out to be.
She had already confirmed Allen''s father was a so-called ''gifted'' person from his past conduct after a detailed investigation. But, whether it was due to that blessing or maybe it was just his inherent nature, social life was never a priority in his schedule. Plus, he seemed to be strangely obsessed with the ubia Forest Mountain Range in his hometown.
As long as it was there, she believed their chances of migrating were rather low. However, despite her numerous political maneuvers to get Bellwood under her directmand, the situation remained a stalemate. His guard was far more solid than she had assumed.
She even suggested financing him with lucrative terms to safeguard the ubia Forest Mountain Range, which was apparently the Rovenne house''srger-than-life wish for generations. However, he turned down that offer with sophisticatednguage, saying that they needed a sustainable industry first, and due to that, he didn''t wish for urgent changes at the moment.
Though Meria believed these were Bellwood''s words, they originally came from Celia. After all, Bellwood had a salted fish-like nature, devoid of desire. Such a keen sense to realize the downsides of epting a high noble''s tempting proposal could only be from her.
"Fumu. Then again, that just means there''s something about the Rovenne family that''s worthy of such evaluation. Though that brat is a deviant, Sir Schold also appears to be an out-of-the-norm person. In fact, their entire family is crawling with unconventional people."
Godorfun uttered with a narrowed gaze.
"My word... I¡¯ve never been so annoyed with anyone before. Trying to increase their sphere of influence, making many acquaintances, scoring some sweet deals¡ª which among those wasn''tmon among nobles? But such is a double-edged sword. One must have the skill to wield it craftily, lest they try to reach for something beyond their capability and bring doom upon themselves.
Yet... theirck of desire is uncanny in itself, leaving almost no gap. The baffling thing? Their fame is still on the rise...... Say old man, if you¡¯ve figured something out from your sources, can you just tell me who in the world is Celia?"
Godorfun, however, didn''t show any inclination to say anything.
"Tsk... you really are insufferable. At least your past self had that faint cuteness to him. I still remember your nickname before, crybaby Godorf.
Ahh, whatever. I just need to discard my sense of shame. I¡¯m the only one among the Marquis who can appear so openly before them while the others can only gnash their teeth. It would be unbing of their status to meet a mere viscount whom they aren''t even acquainted with. I bet they have their ears in everyone¡¯s business, but it''s not as if they would dare interrupt me who''s meeting them merely for some *business*. Better not get in my way, old man."
Meria had just finished her remark in a gloating manner when the crowd once again buzzed as they parted to the side, opening a pathway for the arrival of another significant person.
Meria''s eye sharpened when she saw the neer.
"This is... quite a coincidence, eh, Sir Godorfun? Meria-san?"
It was Randy Von Dosperior walking toward them along with his son Eddie Dosperior.
Their glory days might have long passed, but they, too, were a Marquis family on par with the Dragoon. And when it came to bloodline legacy, the Dragoon was nowhere near the Dosperior.
"...What kind of wind has brought you here today, Randy? Surely, this ce isn''t under the jurisdiction of the Royal Guards. Pray tell, you just happened to pass by, right?"
Randy shook his head, his lips curled in a broad smile.
"Of course not, that would be boorish of me. I¡¯m just on a personal errand since it''s my day off."
"...It''s really a surpriseing from you. I know you value Allen Rovenne from what I''ve seen in the Marquis meeting... However, I do believe the fame of the Dosperior family isn''t so cheap as to personally visit a mere viscount couple, right? It stands true to the other Marquis too. I won''t nitpick on the code of nobility now, so make haste to your home for today."
The two Marquises'' gazes collided. And after a moment of ring at each other, Randy heaved a bitter sigh.
He erased the smile from his face, and in a barely audible tone, he whispered.
"I¡¯m here to meet my sister, one¡ª well, we had thought she died¡ So you have no right to butt into our affairs¡ to stop me from meeting my sister I could only helplessly leave to her fate before."
Abative aura emerged from the otherwise mild-mannered Randy. He had made himself clear: he wouldn''t be budging from here today.
Seeing as the atmosphere in the station square became intense, one of the police officers ¡ª he was watching the situation from a recently established police booth ¡ª hurriedly left for the nearby Central Military Post to get help.
On the other hand, Meria finally started to grasp the answers to all her questions.
"............So that¡¯s it. No wonder...... No wonder your exchange with Romario felt somewhat off. And you knew this already, Godorfun?"
Meria red at Godorfun as if she wanted to eat him alive.
However, Godorfun merely tilted his head in supposed confusion, remarking ''Maybe?'', leaving Meria to click her tongue in discontent.
The increasingly suffocating atmosphere of the station square showed no sign of abating.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 189 - Arrival (2)
"Hey, Dante-san, good morning. What in the world is going on? There''s quite an unsettling atmosphere here. Is there any foreign delegation or VIP arriving?"
I came to Runereliya Central Station along with my elder sister to wee our parents when I noticed the strange situation in the Station Square.
However, maybe because I epted her invitation toe here together, my sister was lost in her own world, disying a humorous expression instead.
Personally, I wasn''t in the mood to go out but... the only other option was to shut myself in the dorm with a depressed mood.
After arriving, I happened to see the kind, cleft-chinned Dante-san, and so I raised my voice in greeting. My question brought a bitter expression to his face.
"Hey, Allen-kun. Out on a date with your girlfriend? Speaking of which, good job on the transportation mission. I heard that the process was quite mind-boggling and revolutionary, but it¡¯s great to see you cheerful as usual¡ Well, I don''t know much either, we just arrived after we received the report. Dew-san is currently listening to the details."
I followed Dante-san''s gaze and spotted Master, his face contorted in a troubled expression. He was facing Godorfun-sensei, and Randy-san who was having a stare-off with a feline-eyed elderly nobledy. I don''t remember where, but I think I¡¯ve seen her before.
Meanwhile, my elder sister just made an embarrassed giggle, going ''Ehehe'' while clinging to my arm.
"......I¡¯m here with my sister to wee our parents who¡¯reing to the Royal Capital. Personally, I would like to stay away from that scene. Please don¡¯t tell Master of our presence."
I had whispered so to Dante-san when my sharp-eared Master suddenly turned his gaze at our direction, a blue vein bulging on his head, and beckoned us with a *gentle expression*.
Tsk, was he a bloodhound or what? How did he hear me despite the noisy background and distance was beyond me...
My range of detection has surpassed even Master¡¯stely. Nevertheless, I had to say his ability to pick up even minute details and perfectly adapt to the situation was incredible, especially now that I was trying to master it myself.
I heaved a sigh, and dragged my feet in his direction.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"You brat, you really have the gall to ignore me despite seeing me distraught, huh? As if my te wasn''t already stacked to the limit, now you''re bringing in even more headaches to solve!"
The very first words Master greeted me with started with a sermon.
"......I understand the situation pretty well, but can you not say it like it''s my fault, Master? Also, today¡¯s my day off, so I didn''t bring a mask with me. Wouldn''t it be a disaster if someone recognized my (Ren) persona? With that, I¡¯ll take my leave."
The station was a ce that constantly had an ongoing crowd, and as vast as the Royal Capital might be, someone could recognize me as Ren.
I could maybe brush off an allegation, stating I just happened to know them and I was just acting as a volunteer, but there was no way I could greet my parents if others kicked such a huge fuss like this.
So I was about to get away from the situation after stating my request, but Master stopped me by grabbing my shoulder.
"Not so fast, brat¡ Haa, I¡¯m rather surprised you''re so mindful of our current predicament. But that said, we¡¯ve already pinned down their backing a bit. If your identity gets out, so be it. I was just thinking it''s about time we took action. Being on the defensive all the time doesn¡¯t suit me well."
......I didn''t hear anything about this at all. So the Knight Order has already grasped the details of Rose''s backer.
"Well, our breakthrough in this game of hide-and-seek was when you caught that ruffian Zetsu."
He supplemented, seemingly seeing through my inner doubt.
Zetsu... Who the hell was this person?... Ah, wait, maybe it was the leader of the spies I caught during the outdoor sses, I guess?
But the heck, it''s just too wild that the spy I happened to capture actually had a connection with the idiots of Rose. As much as I had my questions, I refrained from saying them out loud and just nodded along in supposed understanding.
Setting aside Randy-san, the matter wasn''t something we should speak about in front of my sister or this feline-eyed nobledy.
And speaking of problem, the nobledy who had been stuck in a staring contest with Randy-san until a while ago, her eyes shining with a cat-like predatory glint deeply evoking a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu all over my body, was now giggling, which again evoked another series of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.
Putting two and two together, I was sure she was Marquis Dragoon, a blood rtive of Fey.
This reminded me of how many I turned down her dinner invitation thoroughly, without a shred of care. I think I was in trouble here.
Just as I was wracking my brain trying to figure out how to escape from this grim situation, my sister actively went to greet her.
"Well, you must be Marquis Meria Dragoon, I presume? Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Roselia Rovenne, a friend of Fey-chan."
Her greeting was fairly ordinary, though Marquis Dragoon epted it with a broad smile.
"Well yes, I am indeed Meria Dragoon. I¡¯ve heard about you from that girl as well. She truly looks up to you as the fellow magic tool engineer¡ I must say, you''re more adorable than I thought. Be good friends with Fey."
"Fufu, you''re no less adorable than Fey-chan, Miss Meria. Especially the contour of your eyes that''s like cut from the same cloth. It''s my dream to be as elegant of ady as you."
I felt my scalp tingle at the impolite exchange, but Marquis Dragoon instead broke intoughter.
"Pfft! Kahaha! No, ahahaha! Me, Meria Dragoon, adorable? Ahaha! You truly are something. I like your personality, Roselia. I would love to know more about you too."
......Fey really did inherit her grandmother¡¯s bloodline, huh? Even their characteristicughter was the same. But it didn¡¯t seem like she was as much of a hard-headed noble as I imagined her to be.
Following etiquette from my previous life with a business-like smile on my face, I bit the bullet.
"I''m Allen Rovenne! Thank you very much for supporting my parents!"
I turned to say my greeting with a brisk voice, however, that only elicited a fed-up sigh from Marquis Dragoon.
"...Cease your superficial attitude and smile. Sheesh, that annoyed expression you had earlier really looked like Bellwood''s. How about you learn to be more affable from your sister?"
She saw!?
Well, I certainly thought this was a bothersome situation.
For a while, we exchanged greetings and words, and soon saw a new crowd emerging from the station, seemingly the passengers arriving from Dragreid.
However, feeling the stiff atmosphere in the Station Square, the crowd immediately made haste for the exit, trying to avoid getting caught in whatever storm was brewing there.
After a moment of wait, we finally saw three familiar faces: Mother, father...and Schord for some iprehensible reason.
I was about to raise my voice and greet them, however, someone dashed before me sharply akin to an arrow.
"Celia!!"
Seeing Randy-san sprinting toward my mother with a moved expression, I stopped, bracing myself for the impact of a tear-filled reunion. However¡ª
¡ô¡ô¡ô
My mother nimbly dodged Randy-san¡¯s extended arms, probably to catch her in a hug, as she side-stepped.
The thought that his sister, separated from him for nearly 30 years, would dodge his hug must not have urred to him.
Randy Von Dosperior, the chief captain of the Royal Guards and the head of the Dosperior family, which carried on its longstanding tradition as one of the Original Five, tripped on the station, carried away by the momentum.
A deathly silence fell upon us as well as the crowd filling the peanut gallery.
My wind magic immediately caught the nervous gulps hundreds of people took at once. Fearful expressions covered their face as they realized that they had just seen something they shouldn''t have.
Even Dante-san by our side made a heavy gulp.
"Dew-san... that footwork..."
"On point... That was a skillful maneuver... You brat, why in the world do you only know that stinking swordsmanship from the hintends when you were raised by that person?"
And you''re actually impressed?!
No, that wasn''t the question I should ask... If anything, maybe I should change my evaluation of them. These people were nutspared to the normal humans I presumed them to be.
"She was never fussy about my martial arts training. Well, she was never good at teaching others as well. Though you probably won''t understand the feelings of an ordinary person¡ Let''s stop talking about me, what should we do about the current situation...?"
Frankly, If I was in Randy-san''s shoes, I wouldn''t get up on my feet ever again, unless someone pulled me up. I mean, that was so embarrassing.
But I guess that was just me. Randy-san leapt up to his feet with a content expression, and jumped toward my mother with a smile.
"Celia!! I¡¯m soooo d you''re still alive, I! I¡ª!!"
However, my mother halted the advance of his loving embrace by catching Randy-san''s face in her iron w, and said her words in a rather chilly tone.
"It''s great to see you after so long, dearest brother. But would you mind exining this disgraceful behavior you''ve been disying despite being the head of the Dosperior family? Please be serious."
But, despite being caught in the iron grip of my mother''s left hand, the light in Randy-san''s eyes remained constant, and without heeding the public''s gaze, he just uttered an ''Uhh~'' groan while tears continued to trickle down his cheeks.
"............So it''s hereditary?"
I unwittingly murmured so when my elder sister puffed her faintly red cheeks, and pinched my arm she had been holding on to.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"*A-Ahem*. Nice to meet you, Aunt Cecilia. I''m Eddie Dosperior. Ever since my father heard of your survival, he has mentioned it every day with great joy. So I hope for your understanding.
And Father, please calm down! Aunt is right, you''re being disgraceful in public! This was why I urged you to hold back froming here!"
Finally, when Eddie-san dragged Randy-san back with force, the coldness in my mother''s eyes adopted a familiar affectionate gaze.
"I¡¯m Cecilia. So, that should make you a cousin of our children. There¡¯s quite an age gap, but I hope you can get along with them."
"That much is obvious."
Eddie-san promptly nodded with a smile.
After giving a single nod, my mother walked toward us with aposed gait.
"Rose. Allen. You''re here to greet us? It''s great to see you two again after so long."
Then she ced a hand on my head, gently embraced me, before murmuring¡ª
"...You currently have quite a terrible expression. But I¡¯m proud of you¡ You¡¯ve grown strong."
My movements stopped.
She just arrived, so she should have no way of knowing anything about the mission.
"......Why do you say that?"
I asked, barely squeezing the words out of my dry lips.
"I''m your mother, after all. A nce is enough for me to know everything¡ You seem to have held yourself very well."
It was a strange feeling. Her praise unwittingly brought tears to my eyes, so I hurriedly wiped them with my sleeve.
''Oh dear,'' my mother chuckled softly, offering me a handkerchief.
She really was invincible.
T/N - True enough, the whole family¡ªleaving the supposedly normal elder brothers, I guess¡ªseems one of a kind.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 190 - Arrival (3)
The mutter in Station Square became louder as the crowd heard the woman, who seemed to be Allen Rovenne''s mother, call Randy Von Dosperior brother.
While everyone was focused on Celia''s actions, Godorfun calmly stepped forward.
Even though he still had that friendly, neighborhood grandpa look, a close examination would reveal tension building beneath the surface, as though he were on a battlefield.
Godorfun walked directly up to Schord and, beaming, offered his right hand.
"Fuhaha. It''s an honor to meet you, Mr. Schord Bainfaust. I''m Godorfun Von Wangyus, the director of the Royal Academy. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Once more, the peanut gallery was in a frenzy.
"Schord Bainfaust......? I''ve never heard of him..."
"You dimwit! He''s him! The one who trained Allen Rovenne and likely the No.1 private tutor in the whole kingdom!"
"Ah, the inventor of ''Unceasing Prudence''... He looks more normal than I thought."
¡°The one who pulled Allen Rovenne from the brink of failure in merely three months and helped him score an A in the theoretical portion of the exam. He had developed to the point where he was used of cheating¡¡±
Schord epted the greeting with a smile.
Lately, the sternness akin to a hell prison guard he used to show had lightened up after teaching two of the Rovenne family''s children and eventually even fulfilling their dearest wish of qualifying for the Royal Academy. At present, his expression was like that of spring breaking out from the shell of winter.
Now that he won''t be teaching anyone for a good while, he was almost a full-time steward of the Rovenne house.
Perhaps he was influenced by the mad dash he apanied the awakened Allen in along with thetter¡¯s eventual eptance into the Academy, but Schord didn''t look fazed facing Godorfun.
"Schord Bainfaust¡ I have heard about you, Sir Godorfun, the young master''s ss teacher. I am honored that you havee to greet me, a mere insignificant person. Every time I hear rumors about the young master, I was happy to hear that he has found such an iconic teacher. He might be mischievous, but please continue to guide him as before."
Seeing Schord follow up with a deep but precise bow of courtesy, Godorfun shook his head.
"I barely even taught him anything. His ''spirit'' was trained by you, Mr. Schord, and without your lessons he wouldn''t have progressed as far as he has. To be honest, I would much rather youe to the Academy to impart your outstanding knowledge and wisdom to the children there for the benefit of the kingdom. Will you consider it?"
As Godorfun made his intention clear, Dew ¡ª who was listening to their conversation from behind while picking his ear with a pinkie ¡ª chimed in.
¡°......Hey, hey, are you insane, old man? Your experienced eyes should surely be able to see through this fake private tutor. If you do end up giving him a position of status, you run the risk of receiving a strike against you.¡±
A blue vein popped on Godorfun''s forehead immediately as he directed an insane level of intimidation toward Dew.
" "Eeeekkk!!" "
Screams came from the peanut gallery.
"......My word, to have such a condescending tone against someone I consider to be my spiritual guide¡ Who the hell do you think you are, my superior?"
However, before the confrontation could escte further, Schord promptly moved to calm Godorfun down.
"It''s alright, Sir Godorfun. It seems we just have some misunderstanding between us. This person is right, I don¡¯t have any exceptional strength within me. Rather it was the young master¡¯s spirit that made everything possible. This old warrior merely supported him in his journey for a short while."
¡®...He has quite a lot of guts to calm Sir Godorfun down when he''s releasing a torrent of bloodlust¡¡¯
Dante quipped mentally as he watched Schord, who still had a smile stered on his face. He was certain the old man was not a master of physical prowess. However, he certainly wasn¡¯t the insignificant person his words made him out to be.
He was also surprised at the exceptional resistance of the people of the Rovenne house to the intimidating pressure. Though the answer to that was simple. Having been baptized by the staggering amount of bloodlust Celia would release each time she caught Bellwood trying to be chummy with the local girls, resistance would naturally build up over time.
"Hey, look. The person himself acknowledged it! Believe it or not, that brat definitely cheated on the exam! This should make our wager null and void. I shouldn''t be liable for anything!"
As Dew tried to clear off the end result of the wager with bloodshot eyes, the light vanished from Schord''s eyes.
"......What... do you mean by that?"
His expression was still twisted into a smile, but something else entirely was brewing at the depths of his eyes.
His nonchnt vibe from earlier disappeared, leaving only a palpable presence.
"W-Well, I mean, I¡¯m not asking to be paid back thiste, but the wager can surely be made void¡ª"
Schord fixed his gaze on Dew and walked up to him as he repeated himself.
"... What were you implying with your words earlier? This old soldier''s ears have been failing recently so I wanted to make sure. Did I hear a cheating allegation against the young master?...... Can you give me an exnation?"
Soon, even the smile vanished from Schord''s face.
Dante, who had been watching the situation unfold, hastily squeezed himself in between the two.
"P-Please calm down, Schord-san. Dew-san was just making his typical tactless joke. No one among the teachers of the Royal Academy doubts Allen-kun''s academic prowess after the entrance exam. If anything, Dew-san acknowledges his wit just as much. Come on Dew-san, apologize."
However, Schord''s gaze remained fixed on Dew as he watched him at close range.
Schord wasn''t really trying to pressure thetter. He genuinely wanted to understand the nuance of Dew¡¯s words. It was just that the zed look in his eyes was unsettling.
After a brief stare-off, Dew surrendered.
"Tsk!... Alright, it''s my fault, my loss. For crying out loud, we can''t even fight! You know that already! Ain''t no way I would bore myself to death with an argument! Aargh, I swear no one rted to that brat is sane..."
Dew''s expression scrunched up as he cleared himself, the air around Schord finally loosened, his tight expression breaking into a smile.
"Good heavens! So you''re the one the young master pestered to be his master. This might be audaciousing from this lowly Schord, but I was extremely happy when I heard about the news back in the Rovenne territory. I implore you to keep guiding the young master in the future."
Schord performed a precise bow to Dew.
"Fuhaha! You''re still wet behind the ears, Dew. Anyway, how long do you n to stay in the Royal Capital, Master Schord?"
Godorfun, meanwhile, justughed at the whole situation and resumed his conversation with Schord, a hearty smile hanging on his lips.
"......Hold on, Bellwood. Where do you think you''re going?"
Meria immediately called Bellwood out as thetter tried to sneak away while taking advantage of the confusion.
"......O-Oh goodness! What a coincidence meeting you here, Your Excellency. I didn''t expect to see you here, so I was oblivious to your presence."
Meria wistfully nced at the sky.
"Do you have any idea what kind of impression you¡¯re giving to everyone who''s waiting for you in the Royal Capital with your current conduct?...... I can''t. Someone juste and teach this man how to behave properly."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Soon after, the news of the Rovenne couple''s arrival in the Royal Capital, apanied by the Master of ?Unceasing Prudence?, reached everyone and their mothers. Simrly, the true identity of Allen''s mother did not remain a secret.
Celia''s status as a true member of the Dopserior family came as a shock to everyone. In a sh, the Rovenne Estate in the Royal Capital received an avnche of requests from individuals wanting to meet them. Nevertheless, all but a certain part of the nobility and influential people distanced themselves from the Rovennes.
The reason¡ª they were scared.
It was the behavior of the entire family that had them on their toes. Celia, Allen''s mother, despite being the blood-rted sister of the head of the Dosperior family, didn''t hesitate in catching Randy Von Dosperior¡¯s face in an iron grip, pushing him to tears. Then, the ''Unceasing Prudence'' Schord made Dew Owiel, the Commander of the 3rd Legion, apologize for his unsavory remarks.
And cherry on the cake was that their family head, Bellwood, treated the entire affair like it had nothing to do with him and even turned a blind eye to his lord, Her Excellency Meria, vanishing into the crowd.
¡ªIt was a family of crazy heads.
Anyone who has heard of what happened, which sounded no less than a joke, clearly understood that approaching such a family would be nothing short of suicidal.
¡ªAt this point, I was the only ordinary human among my insane family.
The next day in the Academy, this was how Allen Rovenne exined himself to his friends.
T/N - Damn, I thought there would be another zing, but wow, crazy heads. That actually was an apt description.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 191 - Cecilia Dosperior
It was a little over twenty years ago, in the early spring.
In the capital of Marquis Dosperior¡¯s territory ¡ª the old royal capital Rabeldin ¡ª Cecilia Dosperior was celebrating her 16th birthday.
"Happy 16th birthday, Cecilia. Have you decided on your birthday present?"
The scene was in the dining room, with only three people ¡ª her mother Frelia, her brother Randy, and Cecilia herself ¡ª seated at therge dining table.
The dining table was decorated with a traditional stew of the Dosperior, in bread, and sweets.
The only other people in the house were the head maid Anna and the head chef Mesai¡ª just a few select individuals. The vast dining hall gave off a somewhat lonely atmosphere. Even for the servants, there was only the maid Anna and the chef Mesai in the huge dining room, giving the scene a deste touch.
This was all out of consideration for Cecilia, who recently came to dislike luxurious meals and avoided appearing in front ofrge groups of people.
Since Vardi, Cecilia''s father, had died in thest great war, his wife Frelia inherited the title of Marquis, while Randy inherited the title of ¡®Von,¡¯ which symbolized the heir of the noble house.
Cecilia coughed a little, but her face was unusually bright as she nodded.
"Yes, I¡¯ve decided. You won''t go back on your word, right? That you willply with any of my wishes."
As they looked at Cecilia''s yful gesture, Frelia and Randy exchanged nces, their faces morphed into happy grins. They hadn''t expected any fuss from her since she had recently adopted a more pensive mood after being made aware of the grim reality of her impending death.
That was what had happened on herst birthday. Cecilia just said ''I¡¯ll think about it,'' but as time passed, she never made her request.
¡°Y-You just have to say it! No matter what it is, this brother of yours won''t let you down! Yes, even if you want a dragon egg, I¡¯ll get it for you.¡±
Randy, who was still young, stood up and dered so with a puffed chest, causing Cecilia to smile yfully.
"Take it easy brother. You¡¯re the heir of the Desperior family, a very crucial position. You¡¯ll only make Mother worry about you if you put yourself in danger without a second thought."
"You shouldn¡¯t care about such things! Besides, men of the Dosperior family aren¡¯t cowards, especially its heir. For you, my adorable sister, I¡¯ll dly charge into a dragon''s nest! Just say the word!"
Frelia let out a sigh.
"Sit down, Randy. Cecilia is right. Courage and recklessness are two different things. If it''s something that can be bought with money, then just buy it. Anyway, Cecilia, what do you want for your present?"
Cecilia nodded with a determined look on her face.
"My wish... is to go on a journey. I only have about one year left to live. I don¡¯t want to sit here in my hometown and quietly wait for my death. I want to see the nation that Father¡ that the Dosperior family has risked their lives to protect. Please let me do this."
"Th-That is..."
Frelia and Randy were left speechless upon hearing Cecilia''s wish.
Her illness had already progressed to a severe stage, and embarking on a journey now was nothing short of a death sentence given her current condition.
Randy''s face twisted in agony, but he shook his head.
"No... no, I can''t allow this. At least, you can still rest here, and live for one more year. I want you to live for as long as possible, Cecilia."
"That would be no different to me being dead already."
Cecilia stared directly into her brother''s eyes as she spoke, her voice unwavering.
"I want to live the remainder of my life on my own terms, even if it shortens my miniscule one year of life into half a year. I want to live my remaining life with purpose."
Randy was momentarily stunned by the intense determination in his sister''s gaze. But he looked away, once again shaking his head.
"...Please understand, Cecilia. There¡¯s still a tiny bit of chance that a cure could be found in due time. No matter how slim the hope, I won''t ever give up on your life."
The mana copse disease Cecilia had contracted was said to be incurable.
Whether it was trying out all sorts of medicine from cheap to expensive ones, or healing magic from high-ranking priests, the Dosperior family had already exhausted every possible method they could think of.
Cecilia epted every treatment her mother and brother had arranged ¡ª some of which were painful or had severe side effects ¡ª without a singleint.
Yet, despite all their efforts, there was no stopping her disease, and now, here they were.
"Please... allow me thisst act of selfishness."
Cecilia spoke again, her voice subdued, trying to keep her emotions in check.
"...You''re the head of the family, Randy. The final say rests on your hands."
As Frelia uttered this, Celia repeated her request to her brother.
"...Please, brother."
As a tear fell down Cecilia''s cheek, Randy''s expression twisted in grief.
Tears. It was the first in a very long time that his brave little sister had cried to him.
She had not shed a tear ever since the night she was diagnosed with the mana copse disease before she turned nine. At that time, she slipped into his bed and quietly sobbed on his back.
As for Randy, he cried more than Cecilia herself. But perhaps it was due to this that Cecilia never cried again since then.
To date, he still felt regret for that night. He had cried so pathetically like a child that he even robbed her sister of her tears.
".........Give me some time to think."
Randy said, barely holding on to his own tears, and quickly left the dining room. But once outside, his tears gushed forth like a broken dam.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The next morning.
When the eastern sky was still dyed in white akin to the belly of a fish, Frelia called Cecilia who was quietly sneaking her way out from the back door.
"So you''ve made up your mind to go on a journey."
"Mother... How did you know?"
Frelia approached her with a wry expression.
"I am your mother for crying out loud. How could I not know what''s going on inside your head? You wouldn''t want Randy to make a decision, after all. With how much he adores you, any decision he makes will only carve another deep wound in his heart."
Exining so, she took Cecilia into a strong embrace.
"I love you, Cecilia. You are stout-hearted, but just as kind. You are our pride. I''m sure if he had been alive, your father would have encouraged you just as much."
"...Thank you for understanding, Mother. Please tell brother¡ that I¡¯m sorry for leaving without saying goodbye."
Frelia chuckled.
"Don¡¯t sweat it. Given Randy, I bet he would rather follow you to the end of the world, rendering any farewell hopeless."
"Haha. I bet he will¡ I¡¯ll pray for your eternal health, mother. I''m leaving now!"
Frelia watched her daughter walk away, her fingers inteced. She then raised her hands to her face, bending her knees slightly in an old knight¡¯s salute.
"Take care of yourself, Cecilia. May your journey be safe."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Where do you think you''re going without an escort, youngdy?"
As Cecilia stood in line at the riverbank ferry, someone approached her from behind.
Turning around, she saw Dio carrying his spear on his back and dressed for travel, luggage in tow.
Dio was five years older than Cecilia and came from the Ringart family, a vassal family of the Dosperior household. From a young age, he had been rigorously trained to one day serve Cecilia as her personal guard.
"Dio... Why are you here?... Is that my luggage?"
Dio nodded.
"Randy-sama visited metest night and said that the youngdy would attempt to sneak out in the morning for sure. He also said that you''re still very much unaware of the world, being the sheltered princess that you are, and that you would struggle if you were left alone. So he asked me to stay by your side."
Cecilia was surprised. She couldn''t believe her brother had foreseen what she would do.
All sorts of emotions welled up inside her, but¡ª
"Aha, I can''t have you making such expressions, youngdy. And the Master''s concerns weren¡¯t unfounded. Standing here without any luggage and lining up for the ferry without purchasing a ticket. There is no end to the riffraff and scoundrels that would take advantage of you. It''s unthinkable to let you go out without a follower.
Society outside needs more than just brawn to weave your way through. ''As much as I would like to dispatch hundreds of attendants with her, that girl would never ept it.'' These were the words of Randy-sama, so please ept his kind intentions."
"...I¡¯m merely treading on my path to death, so yourpany is for naught, even for you. Please convey my strong reluctan¡ª"
As Cecilia tried to refuse, Dio gave off an aura that could almost be described as anger.
"Until a while back, I, Dio Ringart, was... prepared to follow the youngdy to her grave. But I had to rethink my conviction after my conversation with Randy-sama. Now, I would like to watch how you will draw your life from this point onward, youngdy, and... when that end arrives, I will convey the details to Randy-sama and Frelia-sama.
At the very least, the tales of your travel would soothe, even if only by a small amount, the wounded hearts of the Dosperior family which has be so deste and grief-stricken after losing their light."
"......Understood. I appreciate your devotion, but you have to live your own life once you pass the news of my departure to them¡ And I bet he must be watching us from up there right now."
Cecilia turned toward the central part of the city where the towering Rabeldin Tower stood, and waved with a smile.
The tower, being the tomb of their ancestor and harboring a multitude of secrets and legends within, was a ce of significant meaning for the Dosperior family.
The top of the tower provided an overview of the entire city in all directions.
Cecilia knew that even if her eyes couldn''t see that far, her brother must be watching her through a telescope, shedding tears with a smile.
E/N - You thought it was the trantor, but it was I, Dio¡ª- *cough cough* I mean the editor! But seriously, do you guys still remember that explorer who escorted Allen to Dragreid in the earlier chapters?
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and
continue reading tomorrow, everyone!
Vol. 1 - Chapter 192 - Cecilias Resolve (1)
Returning to the present at the Station Square on the day the Rovenne couple and Schord arrived at the Royal Capital.
Randy promptly suggested that they hold a banquet, calling every influential person from the Dosperior territory, and announce his sister¡¯s survival on the joyous asion.
However, Cecilia refused this suggestion.
"Our Rovenne family is a local of the Dragoon territory first before anything else. It would be a travesty to join another noble''s banquet before even greeting Her Excellency. There''s an order to everything."
Hearing Cecilia speaking so resolutely, Meria''s expression, which was twisted in bitterness, promptly glowed up.
"Now this is why I prefer you, Cecilia! Of course, as someone I have recognized, you know how to progress with the situation."
She said as she sent a sharp re in Randy''s direction. Randy shrugged his shoulders.
"Haa. My sole reason for rushing here was to confirm Cecilia''s wellbeing. It was impossible for me to sit still after what we had been through, so rest assured that my actions weren''t meant to antagonize you, Lady Meria.
A couple more days¡¯ dy is hardly a problem. In fact, it''ll be much better for us since I¡¯ll have enough time to prepare a grand banquet¡ª¡±
Before Randy could finish, Cecilia shook her head once more.
"My time for extravagant banquets has long passed. The kids are the new stars of this generation. The future of our Rovenne family will be in their capable hands. This is the policy Bell has decided for our Rovenne family."
She gently ced her hands on the shoulders of Allen and Rose.
''Of course, that shifty dad of mine would throw this sort of rubbish to us,'' was Allen''s thought, unsurprisingly. Meanwhile, Randy was at loss for words at the unapproachable attitude of Cecilia as he nced at her face which still had that adorable smile she used to show him.
"......I did guess that there must be some kind of special circumstance when you didn''t even send word of your survival. No matter, as I had Allen tell you, I won''t ask you to assume your duties as one of the Dosperior. I''m just¡ª your brother is beyond happy to see you alive.
So... at the very least, would you not tell me everything? Why was there no word from you all these years? What was the reason?¡±
Now that Cecilia¡¯s survival had been confirmed, Randy, as the head of the Dosperior family, needed to urately grasp the facts and prepare an exnation that could be used both internally and externally.
Cecilia briefly lowered her gaze with a hint of sadness, then turned to Meria.
"...As long as you''re following the formalities, there''s no need to stand on ceremony for every single thing."
Meria dered, not yet fully informed about the situation.
¡°I understand. However, this isn¡¯t something that can be discussed here. Tomorrow, I will visit Her Excellency with Bell to officially offer our greetings. If you coulde to our house the day after tomorrow, I¡¯ll exin everything then. I would appreciate it if you could make the visit unofficial so that it doesn¡¯t be too much of a formal matter.¡±
Cecilia said.
...Randy''s initial n was to invite them to the Dosperior Estate, but Cecilia''s words made him doubt, and he ultimately swallowed hisint when he saw her resolute gaze.
It seemed that there was some kind of reason behind all this.
¡°I understand. I¡¯ll contact you again about the details and the timing.¡±
With the situation between the nobles temporarily settled, the crowd of onlookers, which had been growing noisy and excited, was dismissed as well for the time being.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
On the night of the 3rd day since the arrival of the Rovenne couple in the Royal Capital, Randy made an informal visit to their residence in secrecy.
He was apanied by Eddie as usual.
Bellwood, the head of the household, and Cecilia came out to greet them.
On a side note, Allen had intended to skip the conversation here, guessing that the meeting would only be another pit of troubles. However, when asked by Cecilia, ''Will you be here for the talk, Allen? Personally, I would also like you to hear the details as well,'' he could only reply with ''I will''. And so he came home from the Academy after his sses.
¡°Please excuse the humble nature of our home. Please make yourselffortable.¡±
Bellwood was being formal tonight, perhaps because he was seeing his brother-inw who dotted so much on his wife for the first time.
¡°There¡¯s no need to be so formal between family members.
Ah, by the way, I¡¯ve heard that my dear sister¡¯s husband enjoys bread, so I brought some as a gift. Lately, soft ¡®corner bread¡¯ has be popr in the Royal Capital, but I must admit, I¡¯m not too fond of it. The souvenir bread I bought is made with wheat grown from our region, baked using traditional methods. I hope it suits your taste¡¡±
Receiving the hint from Randy, Eddie pushed forward a basket of bread. A sweet smell wafted in the air, making Bellwood''s eyes gleam immediately.
"Goodness! Truly befitting of the Dosperior region, the breadbasket of the Yuglia Kingdom. The smell alone is divine. I do enjoy trendy foods, but I¡¯m also quite fond of traditional bread.¡±
He immediately tore the bread in half, and pressed his nose against the cut surface.
¡°Mmm, the fragrance of this freshly baked bread is so... irresistible! And given the depth andplexity of its aroma... the flour used must have at least three¡ no, four types of wheat. How is my guess?"
Randy and the others were dumbfounded.
"...You''re not setting a good example, Bell. Also, why would you assume that the head of the Dosperior family would know something like wheatposition."
A reprimand from Cecilia, however, had Bellwood awkwardly scratching his head, making the others chuckle.
"Hahaha! No, it''s fine, Cecilia. It just shows that our gift was on point if anything, which is all that matters. These bread were baked by our head chef with all his devotion just for this asion. I¡¯m sure he would be beyond pleased to hear your words."
Cecilia showed an astonished expression as Randy said this while quietly ncing at her.
"...Mesai is still baking bread to this day?"
Randy shook his hand with a wry smile.
¡°No, no, of course not. He''s just as prone to the passage of time as the rest of us, so he had to pass his position on to his disciple. That said, he came to the Royal Capital just for today. He was quite persistent in taking over the duty of preparing the dishes for the banquet meant to announce your survival after I had a talk with him. Well, the banquet didn''t push through, so he baked these bread instead."
As Randy talked, his expression grew somber.
"......Don¡¯t you think it''s time, Cecilia? What... actually happened back then?"
Cecilia gave a nod, and with a determined expression, she spun her words.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After leaving Rabeldin behind me that day, I aimed for the Dragoon territory in the south.
With winter approaching, I felt that traveling north would be too taxing on my body, and I was more curious about the life of the people outside the Dosperior territory than that of the Royal Capital in the west.
However, being unustomed to travel as I was, my disease worsened at a far quicker rate than I had presumed.
It was when I was aimless traveling to the south while following the highway that I realized I would no longer be a person by the time spring arrived.
I made a stop at a certain, inconspicuous countryside governed by Viscount Moonlit, when a rumor reached my ear. Apparently there was a vast, virgin forest ¡ª the ubia mountain forest range ¡ª beyond the mountain adjacent to the inn town.
I had no particr reason why it caught my interest. Perhaps I felt the tug of destiny when I heard that the forest had been there since ancient times, still held a nearly untouched habitat, and was home to many extraordinary lifeforms.
¡I believed that the forest was a suitable ce for my deathbed.
But¡ª
In that beautiful forest, I met Bell.
I¡¯ll leave the details forter, but Bell served me a medicinal soup made from various ingredients found in the ubia forest, which was said to have nourishing properties.
Thanks to that, I managed to survive the winter and made it through to summer. Then one day, Bell and I discovered something¡ªwell, stumbled on to it would be a better description.
We learned that was a certain vegetable that rarely grew in the summer which was... effective against the Mana Copse disease.
Bell went through all the past records of the Rovenne house and gathered all the ingredients for me. He then processed them into various forms, such as salted and powdered, so that I could take them regrly.
Following the sudden discovery along with Bell''s care, my illness was almostpletely healed by the next summer.
¡I immediately thought of writing a letter to you. I wanted to inform you of the miracle that happened to me, and dispel the gloom of the Dosperior house.
But, we encountered a problem the next summer. The ingredient meant to cure me was extremely hard to find. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that it was an endangered species.
It was clear that the overharvesting done to save my life had caused this.
After that, Bell imposed strict limits on the collection of this particr ingredient.
The effort had indeed helped salvage the situation, and now their number had reached the previous distribution range.
In the end, I decided to keep the matter a secret.
In my case, I was fortunate enough that the ingredient didn¡¯t be extinct, but there was no telling what would happen the second time around.
Even if it was just within the Kingdom, hundreds of children die every year from this disease. If we include the other nations, the number of victims would undoubtedly be even higher.
If the existence of a cure became widely known, it would undoubtedly be traded at an astronomical price. And once that happened, there was no way to stop the overharvesting of this ingredient.
You couldn''t bring something back once it was lost. This was why I kept my survival a secret.
At the time when my disease was said to be incurable, my survival would be noted as something more than just a miracle. It would be followed by an extensive investigation for sure. After all, this was a disease for which there was no known cure.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"At present, Bell is doing all that he can to grow the ingredient artificially."
With these words, Cecilia concluded her story.
E/N - Interesting. So that''s why they''re so obsessed with that mountain range. What do you guys think about Cecilia''s story? Personally, the fact that she didn''t even secretly inform her family of her survival showed just how little she trusted them.
T/N - Well, the intricate circumstances. Next chapter will solve it why she didn''t tell them. Though, I guess yeah. Treatment seems a bit cold.
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and
continue reading tomorrow, everyone!
Vol. 1 - Chapter 193 - Cecilia’s Resolve (2)
"At present, Bell is doing all that he can to grow the ingredients artificially. There''s no assurance that his research will seed in the future, but there has been some tangible progress."
Cecilia concluded her exnation.
Randy had more or less guessed the reason in a corner of his mind when he heard of Cecilia''s survival. Eddie should''ve reached the same conclusion as well, though he was hesitant to put it into words.
There was little they hadn''t done in their search for a cure. The higher the expectations they ced on the various cures they''ve found, the deeper the despair they experienced after they failed. The search for a cure for the Mana Copse disease had been arduous for the Dosperior family.
To think that the solution had always been present since 20 years ago.
"...Why? If not anyone else, you could have at least contacted me? You should know better than anyone else the human and financial resources that I have at my disposal¡ª"
However, Cecilia shook her head at Randy''s words.
"There''s just no researcher better than Bell when ites to the endangered flora of the ubia region. And as I mentioned, you couldn''t harvest too much. We couldn''t trust others too much, and we had no assurance that the research would bear fruit, even if we counted on your support. Moreover, the bigger concern was that¡ª"
With a pause, Cecilia squinted and stared right into her brother''s eyes.
"When the solution is right in front of you, would you pretend to not see it? You wouldn''t have put your faith in a research which could turn out to be useless had you known about it before my departure. You would have done everything you could to try and procure one for me."
Randy faltered in front of Cecilia''s question.
"...This is by no means a justification. No doubt that many lives that could have been saved were lost since I turned them away myself while I lived a carefree life. Bell had prompted me many times to let you know. But, I¡ª I wanted to cut this cycle for good. I''ve lived at that moment of sadness with no hope long enough.
Who knows if my decision was actually correct, or if I was just a frog in the bottom of the well. Nevertheless, this is the path I believe in. I won''t waver even if¡ª"
Cecilia paused, then quietly delivered the end of her exnation with a resolute gaze.
"¡ªEven if that means going against you, brother. I won''t let my resolve waver for anyone, not even you, dear brother."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Randy then broke the depressing silence.
"...Huh, I guess that''s why your attitude was so cold back at the station. You''re right, amicable talk doesn¡¯t fit within the walls of the Dosperior family¡ª the family that has grieved over their child or grandchild in these couple of decades...... That is indeed a good resolve."
He looked back at Cecilia with an intense gaze.
Cecilia, too, confronted his gaze and simply nodded.
"But... why now? Why did you stop hiding?"
The question should''ve been obvious to Cecilia as she replied in a t tone.
"I couldn''t bring myself to shackle these kids when they''ve just taken their flight for their futures just for my determination. When the result came out... when Allen got into ss A, I knew this time woulde. It was only a matter of time before you or the others learned about me. The blood of the Dosperior running in Allen was that thick as he made strides to be a knight.
Admittedly, I wasn''t expecting this day toe so soon, but it was either now or another day in the near future. I had thought of muddying the waters with another rumor to earn some more time, but keeping a secret and lying are two different things. The lie we told today to keep kids'' identities hidden might give rise to problems when the information inevitably gets unearthed after Bellpletes his research.
It could be used to pull them down in the future. I decided that now was the time to discuss it with the kids, and with you."
Cecilia paused yet again, but this time her face was dyed in pure white as she gave off an intimidating aura.
"You can me me all you want. However, these kids are innocent, so if you ever have any thoughts¡ª"
Briefly, an oppressive, suffocating silence dominated the room.
Eddie visibly gulped as he stared at the confrontation between his father and his aunt.
Surprisingly, it was Bellwood who broke the stalemate.
"Cecilia... She didn''t turn away from the news of death caused by the disease among the kingdom or the Dosperior people. Shemented and grieved over them just like the others, I''m sure. It''s a selfish wish, however, I hope for your understanding in this situation."
At the end of his words, he gently hugged the shoulder of Cecilia, who finally suppressed her aura.
"......Was it also because of this that we four could grow up?"
Roselia questioned with a reserved tone. Cecilia shook her head at the question.
"No. Neither of you caught this disease. It was no less than a miracle, in fact. There has never been a case where not even a single kid contracted the disease, despite there being four of you, in the history of the Dosperior family.
I would like to chalk it up to mere coincidence, but maybe it''s because the Rovenne lineage has been taking the ingredients harvested from that forest for a long time that they¡¯ve built up a resistance against it. I did feel myself drawn to Bell as if by instinct when I met him too. In fact, their lineage has just as much resistance against other illnesses, could go for a long time with little sleep, and has prominentlyrger mana reserves. I doubt there could be any other reason apart from that forest."
As Cecilia exined this, Allen unwittingly quipped in between.
"Huh, our family lineage is known to have a high mana capacity? I mean, I was told I have impressive mana capacity in the past, but that''s, you know, mere scraps in the Royal Academy."
"On average, it''s the minimum capacity that''s been set on stilts. It might not appear much, but that''s pretty impressive for a noble family whose marriage partner often doesn''t have much mana reserves."
Now that Cecilia''s side of the story hade to an end, Randy adopted a thinking pose and closed his eyes for a moment, keeping his silence.
"...I understand everything now. However, I would like to confirm one more thing. You said there have been some positive results, but what''s the overall prospect? Well, pardon my words, but while Bellwood-dono has knowledge about all these¡ exceptional materials, it''s quite hard to ept that no one is better than him in this field.
Eddie has three kids. They''re such adorable grandchildren, I tell you. Now that I know about this, and as the head of the Dosperior family, I certainly can''t just pin my hopes up on mere faith."
Cecilia unhesitatingly answered his question.
"Bell''s attempt to grow those materials outside seededst summer. Of course, they''re not on par with naturally grown products. However, they''ve shown promising results against the disease. But on the downside, Bell believes repeated cultivation of the same in the following years would only yield minor sess. They probably aren''t the type of crop that could be continuously cultivated.
We would need to change the soil and grow all sorts of crops in the ck timing to ensure a stable growth at best. It''s not much of an assurance, but we''ve poured in all of our efforts into getting a result before Julia turns 8."
Eddie showed a surprised expression when he heard Cecilia.
Since the lineage of the Dosperior family were more prone to Mana copse disease, the time in which one''s mana organs developed ¡ª that is to say the age of 12 ¡ª was crucial for them since after that there was little to no chance of catching the disease. This was why the information about their kids was typically kept in control.
So unless there was someone prominent actively digging up her information, it was impossible for Julia¡¯s name toe up anywhere.
"......Was it Dio?"
Cecilia nodded at Randy''s whisper.
"I told him so many times to just return to Rebeldin, and consider me dead. But he instead settled as a volunteer explorer and stayed to support me from the shadows."
Randy let out a long sigh and bowed his head toward Cecilia.
"I failed as a brother. My weak-hearted moment made you bear a heavy burden you should never have needed to¡ I support you on your endeavor as your brother, and as the head of the Dosperior family.
It goes without saying, no just cause would be enough for others to forgive me having lost their child. But I swear that I would not let my support waver here, so let us share the burden. And... I hope you forgive this brother of yours."
A rosy look eventually reced the pale whiteplexion on Cecilia''s face as Randy looked at her with a soft gaze. A line of tears streaked down her eyes.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
With his face scrunched up in both anguish and joy, Randy-san stood up from his seat.
Aww, this was ¡ª I mean, I did say this before too, but this time for sure ¡ª definitely a prelude to an emotion-filled hug. I braced myself for a sentimental impact, tears gathering at the corner of my eyes.
Yet, my mother caught Randy-san''s face in an iron grip as he walked toward her with open arms, and easily stopped him.
Neither Randy-san nor anyone else present in the dining room understood what was going on. As we were getting confused, mother casually cast Randy-san away and remarked in a frigid tone.
"I''m ady now and also someone''s wife, brother. As much as we have a blood connection, it''s preposterous for us to share a hug at our age. This is where the line must be drawn."
An awkward silence drifted among us.
However, Randy-san simply showed a happy look with tears streaming down his cheeks, unbothered by my mother''s attitude.
"*Sniffle* I¡¯m d to see you''re just as frigid¡ª I mean, Cecilia upholding the virtues of the Dosperior family more exceptionally than anyone else. And you must be just as impressive of a person, Bellwood-dono, seeing Cecilia''s overwhelming love for you. The order of things were reversed, but anyway, I pray for your perpetual happy marriage life. As you brother, I¡¯m relieved to see you have a good match."
A smile blossomed on my mother''s face.
"Indeed. My meeting with Bell was certainly no less than a miracle, a match made in heaven¡ He''s just perfect... as long as he stops eyeing other girls."
The perpetual expression of sincerity and warmth immediately vanished from Randy-san''s face as he heard my mother''s tattling, reced by an appearance akin to a bloodthirsty demon.
"Preposteroussss!!...... How could you have eyes for others with my sister at your side!!?"
Father frantically tried to exin.
"No, it''s all a misunderstanding. It''s just, there''s this girl working at a recently opened bakery. The bread there has a distinct aroma, so I just happen to look her way¡ª"
"How¡ª How could you be like this!? I had been so assured that my brother-inw is an upright person after I saw Allen didn''t let himself get fazed even when two lovely daughters from the Marquis families tried to court him, keeping a rigid stance without throwing any suggestive hints. This is unforgivable!!"
Huh, hold on a god darn minute! Of course anyone would avoid them once they saw what kind ofndmines they were!
Also, mother, and sis too. Could you not nod like I was the man he''s making me out to be!?
"Aren''t you ashamed for taking a nce at other women, while your son is the literal personification of wlessness, carrying the three-thousand years of legacy on his back, and is known as the paragon of poise!"
Hey, hey! Don''t jeopardize my future love life in the cross-fire!
I was sure the blood of the Rovenne ran thick within me with how my gaze trailed after any cute girl, like any sound, healthy boy.
s, the air was too sharp in the dining room to utter my rebuttal.
"First of all, we males are¡ª"
For the following two hours, I watched as Randy-san preached to my father with a hideous visage, epting no buts or ifs from his brother-inw.
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and
continue reading tomorrow, everyone!
Vol. 1 - Chapter 194 - Message (1)
Al came out to see a certain nameless waterfall that he had discovered along with Allen and the others on theirst explorer''s activity at the beginning of their summer vacation.
He still wasn''t in the best state yet with his wound yet to be healed, however, a brewing impatiencepelled him to move.
He remembered the words Allen had said to him back then.
*"Listen well, Al. Meditating under a waterfall is an absolutely indispensable training an Ice Mage can¡¯t ever skip!
It¡¯ll forge your mental spirit anew! Don''t try to find logic in it, just do it!"*
With thoughts of rediscovering himself, he sat cross-legged on the basin of a waterfall just like that day.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
*Click-ck*
Confirming that the door wasn''t locked, Fey and Jeu''s lips curled into mischievous smiles.
They gave each other a nod and barged into the room, not even bothering to knock.
"Heyaaa, Allen! We''re here to hang out!"
"Today''s weather is pretty pleasant for an outing, Allen-san!"
They unapologetically announced their entry into Allen''s dorm room. However, they were immediately surprised with what they saw inside.
Allen hadbed his hair into a neatly parted hairstyle, which was uncharacteristic of him. His face wore a somber look, an expression he used in his past life, and there were spectacles embedded with round lenses ¡ª as thick as the bottom of a ss bottle ¡ª on top of his head worn in the same way as a shy guy would shift their sunsses atop their head.
He was dressed in an unfamiliar ck zer and pants, as dark as raven feathers, bearing a simple and boorish design. The design of the clothes was unique as if they were tailor-made by a prestigious tailor in the Royal Capital, yet either the fabric or the sewing appeared cheap work at nce.
The sleeves rubbing against the desk gleamed, but the attire overall wasme to no end. At least, it certainly didn¡¯t fit the image offort wear.
Several bulky books, each holding the know-how of their respective areas of expertise, cluttered the antique wooden desk he was sitting on. Meanwhile, all sorts of ores were rolling on the floor, barely leaving any space to step on.
Noticing their arrival, Allen spoke, however, he neither gave them a nod nor did he raise his eyes from his desk.
"What did I tell you about barging into a boy''s room without knocking? Anyway, why''re you here?"
"......Well, your door isn''t usually locked, so I thought something serious might have happened... By the way, what''s with that attire, Allen-san?"
"This is just to get myself in the right mindset."
"......Would you mind if I asked what you¡¯re doing right now?"
"Being a study nerd."
" "......" "
¡ô¡ô
"...You''ve been wearing this ''don''t bother me'' attitudetely even in the Academy, and whenever you have free time, you would lock yourself in your room. I reckon a lot may be going on inside your mind, so we thought of pulling you out of your room for a change of pace, which is why we''re here. Plus, it just so happened that we had some errands to do."
While Jeu exined the reason for their visit, Fey picked up one of the ores rolling on the floor.
"...Anyway, what in the world is this? You know, we thought we would be the ones giving you a surprise, and wereughing while imagining your astonished expression. But...... we were the ones who got surprised with all this instead. I don''t even know where to begin with all this. Sheesh, you really do like to make my heart flutter with your surprises, huh, Allen?"
Fey uttered aint while directing a reproachful re at me for reasons I wasn¡¯t guilty of.
"You don''t barge into someone''s room unannounced and thenin, for darn sake¡ Also, I¡¯m not so free to attempt giving you surprises. Well, it was a request from Satowa-san ¡ª he''s the vice-president of the Exploration Association ¡ª to apany him on a journey to investigate the depths of a certain abandoned mine.
I¡¯m basically following him as a guard. Though I''m a professional explorer, Ick any information about ores, so I thought I should read about them lest I be taken as a fool. And since we won¡¯t be leaving the Royal Capital before the long vacation in spring, this is just the perfect time for me to study."
¡®That¡¯s it, basically,'' I muttered internally as I smiled.
It was a nomination request from Satowa, the one who interviewed me before. Apparently, he was also a prominent ore expert within the kingdom.
Once upon a time, the mine was famous for its precious ores, but after a certain time period, its resources dried up, and it had been abandoned ever since.
However, monsters, seemingly searching for precious materials, had been sighted theretely after being abandoned for a long time. And now, its upper levels had been turned into an explorer''s hunting ground. But there wasn''t much incentive to explore the depths of the mine since not only did the deeper regions have rough terrain, there were barely any minerals to dig up, and monsters weren''t valuable either.
But after a thorough research of the avable old records, Satowa concluded that the area around the abandoned mine was once a popr ce to dig up valuable minerals long before the mine itself became a mining hotspot. He then concluded that it was worth investigating. That was how the request came about.
The mine was now littered with monsters, and the depths had bad lighting, which made it hard to traverse. This was why he needed someone proficient in detection magic. And I was just right up his alley with me being a prodigy in detection magic with my wind magic. Hence, the nomination came to me. Moreover, the reward was very lucrative.
''It''s a fair price. I mean, just look around and see just how few are even on par with your detection magic. It''s a priceless talent,'' was Satowa''s justification.
Having discovered a multitude of ore veins, Satowa apparently had immense wealth at his disposal. So he would pay for anything that we would require.
Oh well, it wasn''t really the main point for me.
We were talking about an abandoned mine where some incredibly rare ores *might* be lying around, unseen since the mine was abandoned. I immediately hopped on the offer. I mean, it definitely was one of the adventurous tasks that I would be on the lookout for. And since it was a rare chance to learn from a spectacr expert while on the field, I would be damned if I wasted the chance.
So, I was arming myself with knowledge in preparation. Well, you never know, with my wind magic, I might actually find some legendary ore before Satowa did and surprise him. And so here I was, studying away from prying eyes.
I did say that I would no longer bury myself in the books. However, the knowledge needed for this asion was linked to my outing, so I eventually decided to switch to my study nerd mode after a long time. Though I guess old habits die hard because, in my excitement, I even got myself a school uniform outfit ¡ª it was the clothes I spent most of the time wearing in my previous life as I smacked my head against the books ¡ª since it made it easier for me to concentrate.
I also tried some sses on, though I gave it a rest since I couldn''t read with it on.
"......Anyway, what in the world is this?"
Fey listened to my exnation with a skeptical expression, and repeated the same question from earlier, her eyes falling on the ore she had picked up.
"...I already said it, they''re just for reference. It''s my policy to not stick to being an armchair expert. I wanted to feel and see the ore in person, so I bought these general ores from the downtown peddler. Incidentally, I bought them at a 30% discountpared to the prices in the specialist stores.
¡°The one you''re holding in your hand is the most basic magic metal, raw mithril ore.¡±
As I disyed the results of my study in self-satisfaction, Jeu chimed in with a hesitant tone.
"...Well, I certainly am not an expert in ore, but aren''t¡ raw mithril ore suppose to have, err, a faint shine?"
Fey yfully fiddled with some raw mithril ore ¡ª a stone giving off a dazzling shine ¡ª in her hand.
"Pfft, ahaha! So you realized it too, Jeu. I use a plethora of material as an Artificer, and this¡ª it''s called ?Fool''s Mithril?, aposite ore of silver, iron, and steel. It indeed has its usage, but it''s worth far lesspared to actual mithril."
Fey cheerfully remarked.
"Hrgh, fool¡ª fool''s mithril, you say...?"
"Yup. Since it bears a striking resemnce to mithril and often gives out more vivid silvery brilliance than mithril itself, many in the past had mistaken one for the other, only to slump in defeat once the truth was out. Those people were eventually dubbed fools."
...
......
That sted baldy!
I should have never trusted his amicable expression. That damned guy really was a con-man...!
"By the way, that bright red ore that seems like adamantium is actually a gold-copper alloy. Oh, and that Lazurite ore is just a purple stone¡ª"
And gradually, Fey appraised all the ores tumbling on the floor. None of them were the valuable ores I imagined them to be, just look-a-like items.
Giddily, Fey questioned me with a sharp glint in her eyes, her lips still curled in a smile.
"...Now then. Which ore shop was it that dared to fool my Allen, huh? It wouldn''t sit well with me unless I taught them a lesson for you."
"They certainly need to be hammered like nails. Let''s make sure that they never show their faces again in the Royal Capital."
Jeu followed up after Fey, her adorable face contorting into a ghastly smile¡ª a far cry from the image of ''Reborn Saintess'' she had been told to be, something that had been recently spreading in the rumors after the outdoor ss orientation.
Personally, I doubt that the peddler would still be in the Royal Capital.
I was aggrieved no doubt, though I didn¡¯t really think highly of myself either. I should''ve realized that there was no way an amateur like me could get my hands on valuable ores at less than market price.
And to be honest, I actually didn¡¯t care too much about it. I mean, I would have cared more if the money came from my pocket, but the cost had been shouldered by Satowa, so I wasn''t in the mood to waste my time on a futile search.
Above all, the raw ores weren''t that expensivepared to their refined counterparts, and I did think that half of them might turn out to be counterfeit. I just went along with the mood to test out my knowledge. Though I didn''t expect that not a single one of them turned out to be real...
And honestly, I would lose more sleep if I let these two troublemakers take charge of the situation.
"What the heck do you mean by ¡®My Allen¡¯?... I was never yours to begin with¡ Anyway, it was my fault for assuming that an amateur like me could snag some cheap stuff from the slums of all ces. It¡¯s an expensive lesson to learn, but this is an experience too. And it''d be a goose chase to go after that street vendor. Who knows if he has already left the Royal Capital. It''s toote to regret now."
As I showed my sportsmanlike stance in epting the loss openly, Fey curled her lips in a smile.
"......Mm-mm. I didn''t expect you to back down so easily. Alright, now fess up. What''s your actual n?"
Both of them hurled doubtful gazes my way. Theypletely believed, without a shred of doubt, that I was nning something nefarious.
T/N - Well, that probably exins where he got his Great Cascade title.
E/N - MC is mixing up martial arts tropes with magic tropes ??
Vol. 1 - Chapter 195 - Message (2)
"Alright, now fess up what are you actually nning?"
Fey questioned me with that big grin stered on her face.
"I already said it, I don¡¯t have any other reason whatsoever. Also, these rocks are more than just fakes for me. I wanted to ascertain my knowledge, and I did just that. Though I admit, it was quite a pricey lesson."
I mean, sure, they weren''t worth that much. Personally, I was pretty excited to learn about aposite ore made out of silver, iron, and steel. There was no such thing in my previous world, after all.
"Hmm~, if you say so¡ Speaking of which, where''s this abandoned mine?"
Fey posed another question, a faint smile on her lips.
Tsk. Of course, she would ask that. I wanted to keep the location a secret since it would be a pain if they tried to go with me, but now it seemed like I was asking for too much. Even if I tried to keep the specifics of the request from her at this point, she would be able to easily figure out the details since she already had the gist of it.
"...It''s near Dragreid, the Rootzenia Mining Ruin. I''m only a nominated explorer. At best, I¡¯m just hired help for this request. To put it bluntly, I can''t burden them while exploring the ruins. So, for all that is holy, don''t attempt to follow us. Got it?"
Since it was already toote, I might as well call them out and stop them from causing trouble.
"Ahahahaha!... No way, it''s Rootzenia? I got it, Allen. Besides, I have my own stuff to do. So rx, I¡¯m not gonna ask you to take me with you."
...Huh? I thought she would pester me no end.
Still, once she learned that the ruin was located in the capital of her territory, she backed off quite easily.
"Anyway, leaving that aside. Allen... why haven''t you visited Al yet?"
Caught off guard by the sudden change of topic, I looked away.
"...Whoa, that really came out of nowhere. I doubt you need to know that, however."
Al was currently hospitalized in the Royal Capital''s hospital. Well, it was near time for him to be discharged. Though he won''t being back to the dorm. Rather, he was going to stay in Viscount Engraver''s residence in the Royal Capital for now.
With what had happened, he needed time to adjust himself into his new normal life. It was an obvious decision, I guess.
"Don''t you know? I''m just that gossipy, I just like to jump between topics of interest. Anyway, so?"
This time, however, she was persistent, a contrast from her earlier attitude.
...Well, for the record, I had been to the hospital to visit Al¡ Or at least, I tried to.
I was about to enter Al''s room when I heard his sobbing from outside. I stopped to take a peek from the crevice of his room''s door, and felt a tremor running through me.
Sunken cheeks, chapped lips, and with a vacant look in his eyes¡ª Al sniffled from time to time as he quietly sobbed. He obviously wasn''t crying due to the pain from his wounds. That was clear from his expression.
...Depression was a natural oue in such a situation. Al was only human, after all.
And here I thought Al would just jump up to his feet like any other time. Faced with such a situation, I recalled what Dan had told me back at the Roma port.
?Many will sympathize with Al. But you, Allen, should be thest person to show it. If you do, there would truly be no saving Al''s spirit.?
Once I remembered those words, I just couldn''t bring myself to enter his ward.
"......I didn''t want to pity him."
A vacant expression appeared on Fey and Jeu''s face as I replied.
"Don''t want to pity him...? In the end, it was bad luck. An ident caused by the actions of others. I don''t think a friend would mind some concern."
I, however, quietly shook my head.
"When I say I don''t want to, it¡¯s because he really doesn''t need it. We''re talking about Aldol Engraver."
Fey tilted her head in confusion, not understanding the nuance of my words.
"Anyway, this just means you have that much faith in Al, right? Then why haven''t you said all this to Al yet? I''m pretty sure he¡¯s waiting for you, you know?"
"...For one, he won''t break. There''s no way a ball of optimism like him would let himself be held back from a game (future) he picked himself. My constion words would merely be wasted on him."
I was speaking from my heart here. I believed him that much.
But I guess such words were a little too casual for some people.
"Hmm... I know showing through action and not through words is your motto, Allen. But I believe that the asional words of encouragement could be a far better elixir in some situations."
Fey said. I pondered for a moment, but I shook my head in the end.
"...I have no faith in myself, and I think I might end up saying some sympathetic words out of concern after looking at his face. I bet he wouldugh at me for that. I don''t want to be the butt-end of a joke.
Al will surely rise again, no, he¡¯s going to sprint after this. Mark my words, he¡¯ll have everyone who''s shown pity, concern, and all that to him take them all back magnificently. He has an indestructible zing soul. No one knows him better than me! And this is what makes him Aldol Engraver!"
As I replied to Fey, Al''s image appeared in my mind, causing me to raise my voice an octave louder without me noticing.
Fey and Jeu both were both stunned for a moment, but they eventually burst outughing.
"Fine. I get it, Allen. I get how much you like him. I just wanted to confirm some things. Alright, let''s go, Jeu. Allen is too busy to entertain us."
"Hee hee. A boy''s friendship is so simple, yet so intricate¡ A small part of me is envious, to be honest."
¡ô¡ô
Fey and Jeu stepped out of Allen''s room, turned to a corner slightly further away, and once again turned on the audio recording magical tool.
"Now then... you heard him, right, Al? You must be wondering what''s all this about, so let me give you a short rundown. Allen is currently all gung-ho about reviving one of the treasured relics of the Dragoon family, a golem."
Noticing Fey whispering her words to the audio recording magical tool as she swept up her bangs, Jeu showed a surprised expression.
"I was sure Allen-san was up to something, but not what¡ But a golem, huh? If I remember right, it''s the fabled magical tool of the Dragoon family, but it was sealed away by Moon Dragoon ¡ª the ancestor of the Dragoon family and one of the founding heroes of the kingdom ¡ª and had never been passed down."
Fey nodded in affirmation.
"Yes. Allen had long since been interested in this technique. In fact, that automatic cleaning robot from the Runpo-kun series is clearly an off-shoot of his golem research though it might look nothing more than some unimpressive toy at first nce¡ I had been tackling the research myself using funds from the Dragoon family, but I wascking one thing."
Fey showed an unconcealed look of excitement as she exined.
"...It''s the ore. It''s that missing factor that Allen is chasing after."
"After going through the historical records, I¡¯m sure this ore was excavated from the Dragoon region. Though it doesn¡¯t exist anymore in the present era. Maybe it was mined to itsst chunk, or maybe that material was something else, like a part of an extinct monster. Those were some of our theories."
Jeu used her wit, and followed up before Fey could exin.
"So Allen-san thinks that this missing ore is somewhere inside the Rootzenia mining ruin, huh? That maybe it''s something that exists, it''s just that no one knows of its true value yet... Is that right?"
Fey chuckled.
"Haha, who would have thought it''s Rootzenia, right under the nose of Dragreid¡ I still have doubts, but there may be a chance if Allen is studying it with such fervor. Once we have that criticalponent, that unknown magic metal, it¡¯ll only be a matter of trial and error before we cane up with something like a highly capable artificial arm that can be moved with a mere thought.
Though he''s probably trying to lie low now. He wouldn''t want to give Al a false hope. And I bet once he manages to find that crucial ore, he would say that he ''just happened to find it'' or something along that line."
Jeu, too, broke into a chuckle.
"Fufu. Allen-san is often so tant with his theatrics."
"Anyway, how''s it going for you, Jeu? Has Allen talked to you about limb regeneration yet?"
Jeu shook her head in dismay.
"He... hasn''t. A magic that can regrow a missing limb is but a fairy tale. It''s not something that can be tackled by just being freed of today''smon sense. But after seeing Allen-san dressed in those ck clothes while trying to figure things out alone, I may have some ideas.
''You don''t wait for things to just conveniently be better for you. What you need is the conviction to w your way out of any hurdle.'' This was what Allen-san said to Leo-san when he regrouped with us during the first scenario in the outdoor sses...... I, too, have found my determination."
Jeu said with a broad smile on her face.
"Hey, you heard that, right, Al? Jeu and I have found our determination too. So¡ we''re waiting for you, Al."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
?We''re waiting for you, Al¡ If you continue to be tardy, maybe you¡¯ll end up with three arms. Three-Armed Al¡ Pfft, ahahaha!?
Al smiled wryly and turned off the audio recording magical tool.
The magical tool contained voice messages from each of his ssmates.
It was a choice he made of his own will. As much as he believed in himself, he still couldn''t help but get depressed as he dealt with not only his lost arm, but also the loss of his Ice Attribute Conversion talent as well as him getting dropped from ss A.
Since Allen had not paid him a single visit, a storm of anxiety was building inside of him.
But just as he was about to lose himself in despair, these messages became his anchor that prompted him to look forward. All of them were heartfelt, devoid of any facy, and exuded pure concern for him.
Tears would stream down his face every time he listened to them.
Al once again turned toward the basin of the waterfall, and sat straight under it in a cross-legged position. As the torrent of water crashed on him, a keen eye would spot glistening tears in his eyes.
"All of them are waiting for me..."
He repeated, the light in his eyes gradually gaining a fiery touch, burning in a sort of impatience.
"Allen is waiting for me!!"
He said in a move to motivate himself. A blue demonic fish leaped into the air as if feeling Al''s determination and dived back into the water.
E/N - Well, I was right. Allen was going for the prosthetic arm. As for why he went for this route instead of regrowing Al''s missing limb, I bet it''s because a robotic arm is cooler and is a man''s romance. Also, man, this chapter hit me right in the feels.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 196 - Fiendish Sergeant of the 3rd company (1)
December website update
As the extermination war against the Hellrowcast raged on, Cordie Serdos, the elder brother of Dan, was appointed to a certain logistic support unit in the Bolero viscounty located in the Grauksh region.
"Huff...*pant* Haah... Damn it... why do I have to do this shittybor work when I¡¯m a part of the brain clique?!"
An indignant murmur escaped from Cordie''s mouth, and he immediately got berated for it.
"That''s enough whining, Cordie! Instead of wasting your energy onining, you should move your hands and feet more!"
The owner of the voice was Pet, the leader of the unit Cordie was in.
In the Yuglia Kingdom, a small group was dubbed a Unit, which wasposed of four people. Two units would be called a Squad, four squads made up a toon, and four toons would make apany.
With amoner background, and being nearly 20 years old, much like Cordie, Pet could be seen nagging Cordie most of the time.
Their current task was to dismantle the camp where thebat unit responsible for exterminating the Hellrowcast had been stationed, and swiftly set it up again on another designated point.
While the highlight of thisrge-scale military operation was, of course, thebat unit that would exterminate the Hellrowcast, Cordie, as someone who knew nothing about swordsmanship or who had no military upbringing, was assigned to logistics as a matter of course.
This wasn''t to belittle the importance of logistic units, as they were vital in military operations. However, when their tasks varied from predicting the next campsite for the Hellrowcaust elimination operation to procuring and transporting necessary supplies while also keeping an eye on the troop''s health and remaining mana ¡ª which all required an experienced hand ¡ª an inexperienced nobody like Cordie couldn''t contribute anything significant.
In the end, Cordie was enlisted as a volunteerborer to carry the supplies, set up tents, and the like while mapping the hills and dales. Basically, work that required little to no critical thinking. And achieving any meritorious deeds in his current situation would only be possible in his dreams.
The final nail in the coffin was his rank in the army¡ª amon soldier, the very bottom.
While he was sent here to learn and to earn some merits, the rank and cement itself was very odd for an heir of a count family, especially since he was a graduate of a Noble Academy.
Under normal circumstances, as the heir to a count family, he would be surrounded by knights, and would be assigned safer, less strenuous tasks to earn achievements without taking on real danger.
Then why was Cordie undertaking menial tasks in a team full of strangers? The short answer was due to the *consideration* of Marquis Grauksh, who had extended this blessing especially to him.
"You bastard! Do you even know who I am!? I-I¡¯m the heir of a distinguished Count family! And my little brother is in the Royal Academy¡ª"
Just as Cordie made hisint while ring at Pet, thetter''s right hand cut through the air toward him. Cordie instantly stiffened when he saw the iing hand.
The next moment, Pet delivered a strong p on Cordie''s left cheek, leaving a red welt and a stinging sensation.
"Argh!"
Seeing Cordie falling to his knees, Pet continued in a deep voice.
"This is the third time, Cordie. Don¡¯t make me repeat myself. When in the military, you better shove your age and status up your arse. You''re a nobody here, amon soldier. That''s what you are right now. You can only throw your weight around in times of peace. In operations like this, any act of disobedience that may disrupt the army''s order is a grave vition of the military rules. I¡¯ll let it slide this time, but know that not everyone is as lenient as me."
With tears pooling in his eyes, Cordie red at Pet. He swallowed his saliva that now had the taste of blood mixed in.
"You bastard... Not even my parents have everid their hand on me! I swear, as soon as I get my hands on a way to contact my little brother, I will have your¡ª"
Pet shook his head in dismay, and then he grabbed Cordie''s arm.
"You really don''t learn, do you?... I don''t know who your brother is, but they''re the ones who deserve respect. Not you. Moreover¡ª"
Pet said that, then he once again raised his right hand in the air. ''Eeeek,'' Cordie let out a miserable shriek as he scampered to cover his face with his hands.
"...No one in the military would dare say crap like they''ve never been hit before. The instant they face danger, they don''t make a chu sound, nor do they take any other action. What they do is put up their mana guard. You mustn¡¯t shut your eyes. Keep your vision unobstructed, and then look at me. Do it."
Hearing Pet speaking in an unexpectedly soft voice, Cordie clumsily gathered his mana, and hesitatingly lowered his arms.
As soon he did so, Pet delivered a second p.
"Gaah!"
Cordie staggered back with shaky legs.
"See, you managed to not fall this time. Alright, I¡¯ll make an exception to your follow-up snark as well. Anyway, hurry up and carry the luggage! My Unit is the one that appearsst, so I better hear you causing trouble again!"
Cordie continued to re at Pet as beads of tears trickled down his cheeks, though he stopped himself from speaking any further this time.
"...You can eye me as much as you want, but I¡¯ll keep doing it. It''s my duty to make that bby belly of yours get into shape, and make you at least presentable as amon soldier. I don¡¯t care if you cry, but I better not see your feet or legs stop for even an instance."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Later in the evening.
Cordie''s Unit somehow managed to set up a tent at another location in time. They surrounded the area with a fence for protection before slumping down on the spot.
A momentter, they saw apany donning an unfamiliar uniform making their way to their location.
"...That uniform¡ª they must be the logistic support dispatched from the Dragoon region. By the way, they don''t have much of a good reputation. Keep that in mind. They may have responded to the kingdom¡¯s appeal for support, but the demon''s disaster is often sorted out by the army and knights of its respective region. It''s due to their kindness that we''re getting their support. Conflicts often arise when local interests sh, so make sure to stay in yourne. You hear me, Cordie?!"
Pet spoke loudly so that the whole squad could hear him, but during his speech, his gaze never left Cordie.
Cordie barely managed to lift his head and wave his hand in annoyance.
"I don''t even have the strength to stand. Fighting is thest thing on my mind."
He said as he stole a nce at the newly arrived logistics group.
It just happened that the leader of the Dragoon''s logistic support stepped out to greet themander of the force he belonged to.
"Report! The first division of Marquis Dragoon''s army led by Vice-Admiral Abenil henceforth joins the military operation in Bolero Viscounty under themand of Supreme Commander Hugo! We shall now follow themand of Lord Purin, Commander of the Knight Order''s first legion! My name is Beck, the currentpanymander. I hope we have a pleasant cooperation. Sir!"
In peacetime, the troops of other regions often acted with their respective Marquis as the Chief Supervisor. Meanwhile, a knight with the rank of a general ¡ª when ites to a marquis¡¯ army ¡ª led the troops in ground zero to handle the monsters.
However, when it came to the deployment of the army guarding the borders or conductingrge-scale military operations that span multiple regions such as this one, the Kingdom Knights tookmand, and during peacetime, the generals assisted under theirmand.
"You must have marched a great distance. Indeed, may we have a pleasant cooperation. What about His Excellency Abenil?"
"Likewise! His Excellency at present is¡ª"
"Hmm, he sure is quite a youngpanymander... It doesn''t seem like he''s any older than us. Guess merit talks, huh?"
Pet remarked in an impressed tone. Cordie harrumphed upon hearing him, and lowered his head again.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
By the time they''d finished their short respite, the appetizing smell of dinner, which was cooked by the mess soldiers, gradually drifted in the air.
A messenger soldier arrived and raised his voice toward the leader of thepany to which Pet and Cordie belonged.
"Message! The Third Company shall now descend the mountain about 1 kilometer to the southeast and fetch water from a tributary of the Morsa River. Each Unit will bring back two water jugs! The deadline for the mission is 20:00! Repeat!"
"Understood! The Third Company will depart for the Morsa River tributary 1 kilometer to the southeast and return by 20:00 with each Unit bringing two jugs of water!"
"Great!"
This message, of course, reached Cordie''s ears, but he remained rooted on the spot, showing no reaction. Pet swiftlyid down his order.
"......Cordie and I will go. Luca and Edge, you two stay and get some rest."
Cordie immediately raised his now pale face and objected.
"W-Why me!? And couldn''t we just have mages create water? That should''ve been the norm, right? Don''t expect me to follow such a retardedmand!"
Pet hastily covered Cordie''s mouth.
"You dumb bastard! Are you even thinking, shouting against an order within earshot of another group who could see our tomfoolery? I¡¯ve already said it before, but the others aren''t as broad-minded as me! What you just did could get you court-martialed!"
"I presume the arrival of the support unit had disrupted our water arrangements. They''re not locals, so they won''t be able to fetch enough water, after all. And most of all, we''re not inside a city, and there''s a limit to a mage''s mana. Their conjured water is mainly set apart as drinking water. In such a prolonged operation, it''smon to collect water from local sources. Be thankful that you can at least clean your clothes because of it."
Confirming that Cordie had stopped speaking, Pet slowly moved his hand away from Cordie''s mouth.
"Then why not just bring in civilians who have water affinity magic? There are plenty of ways to handle it!"
Pet shook his head in disbelief.
"Do you really think that the higher-ups wouldn''t have thought of what you''re suggesting? That''s bringing an untrained civilian into a support unit inside a mountain where a monster could attack at any moment. Who will take responsibility if someone dies, huh? Or what, do you think they should then just increase the soldiers to tighten security? But that''s going to increase the tent supply that needs to be carried.
Just get this through your head. We''re not the ones calling the shots in arranging the supplies. If you consider yourself to be one hell of a strategist, then get some merits and get the hell out of here."
Hell-bent on not obeying themand, Cordie gripped the stump his back was leaning on with teary eyes. He made himself clear that he wouldn''t be getting up this time.
Pet heaved a long sigh, and said in a soft tone.
"Just so you know, Luca and Edge had been silently managing the mess your sorry ass had left behind all this time. You must at least let them take a breather here, or else our Unit will continue to fall behind. And when that happens, you¡¯ll have to carry even greater weight then¡ Anyway, I believe you still have some mana left. After all, you surpass everyone out here with your incredible mana capacity. I guess that much is to be expected from a Count''s lineage. I¡¯m quite jealous myself."
Cordie blinked repeatedly when he heard Pet. He wasn''t exactly expecting any praise from him at this point.
"...Well, my base mana capacity is merely 700 units. It''s a drop in the oceanpared to what the Royal Academy wants."
There had been a time when Cordie actually exerted effort while carrying the weight of his parents¡¯ expectations at the age of 12. However, after failing to even clear the baseline criteria for the Royal Academy entrance exam, his attitude had be increasingly indifferent. This behavior only worsened over time, leading to his current state.
"Haha, well at least you got a chance to tackle it. That''s already an achievement you can brag about for your whole life¡ If you already had 700 units of mana capacity back then, then it''s safe to assume that your mana capacity now might have crossed 1000 already. Manapression will naturally happen when you train.
Once you do so, you''re surely bound to be an indispensable corner of this unit¡ª scratch that, I bet even other squads would fight each other to get you into their ranks. And when you hit that potential, the road to bing an officer is mere inches away. Well, that''s only possible if you get your act together though. This is why I¡¯m telling you to get that bby belly back into shape. You''re just wasting your talent."
Wasting your *talent*.
Cordie gingerly gazed back and forth between the faces of his Unit members.
As much as he kept shouting ''damnmoners'' or ''how dare you,'' he knew deep down he was dragging everyone down. He had never looked into their eyes properly until now. His inted pride had shattered to pieces when he had been shoved under themand of amoner, and was granted the lowestmon soldier rank.
He felt aggravated especially when no one came to even shout at him except for Pet.
Luca, and Edge, who were even younger than him, made mischievous smiles as they remarked nonchntly.
"...It''s tough for everyone in the beginning, Cordie-san!"
"So hurry up and get your deserved seat!"
Being the eldest son of the Count family he was in, he had an endless line of people trying to fawn over him in the Noble Academy. However, no one except his mother ever looked at him for his ability, his potential, or had any expectation from him.
''Maybe I always wanted someone to see me for what I am,'' Cordie keenly realized the lurking feeling in his heart.
Pet gave a light p on Cordie¡¯s back as thetter immersed himself in that feeling.
"It seems like you got it. Then let''s get going. My mana is already on itsst leg."
Saying these words, he briskly walked forward.
"D-Don¡¯t get the wrong idea! I¡¯m not doing all this to get your approval!"
Cordie hastily stood up and followed Pet¡¯s footsteps.
E/N - Don''t you hate it when you feel like you''re getting blue-balled? Also, Cordie''s about to get his own character development.
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and
continue reading tomorrow, everyone!
Vol. 1 - Chapter 197 - Fiendish Sergeant of the 3rd company (2)
After filling each jug with 30 liters of water from the river, Pet and Cordie traced back the path they''d charted earlier.
The path had an incline, so retracing their steps meant they would have to fight against the pull of gravity this time. They were using Body Strengthening magic as well, though with their exhausted state, it was still a strenuous activity.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Along the route, they could also be attacked by monsters. Though the patrolling soldiers were there to ensure that didn''t happen, there was still a chance that it could happen. Just the possibility was enough to strain their spirits.
"*Huff*... *Huff*... I-I can''t believe that¡ I¡¯ve been relegated to menial tasks. Damn it!"
Feeling cornered by all the unfamiliar tasks, Cordie mumbled hisint as he climbed up the trail. Though if he still had leeway toin, then he certainly had enough strength to go on.
Meanwhile, Pet was tethering on the edge of mana depletion state, barely managing to maintain his Body Strengthening magic. He didn''t even have the strength to rebuke Cordie for his grumbling.
They were about 300 meters into the path when they encountered some of the Dragoon territory''s logistic units, who offered to help them out.
"The shortage of basic supplies happened due to our untimely arrival. So the least we can do is to help you guys."
Hearing that someone was ready to carry their burden, ''Vo'' Cordie shouted internally and ced his water jug on the ground. But Pet quickly shook his head.
"I¡ª I appreciate your help, but this is why we''re here. You all came all the way from the Dragoon territory, plus you also walked into this remote mountainous region, so you should be just as tired as we are, right? Don¡¯t worry, we can handle this."
When he heard that, Cordie once again carried the water jug into his arms.
A mild-mannered man, who looked older than Pet and seemed to outrank thetter, then said.
"Don¡¯t sweat it. You see that man over there? He''s ourpanymander, and he told us that ''We''re not here to enjoy their hospitality.'' Also, the higher up has already discussed this matter, so you truly don¡¯t need to be so formal."
The two followed the direction where the mild-mannered man had pointed to, and they saw him. It was the man who had stepped out to greet theirpany leader.
Pet couldn''t wrap his head over the matter.
"T-Thepanymander himself is carrying a water jug......?"
To his knowledge, no superior he knew of would have made such an effort. And he believed that was only natural. Then again, at least those superiors didn''t run them like horses.
The man made a wry smile when he saw Pet''s dumbfounded expression, and began his exnation.
"That guy¡ I mean, our Company Commander Beck had gone through quite a series of events. In the beginning, he had been working in another division as a carefree nonmissioned soldier. However, in the early springst year, some events led him to be transferred to our division. And following some internal matters, he was given a promotion two ranks above his original rank.
As a result, he became apanymander at a young age. Moreover, it wasn''t of his own merit. Of course, he became a ma of criticism due to that when he first took the post."
Amidst the man''s exnation, Beck turned around to look at the man with a bitter expression, probably because the former heard thetter talking.
"Ohe on, don¡¯t talk like you weren''t part of that story, Shuin! Heck, the first to get his ass kicked in that mess was you!"
Beck grumbled and jabbed at his constantly smilingpany member, who showed not a shred of gloominess about the matter.
Shuin justughed at hispanymander¡¯s remark and continued.
"...It shouldn''t have been easy on him either, but ourpanymander didn''t utter a single word ofint and continued to put in effort, more effort than anyone else if you ask me. Day and night, you¡¯d always see him doing something. I honestly wondered if he even slept at all. He was trying to fill in the shoes of apanymander of course, yet he would also be the first one to take initiative to do even the menial tasks meant for lower members or anything that require caution."
Hearing that, Cordie hissed, disapproval clearly visible on his face.
"Hmph. Did he think he could make a name for himself by taking on these measly tasks? As apanymander, he obviously needs to fit into his role better more than anything else."
"S-Shut up, Cordie! I apologize for his nonsense. He''s just a new recruit, so he still has a lot to learn."
Pet followed up with an apology in a panic. However, Shuin didn''t look bothered by Cordie''s remark.
"He''s notpletely wrong. That guy has yet to fully fill in his role. However, I believe he knows his shorings more than anyone else. We''re... well, I must say our division is quite a gathering of odd fespared to the other divisions of the Dragoon army, and he has been making sure to learn the ways of guiding us.
He would make joking remarks like ''bold of you to assume you can surprise me'' or ''eh, that¡¯s a trifling matter'' and so whenever we get entangled with the members of another division, but in the shadows, he would cradle his head into his arms. Before we knew it, we grew to care about him, and wouldn''t allow anyone, like the other divisions, to point fingers at him. He''s just built differently when ites to his tolerance. Well, we all had taken a fancy to his style in the end, I guess."
Shuin ended his story with a nostalgic tone as he climbed up the trail one step at a time.
Feeling that he was being put on the same scale as his peers forparison, Cordie pouted. However, Pet showed an expression of genuine admiration.
"Amazing~, our ages aren''t that far apart, but yourpanymander is definitely something else. If you don''t mind me asking, what was the inside reason for his promotion?"
Shuin''s expression somewhat scrunched up, seemingly finding it hard to say, but he eventually replied in a hushed tone of voice.
"Well, it''s¡ you know...... Apparently, his little brother made it to the Royal Academy just this spring."
As soon as he heard that, a smug smile appeared on Cordie''s face. Because Dan, his little brother, was ranked 2nd in his ss in the Royal Academy. He himself wasn''tparable to theirpanymander, but in the big picture, he would surely win in the end.
Just as he wracked his mind on how to boast about Dan, he heard Shuin follow up.
"¡ªBut. He never brought that topic up when talking to us. So we also didn''t probe him about it on purpose. We only know these things from the rumors. I guess that''s what we found intriguing about him. He tried to appear as independent of his family as possible, and he mostly never bosses us around."
Cordie immediately shut his mouth after that. Seeing how the values he always believed in got blown to smithereens, his face turned bright red.
Pet caught Cordie¡¯s changing expressions, and decided to stop praising the other party anymore in consideration of his teammate.
"......Well, that makes him quite a nice guy, doesn''t it?"
"Hahaha! I wouldn''t say that in front of him, but he definitely has that nice guy vibe going for him...... Honestly though, he must have mulled over this fact for sure. I heard that he adores that prodigious brother of his. Of course, he must be proud of his brother''s achievement. But he bottled it all up inside, and forced himself to focus on his job.
He certainly wasn''t a charismatic person that everyone would idolize, but I guess it''s that personality of his that lets him lead problematic fes like us."
Shuin concluded his exnation there. After a pause, Cordie went around and forcefully took the water jug from Pet''s arm.
"Haa, look at your shaky legs! You''re already out of mana. Let me carry it!"
Cordie said, and with heavy steps, he walked to the forefront.
Pet hastily stifled his risingughter as he looked at Cordie''s back and chased after him.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The members of the Unit which Cordie was in ¡ª Pet, Luca, and Edge ¡ª were in fact the children of the servants serving Marquis Grauksh''s family. They had a connection to the Grauksh family, and they also held great potential for the future.
It was the reason why Cordie was put together with them. They had to be someone experienced to shrug off Cordie''s pompous attitude.
Even the reason thepany under the lead of Beck Rovenne, the second big brother of Allen, had been sent to merge with thepany Cordie was under had been the result of a private conversation between Marquish Grauksh and Marquis Dragoon.
Ever since he started his schoolst spring, Allen had a lot of rumors swirling around him, and his name rose up like a supernova. And then, there was his big sister Roselia. A talented magical tool engineer affiliated with the Advanced Magical Tool Research Institute. One would have to live under a rock to not know of their names, quite literally.
Against the two superstars, how was their big brother inparison? It was a natural question after seeing how excellent the two younger siblings were. So, to learn about Beck thoroughly, and to grasp the nature of his character, Marquis Grauksh negotiated with Meria Dragoon to introduce him to Cordie, the elder brother of Dan.
But, the arrangements stopped there. Marquis Grauksh had no further ns of bothering himself with Cordie.
Having seen Cordie before, he chalked him up as a moron. He had too wed of a character, so he didn¡¯t have any expectations for the boy. After all, humans didn''t change their nature so easily. Marquis Grauksh, who had a wealth of experience in such a department, was painfully aware of that defect in people.
Now, whether he would w his way out, or get squashed by the pressure, unable to change himself, it was all in the hands of Cordie Serdos himself.
Later down the line when he gained the title of Fiendish Sergeant of the 3rdpany, or became a little person with character in the battalion¡ª it would all be through his effort alone.
T/N - Alright, It legit didn¡¯t ur to me who Beck was until thest spring part came up. And on this short note, Merry Christmas everyone! Though I would add like to add more, I guess let''s leave theter greetings for new year, not the creative type so can''t exhaust my arsenal here, haha. But, have a good long holidays~
E/N - Wow, so Beck was Allen''s 2nd big brother. I don''t envy him, the guy''s basically the middle child of the Rovenne family. Their eldest is still fine since he can hide in their territory under the guise of assisting his father in managing it. But Beck is in the military under the eyes of people who will judge him using his younger siblings as their measuring stick. The pressure¡
Vol. 1 - Chapter 198 - Soirée
Who didn''t know that spring was the season for social gatherings in the Royal Capital? It seemed like the Rovenne couple didn''t. Soon after their arrival, they made an official visit to their patron and governing lord, Marquis Dragoon. A day after that, they received an informal visit from Marquis Dosperior.
But that was it. In an anti-climatic twist, they didn¡¯t receive or make any more visits after that.
Bellwood waspletely down with it, especially when his wife Cecilia told him before that ''We might not have time for our usual sightseeing in the Royal Capital this time.''
"It''s so boring. After all those scary predictions from you, and after almost losing all of my hair in trepidation because of them, there''s nothing, zilch, nada. I guess I¡¯ll just check out bakeries on the outskirts."
Bellwood lost all his brewing tension, and instead began to concoct his sightseeing n inside his mind.
To begin with, the Rovenne couple never bothered to mingle with high society except when it was absolutely necessary. And unlikest spring when their son just qualified for the Royal Academy, they skipped most of the social gatherings this spring.
Then what about the other small-time nobles? Surely, they¡¯d never pass up the chance to suck up to the nobles of high society. But they did with the Rovennes. None of them made contact with the family. The reason was due to the rumors stating that ''The Rovenne family is full of crazy nutcases,'' which started to spread since that day in the station. And rumors often didn''t take long to get around, especially with such a hot potato like this one.
But, this peace couldn''t be exined with that reason alone. A fresh example was the Leverance family of Jeu. Many of the real big-wigs knew that the Leverance family would never miss this chance to attempt to talk about marriage with the Rovennes. Rumors were merely a deterrent, but they could never fully stop these big shots.
Nheless, there was no movement from them. The question, then, was who could deter even the top guns? It had to be someone big. Someone they knew, like, *maybe a bigger big shot than those who already had ns to invite the Rovennes?*
"This... was certainly not what I expected. Perhaps Her Excellency has cleared these troublesome matters for us?... Either way, there''s no reason to stay inside our house if no one¡¯sing, I guess."
Cecilia murmured with a troubled look. Schord saw that as a chance and gave them a push.
"It''s a wonderful idea, in my opinion. Young Lady Roselia still has her sses to attend tomorrow. I¡¯ll do the house-sitting for you in case any guests arrive. I''ve also gotten the chance to check out some precious literary works I would have never had ess to, all due to Sir Godorfun. It would be a waste for me to let this chance slip by."
Schord knew how much Cecilia liked her little outings with Bellwood, and the stress she had been umting behind everyone''s back. On the other hand, he got permission to borrow books from the Royal Library by the grace of Godorfun.
The printing technology of this world wasn''tpletely non-existent. However, the books still held iparable value, and as such, they couldn''t be so easily lent.
The special permit in Schord''s hand, in fact, even allowed him to ess the books that weren''t avable for public eyes.
After his ordeal with Allen in his preparation for the Royal Academy entrance exam, Schord had grown more fond of learning, and he rejoiced at the chance to read thetest research results or important documents, things he would never be able to read in the backwater region he was in.
"Well, I guess we can indeed take this chance to go out for a stroll, Bell."
Receiving Schord''s push, Cecilia suggested their next n, which immediately brought a smile to Bellwood''s face.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The morning of the next day.
Even in this world, the morning started rather early for the bakeries.
While his masters were out in the wee hours of the morning, starting their search for freshly baked bread in the market, Schord was leisurely reading a book in the dining room with coffee when he heard the bell chime.
This was too early even for a noble visit, so who could it be? Schord pondered the question as he ced a bookmark in the book he was reading and headed for the entrance. Outside, he saw an elegantdy dressed in a butler''s uniform.
"Wee. I''m the steward of this house. My name is Schord. May I ask the auspicious name of your lord?"
With a smile fixed on his face, Schord asked this question. The woman returned the greeting with a simr broad smile.
"Pardon me for such a sudden visit. My name is Espin, the head butler serving the Yuglia family. I''ve heard of your good name, ?Unceasing Prudence? Schord Bainfaus. It''s an honor to meet you. I''m here to deliver an invitation to a banquet my master has extended to Viscount Rovenne."
The woman ¡ª head butler Espin ¡ª then proceeded to hand over a meticulously crafted invitation toward Schord, the wax crest of the Royal Family firmly sealing it shut. The recipient¡¯s name on the letter was Bellwood Von Rovenne, and it was signed by Patrick Arthur Yuglia.
Lately, Schord had learned to take a philosophical view of his life. However, even that persona was broken when the name of the absolute figure in the kingdom suddenly appeared before him, putting his mind in disarray.
"O-Oh my goodness... An invitation to the banquet of the Esteemed Yuglia royal family itself? This honor is too much for me to receive, s my master isn''t home yet..."
Espin nodded in a dejected tone.
"So it would seem. As a matter of fact, Patrick-sama is keenly aware of how sudden this invitation is for tomorrow''s banquet given that Viscount Rovenne must be having trouble keeping track of the other invitations he''s received. In lieu of this only being a private invitation from the Yuglia family, the King doesn''t have any expectations. So rest assured that turning this down will not offend him."
"It''s t-tomorrow?!"
Schord once again lowered his gaze at the invitation. A careful nce revealed that the banquet was to be held at the Yuglia family''s own residence in the Royal Pce premises tomorrow evening.
Schord might not be in touch with the typical noble custom, but even he could see that the timing was just too absurd.
"As it stands, His Majesty is due for a foreign trip the day after tomorrow. He hopes to hold a banquet with them before he leaves, as in his words, ''you¡¯ll never know until you try.'' And well, once the master is adamant on something, no amount of persuasion would work on him. The queen herself has chided him that ''it would be a nuisance to others'' and tried to stop him, but s.
But of course, making room in one¡¯s schedule at such short notice is impossible for nobles, so he said he would understand if people turned it down. The queen has especially asked me to be polite in exining matters, so as to not leave any apprehension behind."
Espin concluded with an apologetic expression.
"......Understood. I¡¯ve epted the invitation."
Schord promptly replied after some short guesswork.
His master had beenining about theck of things for him to dost night, so they should have had no reason to turn this invitation from the royal family down.
However, when Espin heard his prompt reply, she found herself audibly gasping.
"A-are you sure you can ept this without Viscount Rovenne''s consent?¡ª Ahem, I mean, it''s certainly great news for us should you ept the invitation. But... nobles value their reputation more than their lives, especially if they''ve been invited by the royal family.
I doubt anyone would try to openlyin, but a proper follow up would be required for rescheduling and cancelling previous arrangements. In the absence of that, others would harbor distrust for Viscount Rovenne. It doesn''t take long for rumors to circte after that. And should they know that the decision was made arbitrarily by their family steward, it would only fan the mes and invite needless doubts from others."
Schord found her worry amusing and chuckled.
"Hahaha. I very much appreciate your thoughtfulness, Miss Espin. However, it just so happened that my master has been trying to find ways to kill time. So rest assured that there''s no problem."
Espin was dumbfounded this time.
Viscount Rovenne was the man of the hour, so him having ''free time'' was perhaps the one thing that she didn''t expect to hear.
Typically, their schedule should have been full down to the single minute, and the worst case scenario would be that their whole stay in the Royal Capital might be spent in only answering to these invitations. This was why her visit had been purposely made in the early hours of the morning, so that she could receive a direct rejection from the Viscount. But who would have thought that he would be so busy that he had to start his schedule early in the morning? Or so she had convinced herself.
Yet, the elderly person in front of her paid little heed to the etiquette of the stewardship and readily made a decision for his master.
"Indeed, your fame truly isn''t without reason, ?Unceasing Prudence? Schord Bainfaus-sama. Your performance has been an eye-opener for me. To reiterate, as written in the invitation, you, too, have been invited for tomorrow''s banquet. Once again, do excuse the sudden nature of the invitation."
Espin followed this up with a bow. However, Schord rejected his invitation.N?v(el)B\\jnn
"I''m honored just to receive an invitation, however that won''t be necessary. I¡¯m merely a steward in the end, I hope you remember that. I might follow as my master''s assistant, but I would refrain from joining the banquet personally, as a servant should."
Espin was amazed at how resolutely Schord rejected the invitation. His voice was devoid of any sort of ambition.
She could suspend her logic for a moment and believe his im to be true, and that everything has merely been a misunderstanding while he himself was no more than an ordinary old man. Despite that, the people were heaping praise on him due to the misunderstanding. She couldn''t help but think to herself: could she have a simr level of self-restraint while basking in the glory?
Suddenly, she remembered the report she had read about the investigation of Schord ¡ª personally carried out by the Head of the Intelligence department ¡ª in the Rovenne region.
In the personality and character portion, he was given an S grade. However, he was more than meets the eye when it came to integrity.
Espin took a second look at the old man in front of her, and watched him give her a gentle smile. Yet, Espin sensed a chill running down her spine for some mysterious reason.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 199 - Soirée (2)
Evening.
Once the Rovenne couple were back, Schord briefly exined the situation about the royal family¡¯s soir¨¦e invitation.
"¡ªAnd that''s everything that happened. I beg your pardon for making such a decision at my own discretion."
Bellwood could feel the world in front of his eyes spinning when he heard Schord''s exnation.
"A soir¨¦e hosted by the royal family of Yuglia, and at such short notice?!... I can''t. I¡¯ve already nned to check out the bakeries in the northern district tomorrow..."
"Give up, Bell. You could make up a lie, but what would you do when they learn about how open your schedule actually is? It would be tantamount to pping the face of the royal family after they had so hastily arranged the matter. Do you want to turn them into your enemy?"
Bellwood crashed onto his desk at Cecilia''s words, the urge to cry welling inside him.
"Why? Just why would the royal family waste their time inviting a measly viscount from a backwater ce, of all people? I have seen the visage of His Majesty only once, and that was when I appeared in the pce to receive my noble rank. Even then, there had been at least hundreds of people lining up there for the yearly inheritance ceremony. They''re putting importance on the wrong people for real."
"Well, that is just how much potential they see in Allen, I guess. In this situation, a parent should be proud of their kid''s achievement. You certainly aren''t setting a good example, however¡ Anyway, what about you, Rose? At minimum, we only need me and Bell to attend the event for formality."
After hammering the final nail for Bellwood''s coffin, Cecilia turned to ask Roselia about her participation.
Needless to say, Allen and Roselia had been invited to the soir¨¦e as well.
"Hmm~ I''ll go if Allen-kun is attending. Otherwise, I¡¯m not that interested either way. Though I definitely would like to see Allen in a tuxedo, he he."
Roselia''s eyes shifted to the tuxedo hanging on the wall as she said that.
Schord had urgently arranged for Allen''s attire since thetter originally didn''t have any formal clothes in his possession. As for Allen''s participation, they had left a message for him saying to contact them back if he intended to join them using the academy''s formal line. However, they have yet to hear any word from him.
Rose''s gaze lingered on the tuxedo with a spellbound look as she sipped her ck tea in disappointment.
"I''m home!"
"Hiya, Allen-kun is back! Hurray! Alright, I¡¯ll being with you then! Now, what should be my dress for tonight?..."
Roselia''s expression flipped like a child excited about an excursion trip. Though Bellwood''s inner voice was still silently weeping.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The evening of the next day.
Hitching a ride on a carriage with the royal crest ¡ª a motif of a winged lion holding a shining orb in its mouth ¡ª being pulled by four horses, we arrived at the Royal Pce.
I, for one, had no interest in these soir¨¦es or whatever, but I couldn''t just turn down an invitation from the royal family while being a bit familiar with them, and act like nothing had happened afterward, so I eventually decided toe.
It just so happened that the knight mission I was part of was suddenly called off, so I couldn''t use it as an excuse to turn down their invitation anymore, not with their level of intel.
We entered through the northern mana-reinforced gate, something I had be used to after constantly making my way here due to my knight duties, and made our way to the royal family''s residence.
Incidentally, had it been the ''King''s'' sponsored official soir¨¦e, the typical entrance to take would''ve been the southern gate, dubbed the Dawn Gate, and the location would''ve been the Royal Pce instead.
Even for me, it was my first time visiting the royal family''s residence, and I must say, I was quite surprised at its serene, chic ambience. The door of the carriage was opened for us when we arrived.
"We''ve been waiting for you, Viscount Rovenne, and the esteemed family members of the Rovenne house. This one''s name is Espin, the head butler serving the Yuglia family. Please,e this way."
At the beckoning of Espin, we got off the carriage when four knights, seemingly royal guards, promptly performed a synchronized knightly salute toward us.
I saw a familiar face, Caprine-san who came with us on the transportation mission, among the knights.
I remember hearing that she was a royal guard. I hurriedly returned the salute, though this only incurred a wry reaction from her.
"...You''re here as a guest of the Yuglia family today, so a salute is unneeded, Allen-san. And¡ª"
Caprine-san paused a bit, her eyes shaking in grief.
"I couldn''t stop the incident from happening in the earlier mission¡ I have no words to describe how sorry I am."
An extensive expression of remorse dyed her face as she spun her apology. I shook my head in fluster.
"That wasn''t your fault, Caprine-san. I may not have been there, but I¡¯m sure you must have done your best. And anyway, I¡¯m sure that he¡¯lle back like it never happened, so don''t take the matter to heart."
I nodded firmly as I said that, which brought a bittersweet smile on her face.
"You look great in a tuxedo, Allen-kun. Anyway, I¡¯ll be making sure of the security today."
"Thank you for thepliment, and yes, please take care of us."
While I was casually chatting with Caprine-san, my father appeared dazed, his mouth opened agape. On the other hand, a joyful smile was tugging on my mother''s lips while my elder sistertched onto my arm.
"Now that''s a side you¡¯ve never shown us before, Allen-kun. But I guess I don¡¯t have anything to say since it was a mission. Anyway, I liked that cool side of yours!"
I felt a wave of awkwardness, and was left to scratch my head in silence.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The exact location of the soir¨¦e was an outwardly leaning rooftop terrace on the third floor of a western style mansion.
The building itself featured four stories though the third and fourth floors were protruding in a convex shape, so the roof of the second floor shared a design like that of an open roof balcony of a wooden deck.
South from that vantage point was a meticulously maintained western-style garden, and beyond that was the back door of the Royal Pce, which now reflected the orange glow of the sunset.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
The trees in the garden released a rustling echo as a gentle breeze, reminiscent of spring, brushed past them.
I''d bet my money that this view was something exclusive to this spot.
As it hadn''t been long since the season broke out of its wintry shackles, the chill had yet topletely melt away from the atmosphere, though the rooftop''s ambient temperature was quite warm thanks to the arrangement of magicmps and heaters.
From the look of things, it seemed like everyone but His Majesty and the Queen had arrived.
"Heya, Allen. Look at you, all dressed up so nicely, huh? But my word, you definitely aren''t a man for these sorts of attire."
Hearing that oh-so familiar tone, I turned around and saw Dan dressed in a tuxedo much like mine. Though given his short and stout stature, the attire appeared a bit tight around the neck.
I found myself chuckling unwittingly.
"Pfft, ahaha! But you do look the part for sure. What was the saying, the clothes make a man? That''s it."
Dan pursued his lips at my chuckle and protested.
"...That¡¯s definitely not apliment, is it? And what do you mean I¡¯m all what my clothes make me, you and your mouth. I couldn''t do anything, you know? The invitation came at such short notice, so it was impossible to tailor a new attire for me. Speaking of which, you aren''t any different from me either. I¡¯m sure your dress is brand new too."
While Dan and I poked fun at each other and shared greetings like usual, my mother looked at us with a joyous expression.
"He must be your friend from the academy, right, Allen? It seems like you¡¯ve made plenty of friends there. This put my worries at rest. I''m Cecilia, Allen''s mother. Please continue to be his friend."
"A-Ah, yes. I am Daniel Serdos, a ssmate of Allen''s. It''s nice to meet you."
Dan whipped an innocuous smile and greeted my mother, and then whispered to me in a subdued voice, "Woah, your mom looks quite beautiful, and she seems gentle too."
?Yeah, gentle until you pissed her off, that is.?
I also whispered back to him, though it earned a faint look of discontent from the person in question.
"You know I can hear you, right, Allen?"
"R-Right, let me introduce to them, I mean, my parents."
Dan''s survival instinct must have kicked in. Maybe he noticed the faint mystic auraing from my mother since he suddenly changed the topic.
I followed the direction Dan pointed out and noticed a middle-aged couple there.
"I''m Thomas Von Serdos, Daniel''s father. Thank you for taking care of our Daniel."
"Nice to meet you. I''m Allen Rovenne. Thank you very much for lending us your precious monster repelling tool during my visit to Serdos."
Hearing my greetings, a broad smile appeared on Count Serdos¡¯ face as he said in a soft tone.
"As long as it serves you well, then our heirloom relic has served its worth. Now that I look back, I presume that it must have yed a role in building your Sail Club away from prying eyes. To be honest, I wasn''t so sure about your club at first, but I must say you have me speechless with your achievement. The game you yed was truly of a grand scale that no ordinary person couldprehend. This Thomas is impressed from the bottom of his heart. I hope you continue to support each other in the future."
...No, wait. I only borrowed that to fulfil my greed to feast on deareise though. If anything, the idea of a Sail Club hasn''t even been conceived yet.
Well, no need to correct him there either way. Nevertheless, he didn''t look like what Dan made him out to be. I guess he must have had a greatugh seeing the gobsmacked faces of the people who used to point fingers at him after our transport mission.
But thanks to that, Dan could now wholeheartedly give himself to the cause without listening to the garbage. I didn''t think the earlier scenario would repeat itself, but going against expectations was human nature, so I decided to drive the final nail in the coffin.
"If you mean the earlier transport mission, don''t mention it. It was mere baby steps for Dan, or a mere checkpoint, if you will. In the grand scheme of Daniel Serdos, you have merely seen the tip of the iceberg, Count."
As soon as the words were out, a portion of the crowd ¡ª they had been straining their ears in our direction ¡ª was stirred.
"H-Hey, don''t just say whateveres to your mind, Allen! I¡¯m already tired trying to tackle our current problems. That''s more than a checkpoint you''re making it out to be! Father, you must not take his words at face value!"
"Haa, did you forget what I said? It''s on me how I evaluate you, alright? And I¡¯m sure you''re going to achieve so much more in the future that would dwarf your current achievements. Heck, I bet it would go beyond that, actually. But you know, I didn''t say it lest it puts too much pressure on you."
I purposely said this in a loud voice audible enough to be heard by the surrounding crowd. Dan promptly talked me down, noticing the tension. Meanwhile, the woman next to Count Serdos instead burst out inughter.
"Pfft! Hahaha! I''m Veena, Dan''s mother. Now I can see why that little sister of mine took a fancy to you. You are quite broad-minded. I certainly felt delighted to hear that¡ I pray for a greater height for you, just like you do for Dan."T/N - Happy new year guys! I seriously forgot the day of update and ended up being one dayte. Hope you all have st this year.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 200 - Soirée (3)
"Pfft! Hahaha! I''m Veena, Dan''s mother. Now I can see why that little sister of mine took a fancy to you. You are quite broad-minded. I certainly felt delighted to hear that¡ I pray for a greater height for you, just like you do for Dan."
Dan''s mother, Veena, which made her the older sister of Mimosa, said with a giggle. Count Serdos, on the other hand, hastily rebuked her.
"T-These words aren''t suitable for the asion, Madam."
"Fufu, I see, I apologize then. It''s just my unfamiliarity with such asions that got the best of me. It should''ve been Lady Brient''s, the first wife''s, moment, but she followed her eldest son ¡ª he had been enlisted in the army dealing with the Hellrowcast extermination operation ¡ª and returned to the territory. Though I do hope you can continue to take care of Daniel."
After greeting Count Serdos, we made a greeting round to the other attendees, and eventually found ourselves a ce to sit.
I hadn''t expected this, but it appeared that today''s soir¨¦e was quite high profile with the attendance of not only the royal family, but also of the three ducal houses¡ª the Zatstinger, the Shutrene, and the Guraster.
Among them, I only found the Knight Order''s Supreme Commander, Olina of the Zatstinger family, to be a familiar face.
I scanned the venue to see if Mujikka-sensei, the advisor of our Magic Research Club and also a member of the royal family, or Director Miharu from the Shutrene family, were present, but I didn''t see even their shadow.
Maybe they wanted to avoiding in contact with students in private scenarios so as not to appear like they were giving someone preferential treatment. With how much they stick to formalities, I wouldn''t be surprised if that was the case.
It reminded me of the time when Director Miharu had summoned me to her office, asking if I had some suggestions to improve the Academy. Needless to say, I presented her with a slew of ideas, most of which weremonce in modern Japan, out of habit.
By the end, Director Miharu''s facial expression seemed kind of stretched as she returned with ''We will positively consider them'' in reply.
Aside from them, I had no acquaintances from the Grauster family, though I was intrigued by the color of their eyes. I felt d¨¦j¨¤ vu when I noticed that.
Anyway, at the end of the day, all these arrangements felt a bit too strange, or forced if you may. Our group of backwater nobles was clearly sticking out like a sore thumb, and if anything, even Count Serdos¡¯ family appeared mismatched with the high profile setting of this soir¨¦e.
"Hark! His Majesty has arrived!"
Espin, the head butler who weed us, announced. All the attendees promptly stood up and turned to look at the entrance.
We, too, followed their examples and turned our heads in the direction of entrance.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
His Majesty made his entrance in quite a rough appearance with his familiar gold-embroidered mantle being nowhere to be seen.
A beautiful woman appeared beside him, presumably the Queen Yuain. She was dressed in an asion-appropriate evening dress. If I recall correctly, the queen had been married from another nation.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Appearance-wise, she was a pretty woman, with her facial features leaning on the cute side, as she walked with an impable gait, her spine straight like a pole.
His Majesty casually nced at my father, and confirming his ashen and tensed expression, he proposed.
"Fumu, it''s hard to talk with such a distance between us, huh? Tonight''s arrangements were made hastily, so it''s inevitable that the seating arrangement wouldn''t be as I intended. Well, since it''s a personal event, let''s enjoy it as a buffet party style."
When Queen Yuain heard him, she hastily stopped him from proceeding with his idea.
"Gracious, you''re at it again with your whims. There are various things that need to be considered, like security arrangements, and food, among others, you know? Moreover, a king can''t be without his due prestige. This country isn''t small enough to gloss over such formalities."
"Hahahaha! I understand your intention well, Yua, but there''s no need to be such a stickler for formalities. Everyone here are familiar faces, and Olina and Allen are here too. No one would be foolish enough to intrude at this time. Espin."
"I-I will immediately make arrangements!"
Espin-san promptly replied, though the staff was already on the move. It seemed like it wasn''t their first rodeo dealing with His Majesty''s whims.
Yuain-sama was stuck with an expression that she hadn''t finished speaking, but in the end, she just sighed and swallowed her words.
Supreme Commander Olina-san made a bitter smile as she saw all of this, and stood up from her seat.
"...The concerns of Yuain-sama lie somewhere else, though as hostess, some things must be hard to say. So I¡¯ll be her spokesperson instead. Cecilia Rovenne. Both I and Yuain-sama have heard a lot about you from Randy in thest several decades ¡®til our ears went sore. I heard your talent was one-of-a-kind even among the ?Kingdom''s Shield? Dosperior family."
After she said that, she gave some sort of signal to the nearby knight who had been there for security.
"...He would speak of your noble spirit, reminiscent of goddess Hatiri, and your charm, among other things. But god forbid, should you identally enable him in his speech, his rambling of minutes would very well stretch to hours and beyond, and when reaching the end, he would burst into tears. To be honest, I nearly threw him out so many times."
A blue vein popped on the forehead of my mother.
"This is no allegation of any sort, even putting forth your decades of absence. Everyone here ¡ª whether it''s His Majesty, Yua-sama, or me ¡ª has utmost faith in Randy''s words. Allen, whom you have raised, is a prominent symbol of loyalty to this kingdom. We have often been blindsided by his efforts, in fact."
Olina-san remarked while hurling a nce at me.
......I didn''t even have the ''L'' of loyalty for this kingdom though. Maybe she had already been informed about the blue mingos, which only urred because I kind of snapped since those birds were getting in the way of the fishingpetition. I wanted to shout that it was a mere ident... but a wise man knew when to keep one''s mouth closed.
"Be that as it may, some things must be cleared first. Your status isn''t at the level to have a conversation with His Majesty yet, so I would like you to show your strength. I would like to believe that an active member of the Knight Order wouldn''t fall in a contest of arms against you, as much of a child prodigy that you were, especially after a long time of reclusive lifestyle¡ Fret not, I know when to take control of the situation if something goes wrong. You can''t be a knight unless you''re capable of that much, after all. So show me your strength."
In the middle of her speech, the knight whom Olina had signaled earlier returned with a weapons¡¯ stand filled with all sorts of long iron swords with ttened edges.
Olina took a medium-length iron sword from it, and turned to His Majesty.
"It may not align with Your Majesty''s way of restoring the heart through trust, but please grant me permission to engage in a sparring match against Cecilia Rovenne as the leader of the Knight Order."
His Majesty''s expression scrunched in annoyance as he heard that, and waved his hand.
"And you call me fussy. But fine, after hearing so much about Randy''s little sister, I admit that I am intrigued. Well, if Cecilia is alright with it, then you may proceed."
His Majesty said this, and cast his gaze at my mother.
A faint sigh escaped from my mother''s mouth, her expression covered in indifference, as she stood up from her seat.
"Understood, let this be a slight entertainment ¡®til the due arrangements are done. Allow me to spar with you, Lady Olina."
A fearless grin crept on Olina-san''s face at my mother''s nod. As much as I didn''t want to, her expression reminded me of that irksome Leo.
"Sheesh, you really do know how to twist logic to your favor. Just say you''d been itching to face Cecilia, you battle maniac."
His Majesty said in an exasperated tone when he took a look at Olina-san.
Mother promptly pulled out the heaviest-looking iron sword from the stand.
As the two stood against each other, the other attendees cleared the area with expressions of keen interest.
My mother gave the sword a swing, and promptly channeled her mana, releasing her battle intent. The pressure emanating from her was so intense, it had knights around us instinctively reaching for their weapons.
"*Whistle* Way to go, Mother. This is the best chance to show your cool side to Father! You think that person will be alright, Allen-kun?"
Oh, my dear sister, just where do you see the romantic angle in that bloodthirsty demon-like aura surging from her? That''s worlds apart from the ballpark of our no hope father.
Everyone in the venue was shocked when they heard my sister''s cheers.
Meanwhile, our esteemed father was propped on the table.
"...Well, she should be more than alright. My master did say Olina-san is the strongest swordsman in this kingdom."
It''s not like I had seen Olina-san in action personally to make a guess, so I paraphrased my master''s words. Most of all, I couldn''t just say ''She may lose, so it''s better to stop the spar'' when everyone was keenly listening to our words.
My eyes drifted to Olina-san. Even after bearing the brunt of my mother''s aura, she still had that fearless grin on her face.
On the other hand, my sister stood up from her seat with sparkling eyes when she heard me.
"It sounds interesting~! I would like to try as well!"
Huh? Hold on for a moment, my dear sister! Don''t make it sound like she''s some sort of amusement park attraction!"
Nheless, my sister merrily slipped past my mother and her suppressive aura, picked up one of the swords from the stand, and happily returned to stand behind our mother.
The grin on Olina-san''s expression widened when she saw this, and she continued with her outrageous remark.
"Interesting. I had been wanting to see your caliber for myself too, Roselia Rovenne. Truly fearless, much like your brother Allen¡ One-on-one would be a waste of time, so both of youe at me at the same time."
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. She''s definitely in deep trouble this time! And for the record, I wasn''t that fearless, alright!? I ain''t even a mere shadow of what they''re capable of.
I quietly nced at my father, but his focus was on counting the veins of the decorative nt''s leaves. He had clearly put the chaotic situation on the backseat of his mind.
I sighed as I saw no other option, so I picked a sword for myself and stood next to Olina-san.
"What are you doing, Allen? Surely, you''re not implying that I will lose, are you? I¡¯m pretty sure that even if you join them, ande at me all at once, I can still fight regardless."
I suppressed my urge to sigh, and replied.
"Of course not. I just thought this was quite a good chance for me to learn as a knight along with my leader."
I slowly moved the wind at my will while speaking.
"It''s been quite a while since ourst face-off, eh, mother, sister?"
The two curled their lips into smiles at my words.T/N - Despite what he says, he truly like to add more fetters to himself, eh? And on this short note, Merry Christmas everyone! Though I would add like to add more, I guess let''s leave theter greetings for new year, not the creative type so can''t exhaust my arsenal here, haha. But, have a good long holidays~
Vol. 1 - Chapter 201 - Soirée (4)
"Hmm, fine. Just don''t drag me down with you."
"...I¡¯ll do my best."
After sessfully receiving permission from Olina-san, I nced at my mother.
This was probably the first time I would be facing her with such seriousness.
My wind magic faintly captured her breathing pattern. It was a series of unhurried, and shallow breathing. Her feet were rooted to the ground so firmly, it was as if she and the floor were one.
I was sure that she was paying attention to me in a corner of her mind, but her eyes were focused on Olina-san.
I was pretty far from either of their levels, so I didn''t understand everything, but maybe it was a tactic to gauge each other''s caliber by not rushing to take action.
"What''s the matter? If you''re not making the first move¡ª"
After a momentary silent stare-off, Olina-san spoke while slightly moving forward when¡ª my elder sister chuckled as she jumped backward.
The earlier leeway vanished from Oliana-san''s expression when she saw that, reced by an astounded look.
"¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªI knew you would do that, Elder Sister!!!"
I promptly jumped to the left from my sister''s viewpoint¡ª in short, I was directly between her and His Majesty.
I knew that wasing. I thought to myself, what would I do to create an opening in Olina-san''s form? A frontal sh in a 2-vs-1 scenario would be a fool''s errand.
In that case, it would be best to use something in the surrounding as a distraction. By reaching that conclusion, the only way to force a reaction from Olina-san was to use something ¡ª in this case, it was His Majesty ¡ª that she would and must protect even if it cost her life.
But of course, a person withmon sense, like me, might think of it but would know that it was a move that was close to insanity.
However, my elder sister was someone who would do it, that I had no doubt.
That said, she wouldn''t be thinking of actually targeting His Majesty at all. Plus, there were two knights stationed by his side, and they should be trained enough to hold their ground against her, not to mention the fact that her weapon had a dull edge.
However, Olina-san wouldn''t be able to stay calm, especially after noticing my sister''s momentary burst of power... Wait, could it be¡ª
Such doubt would certainly be able to create the opening they needed. A possible victory gained through such an act might make our family face some harsh criticism. I stepped up precisely to make sure no such incident happened. After all, Olina-san may be formidable, but 2-vs-1 wasn''t a pretty situation to handle.
"I knew you would do that, Allen-kun! But¡ I can''t have you get in the way, so stay there!"
My sister said that, and sharply turned toward Olina-san while throwing her sword at me.
I managed to divert her charge, though as an attendee of this event, I couldn''t let the sword reach His Majesty.
I parried the hurled sword and nced at my sister. I noticed that my mother followed up with an upward sh from the right-hand side, taking advantage of the gap in Olina-san''s focus due to my sister''s action.
*ng!!!!*
Seeing that I managed to deal with the incident without issues, Olina-san also hastily adjusted her stance and responded to the iing sh. In the worst way possible, they were now locked in a stalemate.
Meanwhile, my sister, having created some distance between us, hurled a fist at Olina-san''s face.
"Rrrrrghhh!"
Oliana-san hastily pushed back my mother¡¯s sword as she channeled her mana into overdrive mode, and epted the iing fist with her forehead.
*THUMMMP!*
A dull sound echoed as fresh blood sprayed from my sister''s fist. The sound was an indicator that maybe she had hurt her knuckles, yet she continued to rain down fist after fist in rapid session, giving Olina-san not even a moment to collect herself.
My sister wasn''t much of a swordsman. As far as I had seen her in action during her training sessions back at the Rovenne territory since childhood, she had never shown that great of an inclination to sword.
So my sister losing the sword was rather akin to her dropping a burden. Instead, her main forte was her speed, which shebined with closebat martial arts along with all forms of techniques as it allowed her to exert her full strength unhindered. We might share the same blood, but even I had to say that her talent was abnormal, falling out of any logical domain I knew of.
She knew her forte quiteprehensively, hence why she unhesitatingly threw the sword away.
Olina-san epted the machine gun-ish fist barrage with her mana guard while keeping my mother at bay, though the onught had forced her half a step back. The only thing that was stopping her from dealing with my sister was the existence of my mother, apse of focus on her part would give my mother a chance tounch her ferocious attack.
"Mother!"
The cry from my sister made my mother nce at me for a moment as I ran toward Olina-san to help her out.
Then, with a slight smile on the corner of her mouth, she executed a horizontal sh without a trace of hesitation.
Holy mother of Christ, she couldn''t be serious, right?! This was where she was supposed to cut us some ck, oh God!
"Rrrggh!"
Olina-san''s posture crumbled away as she tanked the sweeping attack from my mother. Meanwhile, my sister must have predicted the situation to turn out like this as she delivered a low roundhouse kick from behind.
However, Olina-san, with unbelievable reflexes, managed to dodge my sister''s sweeping roundhouse kick by jumping.
Seeing that, my mother finally grasped her sword with two hands and took a stance, preparing for a ruthless cleaving strike.
Following her jump, Olina-san''s gaze met my mother¡¯s while she was still in the air and both of them shed a grin.
Oh, for the love of God, what the hell are you guys happy about?! We''re not putting on a performance!
The situation was clearly in my mother''s favor.
I was about to rush over to assist, but then I realized that if I wasn''t careful, a major ident could happen, leading to a victory for both my mother and sister. So, I turned to using my wind magic.
"Howling Dragon"
I whispered the name of the spell as if reciting it. I kept myself from shouting it to create a sense of grandeur. In fact, I had a badass incantation specially prepared for it, though I had to forgo using it for now due to the urgency of the situation.
Having been caught in my magic, my mother and sister''s bodies stiffened momentarily as their steps staggered.
Olina-san exploited the opportunity in a timely manner and fractured the sword in my mother''s hand with a follow-up strike while she grabbed my sister by her head and brought her down to the floor.
"......I surrender."
My mother let go of her now halved sword and raised both hands to signal her surrender.
¡ô
Beads of sweat trickled down Olina-san''s forehead.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
The match hade to a conclusion, but no one spoke a word. After experiencing such a tantalizing match, I wasn''t surprised by their stunned silence.
The one who shattered the awkwardness drifting in the air was none other than my elder sister who started all of this.
She happily hopped back on her feet with a bright smile, and wiped the blood from her forehead with the sleeve of her dress.
"Ahaha~, I lost. A pity I couldn''t show my cool side to Allen-kun."
My mother sighed and rebuked her.
"How could you target His Majesty, Rose? It was supposed to be a mere spar. Learn to consider time and ce, alright?"
A pout crept on my sister''s face.
"But why? You didn''t miss the chance to exploit the gap though. And that''s what you taught me¡ª ''You must resolutely hold your weapon no matter who you''re facing. This is what it means to be a defender.'' You¡¯ve been telling me that since I was three, I think?"
She retorted. Nheless, my mother''s stare continued to bore down on her. In the end, my sister flinched slightly and raised her hands in defeat.
"I went overboard. I''m sorry."
As the two wrapped up their carefree exchange, one of the guests, having finally broken out of their trance, I think his name was Andrew-san, suddenly raised his voice in anger.
"Y-you think ''sorry'' is enough?! How are you going to make amends for this travesty, Viscount Bellwood Von Rovenne?!"
My father, who had been staring at a potted nt, finally looked up and turned around with a genuinely surprised expression.
"Huh, ah, my bad. I was so entranced by the beautiful branches of the flowering quince tree that I didn''t see the details. What about you, Schord?"
He pretended to be oblivious to the situation, and even pushed the problem to Schord.
"Now I see, so this has been your doing, Unceasing Prudence? Was your so-called lofty philosophical views about fortitude and spirit merely a stunt?! Answer me!"
Andrew-san next turned his attention to Schord despite thetter having no rtion to the situation.
Schord, who had been standing at the corner of the venue, shook his head when people looked his way.
"That''s rather a weird question to ask me, amoner devoid of any martial arts talent. Moreover, the concept of fortitude and spirit had been conceived by Young Master Allen, which he''s gradually fostering."
With an innocuous smile, Schord said this, and then turned to Olina-san.
"¡ª''Fret not, I know when to take control of the situation if something goes wrong. You can''t be a knight unless you''re capable of that much, after all. So show me your strength.'' I believe Olina-sama had said this herself. May I ask, have you found the answer?"
Everyone was taken aback by Schord''s carefree words¡ª except for one person.
His Majesty crackled inughter.
"Kuku. Hahahaha! That was fun! This has to be the first performance I have ever had so much fun in!"
"You count this sphemy as a p-performance, Your Majesty? Thisss just pointed her sword at you!"
"She had no intention to harm me, I just happened to be in the way. Above all, knight Allen had promptly taken action to thwart the danger. This is still well within the realm of entertainment."
"However, Allen Rovenne himself had verbally said that ''I knew you would do that,'' this isn''t¡ª"
"But don''t you agree that it''s only fun this way? Olina-san''s expression was priceless, I must say. Hahaha¡ Alright, I won¡¯t be receiving any moreints about it. There''s no need to make a mountain out of a molehill. And Olina, have you measured Cecilia''s strength enough as a guardian? You wouldn¡¯t suggest canceling the soir¨¦e now, would you?"
As His Majesty asked with a grin, Olina-san sighed.
"...Yes, Your Majesty. Of course, there is no problem.
Caprine! Add six more knights to the security detail! Focus on protecting His Majesty and Yua-sama! His Majesty is due for a foreign trip starting tomorrow. Ensure the same level of vignce as if protecting him during diplomatic negotiations with a foreign country! In case any mischievous person appears, buy us some time. I¡¯ll take care of them.
Roselia, you stay 10 meters away while Cecilia, you stay at least 15 meters away from His Majesty and Yua-sama."
After giving these instructions, Olina-san turned to His Majesty and dered with a serious face, "Everything is settled now."
Vol. 1 - Chapter 202 - Soirée (5)
"Now do you see what I mean? I swear, I¡¯m the only sane person in my crazy family..."
Resting on his seat, Dan was looking at me with a speechless expression, his face spasming. I wryly shook my head and got myself a seat next to him.
".........I¡¯ve witnessed the reason why you have a screw loose in your head. Hey, don''t sit next to me! God forbid, they might think that I¡¯m besties with a crazy head!"
"Aww, you''re hurting your *best friend''s* feelings by saying that, you know? I might cry."
*Sigh.* I honestly feel like crying myself.
I took a nce at my elder sister. She was reflecting on her performance in the match with Olina-san.
After making bare-handed punches against Olina-san''s mana guard, she must have hurt her hands, so she was now receiving care from a holy magic user knight amidst her cheerful discussion.
It wasn''t every day that my elder sister would take a liking to someone in their first meeting. The strength of Olina-san must have done the trick. Wait, now that I think about it, she also got along with Fey and Jeu pretty quicklyst time¡ At our hometown back in the Rovenne Viscounty, I had never seen her get along with anyone else.
Right now, she was intently listening to Olina-san''s advice on ways to utilize martial arts, like "Keep your opposite side tight when you throw a punch" among other things. With her beauty, outwardly at least, she looked no different from anymonce girl learning about boxing exercises for weight loss¡ª or well, it would''ve looked like that if it weren''t for the knights around her giving her wary looks.
I looked away from all that, and turned to Dan as I probed him about histest love life.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
"Hey Allen! Come here for a bit!"
I was engaged in trivial love talk with Dan, firmly rooting my ce beside him to avoid the bustle of the soir¨¦e, when Olina-san suddenly called out to me.
"It must have been your trick that caused Cecilia and Rose''s rhythms tog at the end, right? I didn''t hear it properly back then, what was the name of the technique again?"
Gosh! Right, I was mentally drained after the fight, so Ipletely forgot to brag about my one-of-a-kind spell!
"Oh, right, thank you for reminding me! The name of the technique is... ?Howling Dragon?. It''s a debuff category spell that I came up with in my journey to explore wind magic. I borrowed the name from a certain historical building (actually Tochigi Prefecture)! By the way, did you know that the acoustics of that temple have some truly fascinating secrets¡ª"
"Huh? Lady Olina isn''t asking you about the technique merely out of interest, Allen. She meant to ask about the underlying details of the technique. I felt a cold gust of wind blowing over me, and then suddenly a deafening silence rang into my ears. After that, I only remember the world spinning in front of my eyes."
Just as I was about to reiterate the great origin of my technique, Mother made me cut to the main point.
"¡It¡¯s just a debuff-type wind magic I¡¯ve been researching about, where I reduced the air pressure and density of one''s body. The ringing in your ears likely happened because of the pressure difference between the air inside your ears and the external air."
Interrupted, I reluctantly gave them a much simpler answer.
The principle behind Howling Dragon was the same sensation you get when you ride an airne or a high-rise elevator and feel that sharp change in pressure through your ears along with a feeling of stuffiness.
Well, this world didn''t have either of those machines, let alone their concept, so they never had the chance to experience it before. And even then, the air pressure often didn''t change so quickly while riding an airne.
*On rainy days, for example, some people experience dizziness or headaches because their autonomous nervous system can¡¯t properly adjust to the change in atmospheric pressure. A more extreme case of this is altitude sickness. I¡¯ve heard that at the peak of Mount Everest, the pressure drops to about a third of normal levels.*
I was still throwing my hands and feet in every way possible to make a ?Wind Cutter? ¡ª one of the fundamental wind magic spells that sent forth a vacuum sh ¡ª though I haven''t had even a tiny hint of sess yet.
At present, I couldn''t affect the atmospheric pressure of distant ces yet, but it wasn¡¯t a problem to cast it around my neighborhood. In fact, I often nk out just to get a proper grasp of it. And well, it was during such training that I thought of this technique.
I have yet to work on increasing the atmospheric pressure aspect of the technique, but theoretically, it should be possible. In its ultimate form, this spell should be able to change the atmospheric pressure equivalent from 50 meters underwater to the top of Mount Everest in a blink of an eye. Though I guess that the spell would be in its own realm and cannot be considered debuff magic anymore with that achievement.
As for the name ?Howling Dragon?, since the mystical phenomena urred due to sound, I stuck to it because it sounded cooler that way.
"...Debuff type, err, wind magic?... And the principle is, what, air d-difference...? I didn''t get any of it, but at least it wasn''t poison, huh? I had tried to extract any foreign substance from my body with mana as soon as I felt the strangeness since I thought it had something to do with poison. It was ineffective though. Even someone with extreme skills should be easily confused. It''s a nice technique."
Then, with a smile like that of a young girl, she added.
"It wouldn¡¯t be enough to incapacitate someone¡ but it would certainly be difficult to deal with when encountering it for the first time. In battle, be careful about when to use it, and make sure you finish them off with the first strike."
Hearing my exnation, Olina-san, who once again wore a somber expression that was strikingly simr to Leo¡¯s, crossed her arms and rested her chin in her hand.
"I see. How much mana does it consume? If it''s not taxing, I would like to experience it myself."
"I have yet to refine the technique, so the consumption is intense. But I should be able to do it a few times."
"Ohh, then I would love to experience it again~"
"Likewise."
Since everyone was hoping to try it for themselves, I unveiled my technique for the second time. I opened a distance of five meters like earlier from everyone else, and spread my hands like an eagle.
"O'' boundless maiden, the pir of the four great spirits, Le Sylphy... By the forged oath of Zephyr, hereby I borrow the breath of the Ancient Tempestuous Dragon! Converge, pave open the path to the air currents! Twirl¡ª"
"What''re you doing, Allen?... And why is the wind just blowing around?"
My mother quipped with a confused expression as I intoned the aria I created for the spell while blowing the wind around to generate *a sense of mysticism.*
"Err, this is, you know, a chant. All the effects and the whirling are to prepare the wind. The great spirit Le Sylphy prefers a ce where the winds converge...... Converge, pave open the path to the air currents! Twirl, revolve, and bind the wicked with chains of restraint¨D¨D"
As I was about to continue the incantation, my mother interrupted with a very unimpressed look on her face.
"Are we the ''wicked ones'' you''re referring to? I don¡¯t recall you making any such careless arias earlier."
"N-no, it¡¯s not about anyone in particr¡ Wait! The seemingly meaningless repetitive actions actually help with my concentration¡ª"
"Take this seriously."
With an urge to cry out, I reluctantly discarded the incantation.
¡ô
"Damn you, Olina... look at her how she''s going gaga over there. Shouldn''t she be like, beside me, the host and king? Tsk¡ Bellwood! That''s enough of you appreciating that tree! I have something to discuss with you, soe here!"
King Patrick beckoned Bellwood.
"Y-Yes, your majesty!"
Bellwood promptly bowed¡ª in fact, he bowed so deeply that he was practically kneeling, like a sinner asking for forgiveness.
On a side note, he had been made to perform sword skills for three minutes under the public eye. At the end of the performance ¡ª which ended up with him releasing copious amounts of sweat ¡ª he was allowed to act within range of Patrick and Yuain.
"His body is robust, though he has zero training in both the martial arts and magic," was Olina¡¯s verdict after getting a thorough look at his performance.
"Ah, be at ease, Bellwood. I¡¯ve already heard from Meria that you''re not too fond of the intricacies of noble society. Today''s event is merely a private one, not an official audience. No one would be boorish enough to nitpick here."
After this preamble, Patrick changed the topic to the recent transportation mission regarding the Hellrowcast.
"Now, let''s talk about why I insisted on inviting the Serdos family and the Rovenne family to this soir¨¦e. I wanted to discuss with you the recent transportation mission. I have heard of detailed reports from Glover about how Allen and Daniel, with immense resolve, aplished that mission. The merit would be officially awarded once the Hellrowcast has beenpletely exterminated. But as the king of this country, I wanted to express my gratitude to both your families for the aplishments your kids have achieved."
Apuse echoed in the venue at Patrick''s statement.
With cheeks redder than an apple, and chest puffed out in pride, Count Serdos responded with a bow, "Your words are wasted on us, Your Majesty!"
Bellwood learned from his example, and proceeded to bow his head.
"Your words are wasted on us, Your Majesty!...... Though, what exactly was that mission about, a transportation mission was it? I believe I heard Count Serdos mention something about a Sail Club earlier too. Allen, from a young age, was always a mischievous boy, skipping on studies to hang out around the territory, and thening back with injuries. So I have no idea about what he''s been doing......"
The attendees fell silent when they heard Bellwood''s nonchnt remark.
"............Allen Rovenne. You didn''t talk about the mission with your father?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Patrick''s deep blue eyes turned to stare at Allen.
"...Well, err, it was something that we had achieved with everyone''s help, so... I didn''t think there was anything worth mentioning about that mission."
Allen scratched his cheek in awkwardness as he stated this. Though he wasn''t really embarrassed, he instead felt a little guilty.
After staring into Allen''s eyes, Patrick let out a deep sigh.
"I have heard of the circumstances. You shouldn''t feel responsible for the incident with Aldol Engraver. Don¡¯t try to carry everything on your small shoulders. Bellwood, Cecilia... Allen is the savior of this nation. Many kept pointing their fingers at them behind their back, but he remained devoted to his cause, and the fruit of hisbor saved us all. These kids are the new rising stars that will illuminate the kingdom in theing future¡ª"
Then King Patrick proceeded to personally describe the details of the urgent transportation mission, which was a race against Hellrowcast''s incubation time, and of the follow-up incident.
Of course, the incident with the blue mingo had been excluded. Otherwise, once she heard of the details, Cecilia gently ruffled Allen''s hair.
"...You''ve grown up so remarkably, Allen. You should be more proud of yourself. You are the pride of our family, after all."
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Despite my mother''s praise, I could only scratch my head awkwardly.
The king spoke as if he knew everything, but honestly, a majority of my drive came from my spite against Al who was getting all flirty while they were working. Ain''t no way I could''ve done nothing after seeing that¡
I mean, I had thoroughly exined to everyone, including His Majesty, that everything ¡ª including my sailing and wind magic pursuits ¡ª I did was merely a pastime for me. So where in the world did all of this mega immense resolvee from? I couldn''tprehend it¡
After clearing his throat, His Majesty returned to the main topic.
"*Ahem* So returning to the previous topic, I would like to personally grant the two families who have raised these two supernovas a reward for their spectacr performance. This had been my main reason for inviting them. Speak of whatever you desire. I will do my utmost to ensure that your demands are met. Say it, Thomas¡"
Hearing his name, Count Serdos requested the expansion of Solcoast''s harbor, Dan''s birthce, as well as the permit and authority to work on maritime trade.
He probably had guessed the reason behind the invitation, so his request appeared pre-nned.
"Haha. This is quite a modest wish in contrast to the achievement. Let''s do it this way: in addition to your request, I confer to you 100kg mithril, and 5000kg ore of graphite. However, this is merely the start. I¡¯ll make sure to reward you handsomely for your further achievements in sailing, so I hope you continue to strive for the nation."
"Ah, I-I am most grateful!"
Next, His Majesty turned toward my father.
"So, Bellwood, what is it that you desire? Allen, in addition to this mission, has also contributed greatly to the kingdom through his activities as a Knight Order member, a provisional one he may be. This is your time, so speak of whatever you want."
Uh-huh, unlike Count Serdos, my hopeless father could not give His Majesty a prompt reply.
Just as I had thought so, my father, surprisingly, went silent for a moment with an expression I had never seen him make before, one that looked unusually determined. After a pause, he asked His Majesty with a resolute tone.
"...So, am I correct in understanding that the reward for Allen is a separate matter, while this is specifically a reward for the Rovenne family?"
The intensity and tension in my father¡¯s eyes, which had previouslycked any sort of spark, made the whole room fall silent.
The king squinted at my father and, after a moment, smiled as the corners of his lips curled in amusement.
"That¡¯s correct. Don¡¯t hold back, and speak of your desires."
My father briefly nced at my mother.
She smiled and said, "It''s your call to make, Bell."
"Then¡ª"
And so, my father made his request, which had everyone, including me, doubting their ears in surprise.T/N - That aria had to be one of the moment where I had spent most time in tranting a phrase due to cringe.
E/N - The spell aria part physically hurt me while editing it. The cringe¡
T/N - Happy new year guys! I seriously forgot the day of update and ended up being one dayte. Hope you all have st this year.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 203 - Soirée (6)
My father took a deep breath, then said his wish out loud.
"Then... I humbly ask that the ubia forest region, which the House of Rovenne has protected for generations, be ceded to the royal family as a royal domain and that our family be appointed as its magistrate."
A look of astonishment covered everyone''s expression when they heard him.
It was only natural.
Ceding a region to the royal family as a royal domain, and to be appointed as its magistrate meant being demoted from Viscount to Baron. Anyone would be surprised if they heard someone asking for a demotion in their big moment.
There was a stark difference between a viscount¡¯s household and a baron''s.
Baronial territories had restrictions on the autonomy of their governance. Baronial houses that cannot independently sustain their domains due to economic reasons share the rights to rule it with the royal family or their patron marquises. In return, they received tax reductions, financial aid, and personnel support to maintain theirnds.
In essence, the involvement of public funds in administration weakened the authority of a noble house.
Naturally, the fallen barons who were stripped of theirnds, or demoted due to misconduct or financial failures, especially those reduced to mere magistrates of confiscated domains, were subjects of ridicule in noble society.
Just as His Majesty, too, was rendered speechless, Andrew raised his voice in anger.
¡°W-What are you saying, Viscount Rovenne?! Have you lost your mind?!
...With all due respect, I had been skeptical of the emergence of a remarkable figure from a ce I had never heard of before, so I conducted a thorough investigation into your family.
Since its founding 707 years ago by Alsace Rovenne, your family has quietly but sincerely developed yournd, and not once have you been on the brink of demotion. But now you''re throwing away all the hard work of your ancestors?! You, or any of the past heads before you, had been a man of integrity with an on point tax filing as I looked through your tax history.
Your rtion with your patron Marquis is just as amicable as it could be, and the retention rate of your fiefdom''s poption is spectacr even by just ncing at the overall history of the kingdom.
And even your magnificent city walls, which seem out of ce in such a remote area, stands as a testament to your family¡¯s centuries-long dedication to protecting your people from monsters by investing your personal wealth. The more I investigated, the more ashamed I felt of my own ignorance for doubting you.
*Sigh* It is because of noble families like yours, who are earnest, dependable, and care deeply for their people, that our kingdom has been able to dominate this continent for so long. Now that your generations of effort are finally going to bear fruit, and you have stepped into the wider world, I honestly wish tomend you, and support you in your future endeavors, and yet...... Yet, you are¡ª"
Andrew-san choked up after that, his eyes blurring with tears.
He didn''t really benefit from making such a speech, yet his concern seemed genuine.
He had been the first one to rebuke my sister, and relentlessly too, for her preposterous strategy, so I had my doubts, but maybe neither side was in the wrong. He was just one of those straightforward people, a rare breed among the shifty high nobility.
¡°...If my actions have brought a new light on our Rovenne house, then I certainly can stand proudly before my ancestor''s grave¡ Of course, I deeply cherished ournd, which had been developed by the blood and sweat of our ancestors, but¡ when has time ever listened to anyone.¡±
Narrowing his eyes in a nostalgic expression, my father began his exnation.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
The ubia forest mountain area was a wonder of nature, harboring in itself the flora and fauna as well as other creatures from the antiquity era. Even some extinct species that couldn''t be found anywhere else could be found in this region.
Our Rovenne family has lived off the blessings of that forest, and was able to sustain ournds and people to this day because of it. I believe that the forest is an irreceable treasure of this kingdom, one that must be preserved for future generations.
Up until now, its inconvenient location had allowed us to cultivate thend slowly. However, technological breakthroughs, like thetest mana-powered engines, have ced the world into a fast track development route.
It was only a matter of time before our territory, which had been isting itself from the rest of the continent, became a part of the charted world, filling me with a sense of crisis that none of my previous ancestors have dealt with before.
It changed my goal to increasing our authority as a noble house, and protecting the forest until it could sustain itself, all before the world noticed this treasure trove.
Mere economic strength wouldn''t do anything on its own, we had to have enough military might in our hands to control thend, and that''s why I wished for my children to establish themselves as one of the central figures in the kingdom.
But now, in a twist of fate, while Allen did be that figure, his fame became too great and too bright that it preemptively brought our region into the light before we were ready. With everyone''s reach, the specialities of our region will surely no longer be a secret.
Against the deluge of such forces, the means of a mere countryside viscount was not worth mentioning. We had no leeway to hire manpower, and suppressing information held no meaning, as it would only raise more doubts in those who were looking for it.
But ironically, with Allen drawing far more attention than I had ever anticipated, our Rovenne domain is now attracting unprecedented numbers of talented individuals.
Oncepletely uprooted, an extinct species would never show itself in the face of the earth again.
Even if I were to emphasize this fear here, it is unlikely to resonate widely with society.
People are driven by their desires. Knowing that there was a tree of gold in that forest, why must one abide by the morals of society when others were indulging without restraint?
For that reason, we need a fearful authority that no one would ever dare provoke.
So, with a humble heart, I implore the royal family to take thatnd under their protection.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Arriving at the end of his narration, my father bowed deeply.
A brief silence followed, only broken by Andrew. His voice cracked, as if he could barely squeeze the words out of his mouth.N?v(el)B\\jnn
"Y-You have a valid reason, that I concede. However, choosing demotion is a foolish move. You have your priorities in reverse¡ I mean, now you have exceptional figures like Allen and Roselia in your family. You just need to say the word, and I bet you¡¯ll have lines of people ready to finance you. Heck, I would dly sponsor you myself! It''ll only take ten or so years, and you¡¯ll have the authority for which you''re willing to demote yourself now! And above all, how is this fair to your fief who has always remained loyal to your family?!"
Andrew blurted out his words until his face was beet red. However, my father shook his head in a clear-cut manner.
"That countryside will be Allen and Rose''s hometown, but not their home. Their interest doesn''t lie in that forest. We¡¯ve been raised to tread on the path that we desire to walk, to be independent, and to live freely.
¡I, more than anyone else, understand the futility of forcing someone to devote their energy to something they don¡¯t care about. Tomorrow''s foundation would be too weak to sustain itself if we relied on our kids'' power. The Rovenne family vaguely assumed that sending our children to the Royal Academy and having them gain influence there would somehow solve everything. Eventually, getting them into the Academy became the goal in and of itself. I now see that this was a mistake.
I¡¯ve be convinced that protecting that forest is essential. Not just for our family, but for the well-being of our subjects and the kingdom as a whole. The request I made earlier is the best solution I coulde up with to achieve that goal.¡±
......Whoa, who was this man? I¡¯ve never seen him before in my life. Don''t tell me he, too, has miraculously awakened the memories of his past life?
I was thoroughly dumbfounded at the somber expression of my father that I had never seen before.
But well, he wasn''t wrong. I certainly didn''t have the drive to care about that forest.
His Majesty, who had been gazing directly into my father¡¯s eyes, suddenly broke intoughter.
¡°Pfft! Gahaha! I certainly understand you now, Bellwood. Kukuku. I had always questioned how Allen was raised... Your and Cecilia''s parenting is now clear to me."
As the king eased the tension in the room, my father reverted to hisckadaisical demeanor I knew well. His chest, which had been puffed out with resolve, deted as he scratched his head awkwardly.
¡°Truth be told, the only decision I¡¯ve made is to leave the future of the Rovenne family to my children. This idea wasn¡¯t mine¡ª it came from my heir, Grim. I tried to stop him, but he instead doubled down, remarking ¡®A loss of title is nothing for the Rovenne family if we can preserve this forest for future generations.''
What could I have said against his words then? My current words, too, came from him. I never imagined that I¡¯d have the chance to present it directly to Your Majesty.¡±
Hearing this, the king¡¯s eyes gleamed with interest.
¡°Oh?... Andrew, have you heard anything about Grim, the Rovenne family''s sessor?¡±
Andrew, looking as if he had bitten something bitter, reluctantly answered.
¡°¡A young man devoted to his people with promising qualities... or so I¡¯ve been told.¡±
"Hahaha. He should''ve known better than anyone else that should the proposal be epted, he would be the one drawing the short end of the stick. *Just* a promising young man, huh, Bellwood?"
My father replied offhandedly.
"...Well, he just loves our fief and its people."
"I see. It''s certainly a noteworthy quality for a noble. What do you think about your eldest brother, Allen?"
I found myself confused when the conversation turned to me.
Honestly, my perception of him was quite weak due to our age difference. I just know that he loved spoiling me since childhood. I think... he was definitely someone capable based on my previous world''s standards.
However, I have experienced enough to know that any excessive remark from me would be dissected and spread around with its narrative twisted.
"...As far as I remember, my brother is a nice guy, always trying to spoil me. Anything more, and the question would be better suited for, err, Schord since he''s the teacher of us four siblings. Oh, and father too."
Since I couldn''t find any words to properly describe him, I tossed the matter to Schord.
If I¡¯ve learned anything, it was that Schord was the magicmp solution to all of my troubles! Yup, definitely... should be so, anyway yeah!
You know what to do, right, O'' Great Schord?! Be my lucky break here!
Just as I made such a prayer in my heart, everyone''s attention shifted to Schord.
Schord lowered his head, keeping quiet.
"You may speak. Give me your frank opinion."
Once His Majesty gave his permission, Schord... he spectacrly returned the ball to my court.
T/N - Truly the deus ex machina of this novel, or atleast, maybe for Allen¡ªSchord. And on this short note, Merry Christmas everyone! Though I would add like to add more, I guess let''s leave theter greetings for new year, not the creative type so can''t exhaust my arsenal here, haha. But, have a good long holidays~P.s. - Will be updating missing two chapters tomorrow (Tuesday). A bit of hup fromst week continued to persist as it appears.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 204 - Soirée (7)
A few days before I set off for the Royal Capital for the Royal Academy entrance exam, I had dinner with my father and my elder brother Grim. Both of them had just returned from their trip to the Royal Capital.
Alcohol was never my father''s forte, so it didn''t take long for him to get drunk, and given the umted stress from travel, he called it a day earlier than usual, though not before pestering us with his ramblings.
I was about to head to my room as well when Grim called out to me.
"You know, Allen, you''ve changed so much that I barely recognize you¡ I don''t mean to pressure you, but with the way you are now, I feel like you might actually pass the Royal Academy entrance exam. Or maybe your brother is just being an idiot. Haha."
Grim had a delighted grin on his face.
"...Well, I didn''t say it to Father just now, but... I think I''d qualify for it."
Grim''s eyes widened at my t remark, and he eventually burst out inughter.
"Ahahaha. Look at you, already a man, huh?...... Do you mind if I ask you something? Have you ever thought of protecting the ubia forest? Honestly, I know that neither you nor Rose have any interest in it.
Our father may not say it out loud, but his attention nowadays has been preupied with thoughts of the forest. I¡¯m not trying to nitpick here, so I¡¯d love to hear your honest thoughts."
He hurled this question at me with a smile, though his eyes were dead serious.
"...Frankly, no, I have no interest in the forest. Of course, this is our ¡ª my ¡ª hometown, so I¡¯d contribute within my capabilities... But I wouldn''t want to be tied down by this. Right now, I just want to live a free life."
I made sure I left no ambiguity in my words as I truthfully replied after seeing the look in Grim''s eyes.
He was someone whom I didn''t need to hold myself back from speaking my honest thoughts, no matter how unconventional they might be for a noble. This was how he had been as far as I could remember, always spoiling me regardless of my true character.
"Great. I¡¯ll convince Father for you so that you can follow your heart. This is the least a big brother can do for his brother''s future."
Grim winked at me as he ended his statement with a gleeful smile.
"...You know you sound just like our mother."
At that, he burst outughing.
That night, Grim and I shared a few of our perspectives over the forest''s preservation.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
You know what to do, right, O'' Great Schord?! Be my lucky break!
I looked at Schord with a pleading gaze.
¡°...My master has described everything as it is, and as it stands, the Rovenne family has held several meetings over the span of several months mulling over the future of the Rovenne House. There had been one line from Young Master Grim that had stuck with me when they had debated over the territory''s development."
Schord made a slight pause, his eyes narrowing in an expression of joyful reminiscence, and continued, "He said ''Have you ever thought of how you want this territory to look like a thousand years from now?'' I may have taught them, but those words didn''te from me. I¡¯m just thankful to fate that had brought me to this family."
His Majesty momentarily fell silent, and then he burst out inughter.
"Pfft! Gahahaha! Hahahahahaha!"
Influenced by his smile, the venue rumbled for a moment with the synchronizedughter of all the attendees.
"*Ahem* Y-You shouldn''tugh at such sincere words, Pat. How do you think others will see us if you do this?"
Queen Yuain said words of reprimand to His Majesty, her expression consistently rigid. Nevertheless, when the person herself had hidden her smile behind her folding fan, with her eyes narrowing in cheerfulness, the words felt rather floaty.
"Kukuku. I¡¯m well aware. That said, even as the king, I¡¯ve never wondered about the situation of the Yuglia kingdom after a thousand years. But now a ''promising young man from the countryside'' has been seriously pondering over something I never even thought about before. If this isn''t amusing, then I don''t know what is...... Whether this turns into a demotion or not, I¡¯m now looking forward to meeting him."
His Majesty remarked with a sharp grin, his eyes emitting a radiating glow.
I cradled my head in my arms.
On the eve of my departure to the Royal Capital for the Academy exam, I had paraphrased that same line thrice in the span of three minutes.
It was the so-called ''I don''t get it, but it sounds impressive anyway'' phrase that had beenmon in the context of preservation or environment study in my previous world.
*Ahem* Well¡ don''t take whatever happens here to heart, my dear brother Grim. I don''t know if this will cause you some headaches, stomachaches, or other things in the future, but today''s blunder can only be med on Schord.
After a moment ofughter, His Majesty returned to his calm demeanor.
"I have seen your conviction, Bellwood. But, while I may not have thought so far ahead, I¡¯m sure that I would be aughingstock should I award a demotion for an achievement. Our kingdom has existed for so many centuries on this continent. I believe we must have had some exception to demotion while taking thend under the royal family''s authority. I¡¯ll bring this topic up to my ministers, so you¡¯ll have to wait until then.
In any case, this deal would only be a benefit for the kingdom and royal family while the Rovenne house would be the one bleeding out instead. There''s no sense of reward in it. Do you have anything else you would like?"
"Huh, ahh, well, uhm......"
This time, my father fumbled just as I had imagined him to do initially.
I mean, his usual thoughts had always been to free himself from territory work, so he wascking the desires you would expect from other nobles.
Maybe he could ask for money, but that would be too boorish to wish for at the moment, and saying "I don¡¯t want anything else" here waspletely out of the question.
¡°Uh... uh...¡±
"You don''t have to be so stressed. It''s merely a reward. Take Allen, for example, he requested ess to a yground...... Now that I think about it, giving him permission to use our military port only ended up rescuing our nation. I feel like it lost its significance as a reward then.
You know what, just bring up anything you want, Bellwood! Today, even if I have to bleed myself dry, I¡¯ll make sure you get your reward! Don''t hold yourself back!"
"Huuhhh?! But..."
"Who even has to think so hard about a reward?! What''s your dream!?"
"Dream? One day... I-I want to take a bread tour of the continent!"
"Go travel on your own! Anything else?!"
"Eh!!! U-uh... ah, I know! The future of our Rovenne house rides on our children''s achievements. This is the policy I had nned. So instead, the reward should belong to Allen, who¡¯ll be carrying our family''s future..."
W-Woah there, you don''t have to pull me into this as well!!
My father suddenly lost all his nervousness, and tossed the hot potato to me with a solemn look.
Worst of all, I couldn''t toss the matter of the reward to Schord. I couldn''t show such tant disinterest to His Majesty''s goodwill. Well, usually, one would think of some sort of ''treasure'' when the reward was from the royal family, but I preferred to chase the thrill of a treasure hunter by myself.
Facing the probing of His Majesty''s deep blue eyes, I desperately looked for an idea, and it suddenly hit me.
"Well, err, how about, raising my knight''s hourly wage to 1200 rea."
" "Hourly wage?!" "
Starting with Andrew, a row of guests reacted with baffled voices.
Alright, I know this was an overreaching request. In fact, our current hourly wage of 1200 rea was already an extravagance, if anything.
Meanwhile, while the Royal Academy weed only a handful of students each year, the knight internship typically began from the third year, and their annual ie would be about several million yen by my previous world¡¯s standard.
But in this world, the risk of serious injury or death were much higher than in Japan, and the prices of equipment were also exorbitantly high.
Moreover, if someone with exceptional talent decided to be, for example, an A-rank explorer rather than joining the Knight Order, they¡¯d likely have aparable sry, so excuse my past life''s notion, but this was a bonkers sry.
If anyone asked me, I would definitely say that this was the prime example of drowning in money. It just reminds me of my initial stipend, which made me feel miserable.
Anyway, a prompt 20% raise would have been a matter for the shareholders'' meeting!
Even His Majesty, who had earlier said to "Bring it on," was now clearly grimacing.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
Heh heh heh. This was my retaliation after having been forced to work like a horse by Master Dew.
I wasn''t pressed financially nowadays, so I would dly wee any cut on my active duty hours in exchange for my ''expensive wage.'' I could finally relish in my springtime of youth then!
While I was secretly grinning to myself, His Majesty pressed his temple and remarked¡ª
"¡Given your achievements, I believe that if I proposed to appoint you as a regr member while still at the Academy, everyone would believe it to be natural, regardless of the fact that it would be unprecedented. Do you know that, Allen...?"
F-Full time employee?
What a joke! Were they seriously asking a student to work as an office worker already...?!
My master was obviously a sort of ckpany leader, and god forbid if I said yes to being a full-time member, I would be squeezed and exploited to the point that even a regr knight''s stipend would be a drop in the ocean to recover from the trauma.
"I¡¯ll refrain from that. I believe I have yet to learn enough about the world."
I shook my head firmly.
"...Then try for something better at least. I would be aughingstock among the others during my foreign travels if they heard I rewarded you with a measly pay increase."
Y-You call this m-measly pay?
My word, he didn''t forget that we were talking about a sry increase, and not just a one-time bonus, right? I wonder if someone has ever pointed out to him his shorings in financial decisions?
"...1250?"
"..........You can do better than that!!!"
After a moment of nk stares, His Majesty pped his chest with a fierce expression.
Go higher, you say?!
Man, he could have dropped that show-off attitude of his if he was going to just fume you know. I guess being a king came with its own cons.
I was troubled by the situation when I noticed the kind Andrew-san''s agitated expression as he tried to point me toward something.
Let''s see...... was this all a test? If I let my desire get the best of me here, would I lose something in exchange for the materialistic rea?
"1250 rea! I won¡¯t take a single rea more! This is my bottom line! I mean, I would rather His Majesty use the money for the betterment of themon popce or in your diplomatic trip. As long as peace is maintained in this kingdom, I would be able to live ording to my heart, and for me, that unbound life is a supreme reward!"
I hastily ended the negotiation.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
Trivial or revolutionary¡ª the achievements Allen Rovenne left behind in his student years were targets of awe for the prodigies of sessive generations. They hoped that they could chase after his footsteps.
The little episode in the soir¨¦e waster dubbed as ?The man, the negotiation with the king, and his rigid stance on sry.?
This tale, while appearing to be a mere silly event, became a new addition to be achieved in the life of prodigies that aspired to follow in Allen Rovenne''s footsteps.
But when has it been easy to recreate a tale, especially one that everyone longed for?
To take the first step, they''d have to have be a provisional knight member before the internship of their third year.
And yet, this baby step was akin to climbing Mt. Everest.
In the illustrious Knight Order, the strong were as many as flies. Only by possessing extraordinary abilities could one hope to even dream of something like that.
And should they somehow manage to break the custom, they would then have to earn an unquestionable merit within the years of their student life, as only something of the sort would allow them to have an audience with the king directly.
Finally, when they had gone through all that, they ought to have a will of steel to throw away a possible reward that could change their, or their noble family''s future in a blink of an eye.
Many prodigies had dreamed of being in Allen''s shoes, following the same order of events to request for a measly raise in sry and showcase themselves as the kingdom''s loyal retainers by throwing a cool line like ''Please use the reward for the betterment of the life of the citizen. There would be no better reward for me than this.''
Then again, the soir¨¦e episode wouldn''t have be a tale if it had been easy to achieve.
Breaking through the realm ofmon sense, and attaining the unattainable¡ª only then would a Legend rise, after all.
Vol. 1 - Chapter 205.1 - Inception Ceremony (1)
"This concludes today''s sses. Starting tomorrow, you''ll have your two months of spring holiday. In this one year, your batch has reached a height never before seen in the history of the Royal Academy.
I hope you continue to believe in yourself. In the end, it had been your lofty goals, determination, and hard work that brought you to your current heights. So much so that aspirants hoping to undertake the entrance exams would be appraised from a renewed perspective. It''s going to be a tough journey for them, hahaha.
Every aspirant would want to learn under the same roof as you. When your vacation ends, you¡¯ll be their seniors. I expect you to be great examples for the younger students¡ Alright, it''s time to see off the third-years on their new journey."
Godorfun announced the end of the first year''sst ss for the term, and we exited the chalk-white building.
Today was the so-called graduation ceremony as it was called in my previous world, or ?Inception Ceremony? as they called it in this world. In their words, the ceremony wasn''t tomemorate them finishing their academic life, but it was a day when they departed for a new world, a metaphor for working society.
We went to the spectator seats of Arena No. 1 of the Academy. After waiting for a moment, today''s stars made their gant entry.
The Royal Academy was typically strict on who could or couldn''t enter the premises. However, limited only for today, people who were rted to the graduates like parents, siblings or guardians ¡ª in short, the students¡¯ loved ones ¡ª were permitted to attend the ceremony.
Additionally, various dignitaries and notable figures from different sectors were also invited.
The graduates were met with a round of heartfelt apuse from these people.
The chairwoman of the Royal Academy, Miharu Shutrene, delivered a congrattory speech. Afterward, each graduate was handed a matching ck gown, embroidered with the Yuglia Kingdom''s g and their graduation year, as a symbol of their graduation from the Royal Academy.
This gown, which signified their graduation from the Royal Academy, was considered so prestigious that even ordinary nobles would frame it and hang it in their entrance halls. Or well, that was how Fey exined it to me of her own ord.
"They''re all beaming."
I muttered to myself as I watched the seniors¡¯ proud faces while ignoring Fey. Many of them were seniors I knew through club activities.
"Well then, the top performer, the ?Rock of permanence?, who shall represent his fellow students is¡ª¡ª Rondy von Margot."
After Chairwoman Miharu made this announcement with dramatic ir, the hall erupted in apuse.
"Rock of Permanence?"
I was puzzled at the unknown words. ''Pfft,'' Fey, who heard me, broke intoughter, while Bester ¡ª who was sitting across from me ¡ª had an expression of disbelief.
"Y-You must be joking, right, Allen?... How could you not know this?"
"Well, I really don''t know. In fact, this is my first time hearing of it."
I nodded while kicking Fey''s feet. Bester then took the trouble to exin it to me.
"Rock of permanence, Daybreak Moon, and Seeker Flower¡ª all three are special titles conferred to the top achievers of the Knight course, the Mage course, and the Civil course respectively. Though the origin was said toe from a custom poprized by themon people, at some point, the Royal Academy began to use these titles as well.
It is the greatest, super-duper glorious title conferred only to the top performers of their respective courses, you know?! These titles are the objects of pursuit for everyone the instant they enter the Academy¡ª scratch that, everyone just dreams of getting these titles for themselves even before joining the Academy!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Mm-mmm..."
This was one quite a... chic custom, I guess?
Moreover, it appeared that those who earned these titles were also conferred with some sort of special tie. In Rondy-san''s case, he had a silver cloth draped around his neck, which contrasted beautifully with his pitch-ck gown.
I had known him since the Hill Road Club, and he was also the representative of the third years in the Rising Star Cup. I assumed that his results must have been ster to be able to step on that stage.
"Ah, your reaction is just Mm-mmm......?"
Bester remarked with an astonished expression. Meanwhile, Chairwoman Miharu continued with the announcement.
"Now to our ?Seeker Flower?. It''s¡ª¡ª Riyad Gufus. It has been eighty years since a student of ss B has earned the title, a testament to his steady efforts and unmatchable will."
The audience broke into murmurs when they heard Miharu-san''s statement.
I promptly got on my feet and offered my Senpai my sincerest apuse as I pped as hard as I could.
"Spectacr, Senpai! I knew all along you could do it! There¡¯s just no way anyone is more worthy of the ?Seeker Flower? title than you!!!"
By the way, I wasn''t lying!
In the two-second gap between Bester''s exnation to Chairwoman''s preamble before she announced the name of the ?Seeker Flower? titleholder, I had promptly guessed that the only person fitting of that title would be Riyad-senpai!
Bewildered by my sudden shout, Senpai turned around to check and made a wry smile when he saw me. He then turned back to face the chairwoman and raised his right hand in a reserved gesture.
The audience erupted into enthusiastic apuse at this gesture.
My ssmates, the ss 1-A students, were all petrified, astounded at my sudden flip from not even knowing the ''S'' of Seeker Flower to ''I knew it.'' Only when they heard the buzz did theye back to their senses and follow the suit.
"Now,st but not least, ?Daybreak Moon?. At the same time, she''s also the Imperial¡ª¡ª Purim Testy!"
In the end, it was the turn of the top performer of the mage course.
Purim-senpai had been a member of the Emission Magic Research Club. Even when the club gained its notorious fame of being the ''Skirt Flipping Club'', and seniors left in session, she would be the one to throw a huff like ''Can you be more serious, Advisor, please!'' But she never gave up, and helped push the club forward.
My word, she was such a stickler for proper etiquette. I even forgot how many times I told her, "You¡¯re a senior, so you don¡¯t need to use formalnguage with me," but never did she budge. When we finally returned from the Transport Mission, she appeared and then threw another fit, saying "Why didn''t you tell me earlier?! Gosh, I must be such a clown now in everyone''s eyes, after all my tantrums!"
"......Imperial what?"
I tilted my head once more at the mysterious term that came up.
"...It basically refers to the top scorer of thebined courses results. In short, Imperial is the title for whoever earned the highest additive score of thebined three courses in the third year!"
"Oh? Frankly, that sounds intriguing."
Listening to Bester''s exnation, I sincerely apuded Purim-senpai. However, Bester looked crestfallen for some odd reason.
¡ô¡ô¡ô
After the top students were announced and everyone apuded the graduating third-years for thest time, Miharu-san continued with the ceremony.
"Now, let me introduce this year¡¯s guest speaker."
A guest speaker was someone invited from outside the school to give a speech during the "Inception Ceremony."
The background of guest speakers often included high-ranking military officers or government officials from the kingdom, though it¡¯s moremon for prominent figures from the arts, or the heads of majormercial guilds, musicians, or painters, to be chosen.
As much as the Royal Academy was open for everyone, given that they''d passed the exam, the number of students from affluent families were often on the higher side due to various factors like finances or quality of tutors. Obviously, this meant that they had little to no information about the real world, so students appreciated being exposed to values that differed from their own.
Okay, great. But the question now was how did I ¡ª who hadn''t even known about the titles of the top performers until a moment ago ¡ª suddenly be an information master, right? Well, to be blunt, the guest speaker happened to be someone I knew very well. Rather, I had been at the ce where the deal was made.
"This year''s guest is that hidden dragon who had been quietly living in the depths of the Dragoon region, and the beholder of ever epassing thoughts. Please wee¡ª"
...If you haven''t guessed it yet with that introduction, just like the audience, then the answer was¡ª Schord.T/N - Happy new year guys! I seriously forgot the day of update and ended up being one dayte. Hope you all have st this year.
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and
continue reading tomorrow, everyone!