Published at 20th of November 2020 10:34:26 PM
Chapter 54
ranslator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
–The Previous Day–
“I have returned, Silas-sama . ”
“Have those adventurers already settled at an inn, Karina?”
“Yes . Alan and his party have booked rooms in the Spring Wind inn . ”
“Hou . They are quite affluent for adventurers . ”
“Yes . It seems a bath is an absolute requirement for them . ”
“I see . Well, paying attention to cleanliness is a good trait to have . I only realized this when I became older . Arista should be coming out of the bath soon . I’ll hear your report then . ”
“Understood . ”
“I’m back, father . ”
“So Natalie’s with you too . Good . Let me hear your report then . ”
And so, Karina told Silas about all that’s happened to them, starting from their departure from Sanza town to them being abducted by bandits .
“I see . I’m sure you already know, so I’ll just say this . We have incurred a great debt . ”
“Yes . I and Natalie will never forget our gratitude to them for the rest of our lives . An hour after we got abducted and taken to the bandit’s lair, all of the bandits inside the cave let out anguished screams simultaneously . They were all hit by Alan-sama and Elnsan’s magic spells . ”
“What? How many bandits were there? What magic spell did they use to incapacitate them?”
“We are not sure . It was probably fire magic . All of the bandit’s right shoulders sported burn scars . ”
“Fire magic? And they did that to multiple targets simultaneously? …I see . So they targeted their shoulders to rob them of the ability to fight back . And then?”
“We were taken outside the cave by Elnsan and looked after by the other ladies . After a short while, Alan-sama walked out of the cave as well, and treated Natalie and me using healing magic . ”
“What!? That man can also cast healing magic?”
“Yes . And the recovery speed was astonishing . Both our injuries were all healed up in just ten or so seconds . ”
“The more I hear about it, the more unbelievable it seems . How about it, Arista?”
“All they have related is true, father . ”
“…I see . Let us move on then . Go ahead . ”
“We then discussed what to do with the bandits, and Aristsama bought the rights to them from Alan-sama for our sakes . ”
“I see… Have you managed to regain your dignity then?”
“Yes, thankfully . It’s all thanks to Alan-sama . Afterward, we went back to the highway . Alan-sama gathered the corpses of the dead adventurers and used earth magic to create a grave . It was my first time seeing a grave that large . ”
“Earth magic? He can even do that?”
“Yes, there is no doubt . Alan-sama gathered the items of the dead adventurers to serve as mementos and buried them in a simple ceremony . ”
“Fumu . It’s rare nowadays to find people with such respect for the dead . He’s quite a character . ”
“We then set out for Gantz . Along the way, we encountered a Gray Hound pack . Alan-sama and his party killed all of them . ”
“Hou . How many were there?”
“There were ten of them . ”
“What!? Were you unhurt!?”
“Yes . Alan-sama didn’t even need to lift a finger . His party members were the ones to finish them off . They are all superb magicians . ”
“…I can’t believe it… I could only see them as a gathering of lovely young ladies!? And you’re saying all of them are skilled magicians?”
“Yes, there’s no mistake . Afterward, we decided to make camp, and Alan-sama created earthen dwellings for us to rest in using earth magic . ”
“……He created dwellings via earth magic?”
“Yes, they were definitely huts made using earth magic . And they were quite tough as well . ”
“Huts!? He can really do that?”
“Even I would not believe such a thing was possible if I didn’t see it with my own eyes, Silas-sama . And… that dinner was just so……”
“Dinner? What about dinner?”
“Ah, Karina, stop! My heart tightens up just from remembering them . ”
“Just what in the Goddess’s name happened!?”
“Alan-sama’s cooking was absolutely superb . Aah… To think something so delicious can exist in this world…”
“…They were that delicious?”
“Yes! They were absolutely divine, father! It was my first time eating such delicious cuisines . ”
“Now I’m starting to wonder if you were just hallucinating from exhaustion . ”
“Aaah… It would have been better if that were the case . Then we wouldn’t have to crave for those dishes so much . ”
“……Alright, fine . Continue . ”
“We were told there was no need for a lookout and so we went to sleep . But we witnessed something surprising when we woke up in the morning . ”
“What did you see!?”
“Alan-sama told us a group of orcs assaulted the camp so he went to intercept them . He then asked the others to help retrieve the magic stones from the corpses . We volunteered to help, and when we arrived at the place where the orcs died, we were surprised to see there were actually fifteen orc corpses lying around . ”
“Fifteen orcs!? ……Did the entire party kill all of them?”
“No . The rest of the party members did not know of the location of the corpses either . ”
“In other words, that adventurer called Alan managed to kill all fifteen orcs by himself?”
“Yes . And furthermore, all of the orcs had fatal injuries in the exact same spot . And the party members did not act surprised when they saw such a thing . It was as if such a thing was normal to them . ”
“Umu . It’s quite an unbelievable story . ”
“Afterward, we continued to travel down the highway, and we encountered groups of monsters once again . This time, there were five Gray Hounds and fifteen Goblins . All of them were swiftly disposed of . ”
“And then you finally reached Gantz huh . Fumu . It looks like they are no ordinary adventurers . ”
“Father, I strongly suspect the party members Risan and Elnsan are members of the nobility . I can tell from their gestures and the way they carry themselves . Especially Risan . I am almost certain she is part of high nobility . ”
“What!? Nobles, you say!? And high nobles at that! I can’t believe it . ……However, you did undergo noble education as well dear, so if you judge it to be so, then it must be the case… But to think they were nobles . Just why are they serving as members of a C-ranked adventurer party then? And they are even qualified magicians of presumably high rank . ”
“Father, I did tell Alan-san and the rest to expect a suitable reward from us . ”
“Well, they did save your lives after all . It’s just natural that we reward them, so there’s no problem with that . But what shall we do? Should we give them money or valuables? Right, how about high-quality magic swords? I noticed all of them were sporting swords on their waists, so magic swords would be perfect . ”
“Silas-sama, all the party members of Shining Star already have magic swords . ”
“What!? All of them have magic swords!? How unbelievable . ”
“There is no mistake . All of their swords were shining in magical energy when we were recovering the magic stones from the orc corpses . Especially Risan’s sword . It is probably made with Mythril and is a magic sword of considerable value and workmanship . ”
“Umu . What rich adventurers . ”
“That’s right . Their carriage was also custom made and the horses can be practically used as war horses . They also were in possession of light magic tools and a curious magic tool that emits warm wind . ”
“Ah, that warm wind-emitting magic tool was so wonderful . Just how did they manage to procure one, I wonder,” Arista sighed in admiration .
“Well, this is a problem . They don’t seem to be lacking in money, and I can’t even begin to fathom what items they will find valuable . If so, then there is no choice but to invite them for dinner and ask them directly . ”
“…Father, I think inviting them for dinner is a good idea, but how do you intend to serve them?”
“Eh? Wouldn’t preparing good meals and some nice drinks be enough?”
“That is out of the question! We do not know exactly who they are, but we will still be inviting at least two people of noble birth . if we just served them normally, the dignity of our house will be called into question . Let’s see . How about preparing a banquet as a celebration for our safe return? What do you think, Karina?”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Aristsama . ”
“Indeed . Alright then . Let us go ahead and start the preparations . Will that be fine, father?”
“……Umu, I shall leave it to you . ”
The guild master, Kevin, saw the party members of Shining Star off as they left the guild building .
“Hey, go and gather all information pertaining to the party Shining Star . Include the date of registration and quest history . Why are such skilled adventurers not well known at all? And why are they still C rank with such skills? Also, don’t forget to process that General Orc head . ”
After an hour or so, there was a knock on the door to the guild master’s office .
“I brought all the records pertaining to Shining Star . ”
“Oh, that was fast . Let’s see…… It hasn’t even been two months since they first registered!? And there’s only one official request record ……I see . So they were all judged as C rankers when they took the evaluation tests huh . That means all of them have the abilities of a C rank adventurer, or possibly even higher . ………Alright then . Promote all the members of Shining Star to B rank, effective immediately . ”
“Will that really be fine, sir?”
“Yeah . They are a party skilled enough to completely eliminate an orc settlement all by themselves after all . There’s no problem . There is no reason not to promote them, and we will be earning a little favor from them as a result as well . ”
“Understood . We will do the necessary procedures straight away . ”
I woke up at dawn as usual and did my normal morning routines . I also checked out the results of D-1’s monster scouting .
Fumu . There’s another orc settlement, but it’s quite far from the city . It’s twenty kilometers out huh . Finishing it in one day would be hard .
When I went down to the dining hall, everyone else was already gathered around .
“Good morning . You’re up early, everyone . ”
“We were invited for dinner today, right? We have to set out early in order to come back in time,” Cleria replied .
“It looks like you’re pretty motivated . ”
“What are you saying, Alan? It takes some time for women to get ready, you know . So we have to get back at least by midday . ”
“Really? We can’t go too far out then . The only areas we can reach nearby have either Goblins or Gray Hounds . ”
“Goblins are a bit…”
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Goblin magic stones go for 30 Guineas, and the hunting reward is ten Guineas per kill . They aren’t really profitable monsters to hunt .
“I’m also against hunting Goblins . Alright then . We’ll hunt Gray Hounds instead . There’s a lot of them about ten kilometers from the city . Let’s rent some horses again today and set off . ”
After lunch, we immediately went to the rental stable to rent out the horses without going to the guild since we were pressed for time .
We encountered ten Goblins along the way, and we killed them on horseback . We left the corpses behind without collecting the magic stones . Ten Goblin magic stones will sell for the same price as just one Gray Hound magic stone . So we need to prioritize efficiency .
Looks like we’ve arrived . We stopped the horses at a small clearing near the monster gathering site .
“Let’s finish off the ones here first . It looks like they’ve noticed our arrival already . They’re already heading here . Tarth and Syrah may be fine, but the rented horses may get spooked when they see the Gray Hounds, so let’s get off them and intercept the monsters on foot instead .
“”Yes!””
I used the hand signals to relay info about the Gray Hounds . There’s no actual need to use hand signals in this situation, but I figured I’d use them anyway to let the girls get used to them more . There are 22 monsters heading our way .
We took some distance from the direction they were coming from and moved to an open spot where we can aim at the incoming monsters with relative ease . We secured the horses and confirmed our positions . Guess I’ll just dedicate myself to support this time and have the girls get some practice .
Five monsters came running out from the trees . They were thirty meters away . The moment they jumped out, I finished one off with my signature high-speed Flame Arrow . Cleria killed two while Sharon and Selena killed one each .
There were ten more incoming . I finished off five of them . Sharon killed two, and Cleria, Selena, and Elna each got one .
The last seven monsters appeared . Sharon, Cleria, and Selena got two each while Elna killed one .
If all twenty-two of them came out at the same time, we would have had more trouble with them . Gray Hounds really weren’t all that smart huh .
“Fuu . Gray Hounds really are faster and more mobile than orcs . ”
“Certainly . And I had trouble killing them since my Wind Cutter can’t freely change directions . ”
It looks like Elna was miffed because she killed less than the rest of us .
“How about you learn fire magic as well, Elna?”
“Eh? …Can I really do so?”
“I think you can . Alan learned it easily after all . ”
“Please don’t compare me to an unreasonable existence like Alan…”
How cruel, Elna .
“Yosh . Let’s go and collect the magic stones . The subjugation proof is their right leg, uh, paw . ”
I handed two jute bags to everyone and we started collecting the magic stones and right paws of the corpses . We finished in about ten minutes .
“The next group is about 15 minutes east of here . ”
The next group consisted of seventeen monsters . We quickly finished them off and collected the magic stones and paws without issue .
“Oh, the next group seems to have moved to another location . Let’s follow them . ”
After 30 minutes, we arrived at the monster’s location, but the reactions from the magic sensor was strange . It seems like one of the monsters was being cornered by the rest . Maybe the Gray Hounds were attacking another monster .
We approached a hundred meters in and caught a glimpse of the Gray Hounds surrounding something . They seem to not have noticed us yet .
“The reaction from the scanning magic is strange . Let’s secure the horses here and move closer . ”
We approached the monsters carefully and saw 20 Gray Hounds surrounding a giant blue snake . The length of the snake was probably about ten meters . The head of the snake was raised two meters above the ground and the color of its scales was a resplendent blue .
Five of the Gray Hounds were the only ones actively participating in the battle . They were harassing the snake from behind and threatening to bite its tail . But the snake reacted swiftly every time they tried to approach . It was quite the seesaw battle . The remaining Hounds were just observing from a distance .
That snake was probably a Blue Serpent . It was also listed in the illustrated monster guide . It was described as a pretty rare monster with valuable hide and meat .
Let’s finish off the Gray Hounds while they are busy with the snake .
I gave orders via hand signals and instructed the girls on which Hounds to aim for . I used my fingers to signal a countdown, and we attacked the monsters all at once .
I killed ten with my high-speed Flame Arrows, and Sharon, Selena, and Cleria got three each . Elna killed two of them .
The Blue Serpent was confused by the situation, and I used that opening to kill it as well . I drove two Flame Arrows through its eyes to prevent its skin from being damaged . It was a fatal hit, but it was still flopping in the ground .
“Man, that sure is a big snake . This is a Blue Serpent, right?”
“I have not witnessed the real thing for myself until now, but it was normally described as quite a bit smaller than this one,” Elna replied .
“According to the monster guidebook, the hide and meat of this thing can sell for a lot, but how do we bring this back? Well, it doesn’t look too heavy, so maybe the horses can carry it . ”
“That’s right . How about we tie it to the horses, with two each on the left and right sides, to carry it back to the city?”
“Let’s go with that . Let’s collect the Gray Hound magic stones first though . The Blue Serpent is still writhing away, so don’t approach it for now . ”
The moment we finished collecting magic stones from the Gray Hound corpses, the Blue Serpent finally lost all signs of life and fell still .
We did as Elna suggested and carried the corpse by tying it to the horses . The left and right sides had two horses each that were alternately spaced two meters away from each other . We tied the ropes to the saddles securely so the only problem was if the horses could carry it successfully .
Since the four of them will be preoccupied with carrying the monster corpse, I was left with guard duty .
“Let’s head back then . ”
We met another ten Goblins on the way back and killed them, and we managed to return safely to Gantz afterward . It was about twelve noon when we arrived . Looks like we’re on schedule .
“Hey! What’s that you’re carrying?”
We raised our guild IDs to let the guards see them and explained the situation . We got off the horses and handed our guild IDs for confirmation .
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“This is a Blue Serpent . It’s already dead, of course . ”
“This is–!? Umu… Alright . You guys may pass . ”
When we entered the city, we instantly became the center of attention . We carried a huge ten-meter snake monster with glistening scales with us after all . It would be a wonder if we didn’t gather attention . I would also get curious if I were in their shoes .
We finally reached the guild parking lot with quite a crowd following us . I handed Jill five large coppers just like yesterday .
“Thanks as always, Alan-sama . ”
We cut off the ropes and tried to carry the Blue Serpent with just the five of us, but Cleria’s feet were already wobbling from the weight . Looks like it’s no good .
“Jill, can you lend us two of your men?”
I took out a silver coin and threw it at him . Jill caught the silver coin in an experienced manner .
“Right away, sir . ”
Jill exchanged gazes with two of his men, and the two of them joined us to carry the corpse . Cleria ended up just carrying the base of the tail .
We went straight to the assessment counter just like yesterday and found the same male receptionist manning it .
“Hey… What the heck!? H-Hold on a bit, okay . I’ll call some more people so stay right there!”
He ran to the back in a hurry just like yesterday .
“Let’s place this thing on top of the desk first . ”
Fortunately, the desk was large enough to accommodate the entire rolled-up monster corpse .
“Thanks a bunch . You can go back now . ”
The two men nodded good-naturedly and exited the guild building .
After a short while, the same five men from yesterday ran out from the back of the guild office . Of course, they had Guild Master Kevin with them as well .
“This–!? This isn’t just an ordinary Blue Serpent! This is a Superior-class rare monster, the Big Blue Serpent . But to think you killed it without damaging the skin a single bit…”
“We thought it would be better not to damage the skin in any way, so we refrained from taking out the magic stone . ”
“Yeah, that’s the right call . With this, we can even stuff the entire body and sell it for a very high price . In any case, we’ll leave it to the professional monster butchers to handle . ”
“By the way, what do you mean by ‘Superior-class monster’?”
“They are monsters that have evolved into a higher existence compared to their kin . It’s been more than ten years since I saw one this big,” Kevin explained in an awed tone .
“How much will it sell for?”
“Umu . A normal Blue Serpent is already classified as a rare monster after all . And this one is a Superior-class . We can process the meat and magic stone right away and we will be able to give you your reward by tomorrow, but the skin will take a bit more time . With skin of this quality, it will probably fetch quite an amount if we put it up for auction . ”
“I see . That’s fine then . We’re not in much of a hurry anyway . Then, please check these for us first . ”
I placed the bags containing the Gray Hound magic stones and paws on top of the desk as well .
“These are Gray Hound magic stones and subjugation proofs . ”
Kevin had a strangely relieved expression on his face when I told him the contents . Kevin gestured to one of the staff, and the staff member opened the bag to check .
The staff member was quite surprised by the contents and silently showed the bag to Kevin as well .
“This…… How many are there in this bag?”
“There’s a total of sixty items each . ”
“And you hunted these down by yourselves as well?”
“That’s right . ”
“……Certainly . There are exactly sixty of each item, sir . ”
Another staff member opened something that looked like a safe box with a key and took out some coins .
“The price of Gray Hound magic stones is 300 Guineas and the subjugation reward is 50 Guineas for each kill . All in all, you will receive a total of 21,000 Guineas . ”
“Sure . We’ll be going then . ”
“Wait just a moment . I have something to tell you all . We at the Adventurer’s Guild have evaluated Shining Star’s achievements and abilities and have decided to promote all of you to B rank . ”
“Eh!? Really?”
Everyone was smiling happily at the news . Cleria looked like she would jump for joy at any moment . But we got promoted faster than expected huh .
“Yes, really . We need to update your guild identity plates, so could you hand them over for a bit?”
“Understood . ”
Everyone took out their guild IDs from their pockets in a fluster and handed them to one of the staff . When I handed mine over, the staff member got a glimpse of the backside of the ID and froze up in surprise .
“A rank…”
“What!?”
Kevin hurriedly snatched my guild ID from the staff member .
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“…So you were actually an A rank member of the Magic Guild, Alan?”
“Yes, that’s right . …Is there something wrong with that?”
“…No, there’s nothing wrong in particular . We were just surprised . One of my staff will bring the plates back to you all once the updates are finished, so just relax at the waiting area first . ”
“Gotcha . ”
Kevin and the rest of the guild staff went back inside the inner guild office .
“Alan! We’re all B-ranked starting from today!” Cleria exclaimed in delight .
“Yeah . What a surprise huh . But it really was faster than expected . ”
“Well, I don’t mean to boast, but with our skills, this could actually be said as something natural,” Elna added .
“At this rate, we can probably reach A rank in no time as well,” Sharon added further .
“So giving the General Orc’s head to the guild was truly a good call, wasn’t it?” Selena followed up .
“I wonder . I don’t think it’s that simple though… In any case, we just moved a big step forward to our goals . Good job, everyone . ”
“That’s right! I actually feel like having a celebration, but we are scheduled to attend a banquet tonight after all,” Cleria reminded .
“It’s perfect though . There will surely be lots of food and drinks . Let’s take advantage of this opportunity and eat and drink a lot . ”
“It’s a banquet, Alan . It’s more like a social party than a regular feast,” Cleria explained .
“Really? But isn’t that the same?”
“Haa…… It looks like we have to properly teach Alan about the customs of this continent, after all, Elna,” Cleria sighed .
“That’s right . Let us do so, Risama . ”
After waiting thirty minutes or so, a guild staff member finally returned our guild IDs to us . With this, we are all officially B-ranked .
“There’s not much time, Alan . Let’s just have a quick meal at that food stall from yesterday for lunch . What do you think?” Cleria suggested .
“Really? Well, if everyone’s alright with that, then why not . ”
Right now, it was about one o’clock in the afternoon . Having a full meal may affect our appetites for dinner . We will be going to a fancy banquet anyway, so it would be a shame to miss out on the food .
We left the guild building and approached Jill and his men .
“Sorry for making you wait long again, Jill . ”
I threw him another silver coin . Jill caught the coin with a practiced air again . One of his eyes is blind, but he sure has good reflexes .
“It’s no trouble at all . Thank you as well, Alan-sama . ”
We then went to the food stall we visited with the kids yesterday .
“Give me five sticks uncle . ”
“Thanks for the patronage brother! That’ll be 50 Guineas!”
These skewers sure are tasty . The flavoring is superb, but the natural umami of the meat can’t be underestimated either . So frogs can actually be this delicious .
We brought the horses back to the rental stables and returned to the inn . Cleria and Elna planned to join Sharon and Selena in their room later to prepare for tonight’s banquet . It sure is difficult to be a girl . To think you’ll need that much time to dress up . I’m really glad I’m not one .
“Are you going to wear those clothes, Alan?” Cleria asked .
“What clothes?”
“Those jet black clothes . You know . I’m talking about the ones that have silver and gold trimmings . You called it a uniform, right?”
“Eh? Should I actually wear my uniform? Wouldn’t these clothes be fine?”
“Alan! What are you saying? It’s a formal banquet you know? Those clothes are obviously not suitable . ”
“That’s right, Alan . The other person may be labeled as just a commoner, but he is still the richest person in this kingdom . If you wear those kinds of clothes to a banquet he personally organized, you will be seen as rude,” Elna elaborated .
“Eh!? But that shouldn’t be the case, right? That uncle looked a great deal like a seasoned adventurer you know? They may have said it’s a banquet, but maybe it’ll just be your normal dinner?”
“I think not . Karinsan did say it was a dinner banquet .
I talked with Karinsan and Aristsan a lot while we were traveling and we got along quite well .
If that Karinsan said it’s a dinner banquet, then it probably is .
However… It is my first time to be invited to a banquet directly without being handed a formal invitation first…”
“Risama, it is too much to expect that kind of detail from commoners . It is a sign of a noble’s breadth of heart to overlook these kinds of minor things . ”
“……But what are you going to do about yourselves, Cleria? You didn’t bring any formal dresses with you, right?”
“We will borrow clothes from Selena and Sharon . Those clothes have a peculiar design but they are quite lovely . It’s a good opportunity, so I want to try wearing them for myself . ”
So they are planning to wear imperial clothes huh… I’m not too sure what design of clothes they’ll wear, but will it really be okay?
“Mm… Alright, I understand . Okay then . I’ll wear my uniform as well . ”
I’ll go ahead and take a bath and then prepare myself for tonight’s banquet .