Published at 20th of November 2020 10:34:27 PM
Chapter 61
Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
It took us five hours to get back to the campsite, and we arrived there a little over 17:00 hours . It’s begun to get dark already, so we decided to procure some wild game for dinner first . Everyone’s spirits seemed bright, and peals of laughter rang out from different parts of the campsite from time to time .
The captured bandits were all dumped 50 meters away from the campsite on Captain Dalshim’s orders . They were all chained up securely and had five knights keeping an eye on them . All the bandits were injured to varying degrees, and they slumped down on the ground in dejection . It was probably because they no longer had any hopes of making an escape .
Cleria was surrounded by everyone else and looked like she was having a great time . The knights were eating happily while talking to her . They were probably talking about today’s events . I and the rest of the Shining Star party were gathered a short distance away from them to give them all some space .
“Oh, yeah . Hey, Elna . Why do some of the knights call Cleria ‘Your Royal Highness’ while some simply call her ‘Princess’?”
“Oh, that . Well, it’s the members of the Royal Guard who use the appellation ‘Your Highness’, while the members of the earl’s former forces call Clerisama ‘Princess’ instead . ”
“What’s the reason for that though?”
“The men from the earl’s forces consider Clerisama as the rightful successor of the Ludvic House first and foremost .
For them, who have pledged their loyalty to the Ludvic House, the status of Clerisama as its heir is given more priority than her status as a member of the royal family .
However, it is undeniable that Clerisama is also the royal princess of the Starveek Kingdom . This would normally not be tolerated, but since Clerisama allowed it, they have continued to address her as ‘Princess’ till now . ”
“…It’s quite complicated huh . ”
“Clerisama swore to restore the Ludvic House to its former glory after all . One day, she will surely revive the Ludvic House as a branch of the royal family .
That’s why, in a sense, she truly is a princess of the Ludvic House .
Hasn’t Clerisama discussed branch families with you, Alan?”
“No, I don’t believe she did . ”
“I see… She will probably discuss it with you one of these days . ”
Well, Elna’s already given me a gist, so it’s not like I need to hear the details again anyway .
We then turned in for the night early and after deciding to leave first thing in the morning .
The next morning, we departed from the campsite as soon as daybreak came . We had a total of about 140 people traveling the road, including us Shining Star members and the captured bandits . We probably looked pretty strange to other travelers . It would probably be for the best if we sent some runners ahead whenever we encountered another group of travelers to explain about us .
In the afternoon, we did encounter a group of twenty people . They seemed like traveling merchants . However, there was no commotion raised due to the runners we sent out . That didn’t stop them from giving us puzzled gazes though…
As we neared Gantz, we encountered more and more groups, but since we were near a city already, at least they wouldn’t suspect us as bandits at first sighting . We had no trouble the rest of the way .
And at two o’clock in the afternoon, we finally reached Gantz .
“Hey, stop right there! Huh, aren’t you guys from Shining Star? What is up with those people chained up at the back?”
“These are the bandits we captured . There’s thirty-five of them . We caught them for a request made by the Commerce Guild . ”
“The Commerce Guild… Wait, don’t tell me you guys managed to catch all thirty-five of them by yourselves?”
“No, not really . We had the help of the adventurers behind us . They are the members of the new Clan we’re founding . ”
“You mean all the adventurers lined up over there will be your members!? I thought they seemed pretty organized, but… How many are they in total?”
“There are a hundred people all in all . We’d like to hand over the bandits first though…”
“W-Wait a moment! I’ll call some more men here . Just wait there for a bit . ”
Of the two gate guards, one ran back to their station to report and fetch more guards . After a short while, he returned with ten more guards in tow .
“Hou, this is…… So you’re the rumored Shining Star?”
Someone who looked like the guard captain called out to us .
“That’s right . I’m the leader of Shining Star, Alan . It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir . ”
“So I was told you managed to capture thirty-five bandits and brought a hundred members for your new Clan back with you as well . Is this true?”
“That’s right, sir . ”
“I see . My name is Guido . I’m basically the leader of this lot here . Best regards . ”
“Thank you . We’re looking forward to working with you all as well . ”
“We’ll need to borrow the chain cuffs you used to secure these bandits for now . We’ll return them to the inn you’re staying at after we bring these guys to the holding cells . ”
“Understood . Well then, can you please deliver them back to the Home previously used by the Great Storm Clan?”
“Hou, so you managed to get that place for yourselves huh… Understood . Oi! Take them away!”
The guards took the bandits off our hands .
“Captain! Please take a look at this guy’s face!”
A guard suddenly called out to the captain . I also tagged along to see what the fuss was about .
“Hou, that sure is a familiar mug . Oi! Somebody get me the bounty poster!”
A guard ran back to the station and brought the bounty poster with him when he returned . Captain Guido took the poster from the guard and brought it near the face of one of the bandits .
“You’re the Black Wolf Kuntz, aren’t you?”
The bandit looked down on the ground and kept silent .
“Fine . We’ll pry your mouth open eventually . Take them away, boys!”
The guards finally led the thirty-five captured bandits away .
“So you’re called Alan, right? I have good news for you . That was a high-ranked bounty target you got . The rest of them are probably Black Wolf members as well . You caught quite a big fish . ”
“I see . So they were a pretty infamous bandit group huh . So, how much are we getting?”
“Guys like him have plenty of people after his head . I’d have to check the current bounty amount, so I can’t say for sure right here . ”
I see . So it’s that kind of system huh . Man, bandit hunting really is profitable . Come to think of it, we made quite a lot of money out of the first group of bandits we captured a while back as well .
“You managed to nab quite a lot of them too, so we need about five days or so to settle everything and calculate the final amount . ”
“I understand . I’ll pay you a visit after five days then . ”
“Please do . ”
Since it would take quite some time for the guards to check everyone out, I entered the city first to finish some of our business .
“I’ll go ahead to the Commerce Guild first . I’ll leave everyone to you, guys . ”
I left the task of leading our new members back to our Home to the girls and headed straight for the Commerce Guild .
In order to complete the request, we first need to hand over the captured bandits to the city garrison and then report to the Commerce Guild . The Guild will then confirm with the garrison, and if everything checks out, the reward will be paid .
I arrived at the Commerce Guild building and headed for the counter the staff told me to go to .
“What is your business with us for today?”
“I’m here to report a request taken by Shining Star . ”
“Alan-sama, correct? Perfect timing . Karinsama is also here at the moment . Please wait while I get her . ”
The staff disappeared to the back office and Karina came out to greet me a few moments after .
“Good afternoon, Alan-sama . ”
“Sorry for bothering you, Karinsan . I actually came here to report since we managed to complete the designated request . ”
Sponsored Content
“Is that right!? I was actually a bit worried since you took up such a difficult request, Alan-sama . ”
“Thank you for your concern . Fortunately, we managed to fulfill the request without suffering any injuries . We just handed the bandits over to the city guards earlier . ”
“Understood . We will confirm it with the guard station later . How many did you manage to capture, by the way?”
“Thirty-five bandits . ”
“……Thirty-five, is it? It should have been quite hard on you all . ”
“No, it wasn’t, actually . It was fortunate that we managed to meet up with the new members of the Clan who were coming over along the road . We managed to safely accomplish the request through their help . ”
“Ah! The ones you told us were coming over to Gantz . That really was fortunate . So, I take it that you managed to meet all fifty-eight of them?”
“No . There were actually a lot more of them than we first expected . A hundred, to be exact . ”
“……A hundred, is it . …Yes, it’s a lot more than what you told us . ”
“It’s great that we managed to secure a Home with enough space to accommodate them all . Oh, right! We also managed to secure a lot of loot from the bandit lair . I was thinking of selling them off, so could you please introduce me to a reliable channel, Karinsan? Would that be possible?”
“If it’s alright with you, our Commerce Guild can purchase them ourselves . They would be bought at the market price though . ”
“Oh, then please go ahead . The market price is fine as well . ”
“Alright . I will bring an assessor over to sort them all out . Would it be fine if we come over at ten tomorrow morning?”
“Sure, go ahead . There is two carriages worth of loot by the way . ”
“Understood . We’ll see you tomorrow then . ”
After finishing my business at the Commerce Guild, I headed back to the Home . I found everyone in the middle of handing off their horses to the groom and stable boys . It looks like they haven’t entered the building yet .
“Alan-sama! You’ve managed to get us a truly splendid base . I am thoroughly impressed . ”
“It seems buildings of this size are a rarity even in Gantz . ”
“That’s right . I was surprised that the rent for this place is only 70,000 Guineas per month . ”
“Oh, by the way, Captain Dalshim . Can you handle the distribution of the rooms for the rest of the members?”
“But of course . Since Her Highness is staying on the top floor, we will assign the rooms with her security in mind . What shall we do with the spoils we obtained from the bandits?”
“People from the Commerce Guild will come tomorrow to take a look at them . Please store them inside a room on the first floor and lock it securely . As for the gold, jewels, and other valuables, please move them to the Clan office on the fourth floor . ”
“Understood . ”
The Clan office had a secure lock, and with this number of highly trained personnel, stealing the gold and jewels from there would probably prove quite difficult for any thief .
I saw the head of the employees, Sally-san, when we entered the building and called out to her .
“Sally-san . I’m sorry for returning with this number of people all of a sudden . Can I trust you to prepare dinner for us all? Simple dishes are fine . Just make sure everyone would be able to eat their fill . ”
“But of course, Alan-sama . I have already asked some of the staff to buy ingredients . We will be able to serve dinner on schedule . ”
“I’ll leave it to you then . Oh, and please bring out the wine barrels I bought the other day for dinner as well . ”
Now then, how about having a nice, hot bath .
The dinner was held in a buffet style . It’s the most appropriate for this number of people . Everyone seemed to be having fun while choosing the dishes they preferred .
I and the rest of the party were sitting together while having dinner . Captain Dalshim and Sir Walter were sitting near us as well .
“Captain Dalshim, can you do a brief introduction of all the men you brought with you to me after the meal? I would like to start remembering their names as early as now . ”
“Understood . ”
Sponsored Content
I’ll be able to record all of their names on my personal database with Nanom’s help anyway .
After everyone ate their fill, we had the staff clear out the tables . And when they finished, I had the staff all go out so only the knights and us Shining Star members remained . I also used my magic sensor to double-check if there were still people around who could eavesdrop on our discussion just to be safe .
With Captain Dalshim’s lead, each of the knights introduced themselves to me and stated their affiliation . The Royal Guard members were almost all from reputed noble families, and the earl’s troops were composed primarily of people who were knighted but had commoner origins . There should be a number of noble-born knights in the earl’s forces as well, but they should have been chosen based on their ability and not their pedigree .
Of course, I, Sharon, Selena, and Elna also introduced ourselves again .
Lastly, Cleria stood up and addressed the knights .
“I am honestly glad that you still call me ‘Your Highness’ and ‘Princess’ even now, everyone . However, I am no longer a royal princess, but just a simple adventurer, Ria . So I would like you all to address me as ‘Ria’ from now on . ”
“”Yes!””
“Captain Dalshim, please gather the main leaders of your group and come to the Clan office . I want to conduct a meeting with just us later . ”
“Understood . ”
My party members, Captain Dalshim, Sir Walter, and the six people they selected, all gathered in the Clan office on the fourth floor .
“Tomorrow afternoon, I plan on going to the Adventurer’s Guild to officially register our Clan . I’ve looked into the registration process and it seems that the Clan leader and all the party leaders who wish to join him or her should apply together . This is probably to prevent people from registering other parties into a Clan without their consent . That’s why I’d like for ten people to accompany me in registering tomorrow . ”
“Understood . In other words, you would like to form ten squads with the ten people serving as leaders, correct?”
“That’s right . I want each squad to be roughly equal in strength if possible . Oh, and we’ll have to decide on the party names of each squad as well . ”
“Oh, actually, we already have an idea for that . What do you think about the name Satellite, Alan-sama?”
Captain Dalshim declared the name they came up with while grinning good-naturedly . Satellite huh? So they will be the satellites orbiting the shining star, I guess . I see . It does seem fitting .
“It’s a nice party name . But there are ten squads though?”
“Then let’s just name them Satellite Squad 1, Squad 2, and so on . What do you think?”
“I’ll leave it to you then . Next, we’ll talk about our next plans . First, I’d like to continue with the bandit subjugation . I would like to change the number of teams deployed depending on the number of bandits we need to capture . For example, if we’re up against 15 bandits, I’d like to send out 30 people, or in other words, three squads, after them . For 20 bandits, we’ll send out 40 people, or four squads, and so on . ”
There’s strength in numbers . The overall strength of our Clan consists of the skill of the individual members as well as our great number . We’ll have to take advantage of those as much as possible . And if you went up against enemies with twice their number, the danger posed against the members would be lessened to a great degree .
“However, we’ll need a method to reliably scout out the rough number of bandits we’re up against each time we sortie with that plan…… Wait! I see! So it was that kind of plan . How splendid!”
I moved my gaze to everyone else in the room, and they all nodded in acknowledgment .
“Yosh . It looks like we’re all in agreement then . Alright then . I’ll leave the organization of the ten parties to Captain Dalshim and Sir Walter since the two of you have a better grasp of everyone’s abilities . ”
“Understood . If it’s alright with you, we’d like to gather everyone in the dining room again after this . ”
“Sure . I’d actually like to participate as well, but I have something else that I have to do right now . ”
“Understood . Please leave it to us . ”
The rest of the party were interested in forming the squads as well, so they joined up with Captain Dalshim and the others .
The thing I needed to do tonight was to devise a learning plan for Sharon and Selena in order for them to successfully cast healing magic . They haven’t learned how to do it until now after all . It seems they just couldn’t constrict a satisfactory image in their minds .
I actually sent them the video compiled by Nanom that I watched that one time, but it looks like they couldn’t cast Heal by using that as a reference as well .
In my case, I used the video compiled by Nanom to gain some hints, and I created the image of cute light spirits fixing up the cells of the body as my base to cast Heal, and it was honestly kind of embarrassing .
However, I’ll need the girls to learn how to cast healing magic as soon as possible . This is no time to be feeling embarrassed .
(Nanom, please create a holo-video to help in image training for learning the Heal spell . )
『Acknowledged . 』
(The main concept is light spirits healing a wound . First, let’s design the looks of the light spirits . Please display a sample image for me . …Uh, that’s not right . Not that kind of slim and sexy fairy . Make them a bit more rounded… No, you just made them fat . Ugh, fine . I’ll do it . )
Sponsored Content
There you go . Now, these are some cute and cuddly spirits . They sported transparent wings and wore a white one-piece toga .
(Okay . First, let’s create a scene of the spirits playing happily in the spirit world . Yosh, that’s nice . Next is a scene where healing magic gets activated . Everyone gets surprised at first, but got themselves together and speedily went for their medicine pots . The color of the pots should be brown . The magic medicine inside them should be golden yellow . Next, the spirits all hoisted their pots under one arm and flew away to respond to the mage’s call… Great . Please compile and edit all the scenes for me . )
Nice . Now, a short clip of light spirits having fun, and then rushing over to respond to a mage casting healing magic with their trusty medicine pots in hand was completed . It’s coming along quite nicely .
(Next, please use the video you compiled and zoom in to the damaged cells . Hey! The expressions of the spirits haven’t changed y’know . Make them have expressions that are burning with a sense of mission here . Ugh . Don’t let them fly haphazardly like that . Make them fly in formation . Uh, use Fleet Formation B as reference . )
The expressions of the spirits finally turned more proper . The spirits flew in Formation B toward the damaged cells . After a short moment, they finally arrived in front of the cells .
(Yosh . Okay then . Have two spirits put a cell back together and another three apply their magic medicine on the gaps . This is the most important scene, okay . As for their expressions, make them seem like they’re seriously hard at work . …Yes . Make them rub in more medicine there . It’s fine if they empty their pots . No holding back . )
Nice . Now, a scene of spirits putting a torn cell together and applying plenty of magic medicine to heal it was created . Yep, this is good .
(Make the number of spirits increase in accordance with the intensity of the light . Yes, just like the video you compiled… This should be fine . Let’s review it from the beginning . This time, let’s also add some BGM . )
After roughly 30 minutes, I finally managed to create an instructional video . Let’s check it out first . ……The last scene involves the spirit captain giving the audience a heroic salute after a job well done and leaving dashingly .
Man . To think I actually had talent in something like this . I didn’t think I would be able to produce a short film of such quality .
It’s the perfect reproduction of the image I use for the Heal spell . No, it’s actually even better . With this clip, I’m sure the two of them will be able to master Heal in no time .
(Include a caption saying ‘Heal Spell Practice Reference Video’ and send it to Selena and Sharon right away . )
『Done . 』
After receiving a message from Alan, we snuck out of the meeting and went back to our own room .
“Hey, Selena, did you already watch the video?”
“Of course . ”
“…Is he playing a prank on us?”
“……I don’t think so . This was surely made with serious intent . We couldn’t cast the spell even after all that practice, so I’m sure he made it for us after giving it a lot of thought . Anyway, I’ll try to practice using this image . ”
“I’ll practice too . ”
Even after thirty minutes of repeatedly watching the video, I and Selena still hadn’t managed to grasp the method to cast the Heal spell .
“Did Alan really use this image as a reference when he learned the Heal spell?”
“I’m sure he did! ……However, I can’t seem to concentrate because too much unrelated thoughts keep popping into my head while watching it . ”
It looks like it was the same for Selena . This video really was……
(Nanom, will it be possible for me to be put into a light hypnotic state while I watch the video?)
『It’s possible . 』
(Then, please do so . )
My consciousness became hazy . Now I’ll just have to play the video on repeat . Once the image solidified in my mind, I muttered the spell’s name almost by instinct .
“Heal . ”
Ah, rays of light are flowing out from my palm . Yes! I did it!
“Selena! Look at this!”
“Sharon! Just how did you do it!? Please teach me!”
I taught her the method I used, and Selena managed to succeed as well .
“Let’s report our success to Alan right away, Selena!”
“Yes, let’s go!”