176 - - a muddy hero

In an instant, the large plaza, crowded with people, became a melting pot of excitement.

The gathered people ranted and raved, clapped their hands, kicked the ground, laughed madly, shouted, and waved their hands in the air.

The tremendous heat and sound pressure surged up to the podium, and Thor involuntarily flinched.

The crowd of ants was still more endearing than the silent ones.

Mu, who is not afraid of people, was startled by this and rushed up to Thor to hide behind him.

Sora, next to him, also reached out and grabbed Thor's elbow.

Dadaan, on the other hand, who was used to this kind of situation, was looking happily around the plaza with his hands clasped behind his back and his purple eyes shining.

Then, just as the commotion begins to calm down, he opens his arms and shouts loudly.

"Well, gentlemen! May I introduce to you the brave men and women who have accomplished this feat?"

A low, clear voice echoes through the air, and in a few moments the clamor dies down and the eyes of the crowd are drawn to it.

Dadaan nodded his head in an eagle's eye and indicated the two redheads with his left hand.

"First of all, these two are Stratchia and Ninessa, the unshakable pillars of the pride of our boundary town!

At the same time as the voice, a group of women in glamorous costumes rushed into the space that had been left empty in front of the podium before we knew it.

The beautiful women, who were quite revealing, were carrying thin sticks with fire in their hands.

Music started playing from somewhere, and the women began to dance seductively, twirling the burning torches.

The appearance of the dancers belonging to the Liberation Temple was immediately greeted with loud cheers.

The dance continued for a few minutes,

The two Red Tails stepped forward and waved their hands, the music became quiet as a wave receded, and the dancers ran off to the side of the stage.

The dancers ran to the side of the stage, and were met with thunderous applause.

"Next, Kugase, the treasured son of the Temple of Service, recognized for his talent at such a young age!

"What's that introduction ......?"

The girl from the Chakaku tribe blurts out as she steps forward, and this time a group of men dressed in sober brown vestments appear silently.

All of them holding something like a large tortoise shell, they lined up in a row and took a stance at once.

Then they began to sing a solemn song of praise to the earth god Gaidaros in a thick voice.

They played beautifully, plucking the strings stretched on the back of the shell and sometimes hitting the edge of the shell.

The audience, who had been listening quietly, applauded in appreciation when the priests finished singing.

Our temple is too modest," he said.

"Now, the next introduction is sure to knock your socks off. Behold this little hero!

Dadaan steps forward again, waving his hands in the air in an exaggerated gesture to attract attention in the plaza.

The old man, looking at the reaction of the people under the platform, closes one eye at Moe, who is still hidden behind Thor.

"By the rare grace of Gigilo, the God of Thunder, this young child is Mumueme!　He is an adventurer who has done a great deal to defeat the enemy this time!"

At the same time as the announcement was made, the stern men who had been waiting under the platform lifted their feet in unison and slammed them to the ground.

The priests in purple vestments continued to stamp their feet.

The next thing I knew, the sound of their feet, which had been arranged so brilliantly, was beating to a furious beat.

Just when they had the people's attention perfectly captured, the large men, standing shoulder to shoulder, began to sing at once.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh!　The noble courage that overflows his small body, the fierce blood that knows no fear..."

As soon as he heard the song, Moo's eyes lit up and he leaped out from behind Thor.

The crowd was speechless at the sudden turn of events, and they sang happily in unison.

"The black, shiny, slippery helmet, the horns poking through the sky, oh, valiant beetle..."

"Yeah?"

"The war maiden who loves sledding is also very good at railing..."

"Hey, Moe."

"What's the matter, Tor-chan?　I'm just about to get into the swing of things."

"What's that song?"

The information is, by all accounts, Moe's personal information.

The child, who was asked the question, answered happily, flailing his whole body.

"This is the song I asked Sir!"

"Mummmmmm, mmmmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm!"

Stomping their feet, the men's majestic voices echo through the blue sky.

The lyrics, however, are completely unintelligible.

You can almost see Saralisa's face as she makes up the song with a puzzled expression on her face.

However, the mysterious combination of adorable children's dances and brave foot-stomping songs seemed to be much better than expected.

Before long, people began to raise their fists in the air and sing the chorus together.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!　Meme mmmooooooooooo!"

After singing the whole song, the residents, drenched in sweat, clapped their hands and gave a thunderous round of applause.

Moe returned the bow, bending from the waist, with a big smile on his face.

"Oh-ho! Next, let me introduce you to Rummella, the beautiful maiden who presides over healing.

The audience, still excited, erupted again at Dadaan's words.

The first player was Rikoli, sister of Rummella. With half-asleep eyes, she whistled a flute in a trance.

As the audience listens to the single tone of the flute, the sounds of multiple flutes and lyre begin to intertwine one after another.

In no time at all, the sounds were being played joyfully.

The magnificence of the music was indeed that of the musicians who had the blessing of the suikanju.

The gentle and thick sound surrounded the plaza and captivated the audience.

Then, singing voices joined in.

Again, before I realized it, lined up in front of the platform were children dressed in matching white clothes.

The familiar faces were mixed in, probably students of the Temple of Exploration.

In clear, high voices, though young, they began to sing the mercy and teachings of the six great deities.

Ram Merulla quietly steps forward and joins in the singing.

And one more.

Ulir stepped forward next to her.

Soon the two stood side by side and began to sing in unison.

In the silent square, their beautiful voices sang the miracle of God in high spirits.

The audience knelt down one after another and clasped their hands together as if in prayer.

After the two solo singers finished, the music and the children's voices returned again, this time as a chorus that moved the hearts of the multitude.

Finally, Licori played a complex melody to close the piece.

Dadaan, who had been waiting for the song to end, nodded his head and offered his right hand to the ash-eared beauty.

"This is the person who played a leading role in this conquest, the famous magician of the temple of exploration, Master Yuril.

"Oh, thank you very much for your kindness."

The woman bowed her head deeply and was greeted with thunderous applause.

Yuril looked up and gave her his usual kind smile.

"What a great ......."

"I didn't know it was this fancy. I'm surprised."

"This is a showcase of the temple's accomplishments, so to speak. It's a unique opportunity to increase congregations and donations."

Shrugging his shoulders, Kugase glanced down at the plaza and continued.

"So I heard that the people from the trading temple have been pushing hard to include Miss Chita this time. But Miss Chita turned them down, so it's a pity.

There's a lot going on.

Thor and Sora looked at each other and nodded in annoyance.

Unfortunately, the temple of the gods that gave Thor and his friends the blessing of the tree of technical skills is not located in this city.

So, naturally, there is no choir or anything like that.　

Neither of them minded that in itself, but it seemed to dampen the excitement and made them feel indescribable.

"You should have introduced us at the beginning!"

"Right."

"No, that's not possible. It's a terrible idea to put the two of you first.

"Well, I think it's time, don't you?"

Again, Dadaan closed one eye to Thor and the others and stepped forward to look around the plaza.

The eyes of the people gathered in the plaza immediately fell on the old man who was the leader of the city.

"Now, I would like to introduce to you two last people."

Dadaan raised his arms in an exaggerated gesture, pointing to Thor and Sora.

The gesture drew the attention of many people to the two.

"The greatest trump card to destroy the vicious ants. That is Thor and Sora!　I believe that without these two, it would have been impossible to retake the land of Bossalia. They have done so much for us."

It is true that without and , it would have been impossible to conquer the ant's nest.

It is just that it is too much of a boost and sounds rather false.

In fact, what spread among the people was a murmur of confusion.

Then, unexpectedly, someone's voice emanates from a corner of the plaza.

"Brother Thor!" Brother! Mr. Yuril!" "Mr. Thor, Ms. Sora!"

The voices were the Roloff brothers and Dialgo.

"Thor! Sola!"" Pops, hang in there!" What are you trying to do, you idiot?"

Beside them, a group of four young men were also raising their voices in a losing effort.

Next to them, the owner of the armor shop at the end of the alley and Toruk, the owner of the weapons workshop, are also waving their hands loudly.

Not only that, but also the owner of the fabric store, the lumberjacks, the miners, and the stall owners were all lined up in a row, cheering for Thor and Sora.

At that moment, the crowd, which had been a collection of faceless people, turned into people Thor recognized.

Familiar faces, faces you see occasionally, faces you see but don't know by name.

Names and memories are rapidly becoming attached to the many faces.

All the faces that looked up at me were filled with joy.

Their eyes and voices echoed deep in Thor's chest.

Thor finally understood the magnitude of what he had accomplished.

He hurriedly looked around and saw Yuril looking at Thor with an unusually proud expression on his face.

He twitched the tips of his ears as if to say that he finally understood.

Thor exhaled from the pit of his stomach, scratched the bottom of his chin and let out a giggle.

Then Rummeler stepped forward, this time with a serious look in his eyes.

"I would like to ask you all to listen carefully. The lair of the dreadful monster that we challenged was a horrifying trap with a terrible curse. My sister was even forced to end her career as an adventurer because of it. However, the magical skills of Master Thor and Master Sora saved us. Moreover, by defeating the curse, even the town once lost was restored to its original state. He is the Savior, the one who has the power equal to the messenger of God. ......"

Breaking off there, Rummella looked out over the waves of people filling the plaza.

Everyone gasped, waiting for more.

"But for a man of such power, Thor has a dishonorable nickname," said Ram Merulla. The vilified name of "mud-slinger". What do you think, gentlemen? Is it right to call such a hero in such an irreverent manner?　No, I don't think so. So, what do you think? I think the name "messenger of God" is more appropriate for you, Thor.

"Give me a break, that's a big name."

"...... is that right?"

"And it's an undeniable fact that I've been living off mud. I'm not proud of it, but I'm not going to deny it either.

Keeping his eyes fixed on Ram Merulla, Thor returned his words matter-of-factly.

"So you can call me a scavenger, or whatever you want to call me. It won't change anything for me."

"............ understand. I am afraid you are right, Mr. Thor.

"Well, I'd be most grateful if you'd call me Thor, as usual."

At that one word, someone shouted "Thor. Then someone shouted "Sora".

Thor, Thora, Thor, Thora, Thor, Thora, Thora, Thor, Thora.

Their names were called out in rapid succession, echoing not only in the plaza, but throughout the city.

Finally, after the introduction of the group, the celebration was closed with an explanation of the current situation in Bossaria by Dadan.

The carriages that had been waiting in the plaza started to move slowly and headed out of the city.

On board are refugees and would-be immigrants from Bossaria.

It is amazing how many people they have gathered in ten days or so.

Some of them are on foot, carrying large luggage on their backs.

Among them were children whom Thor had cured.

While I was looking at them with deep emotion, Yuril quietly asked me.

"How are you doing?　Mr. Thor."

"This is very touching, isn't it?

"Hmm, I see."

"But still, my goal is to see something I've never seen before. That's all. I may be able to help people as a result, but that's just for the sake of helping people.　

When Thor says it simply, Yuril raises his eyebrows a little.

Then, smiling, he calmly replies.

"That's more like you, Thor.

The restored border town of Bossalia was placed under the jurisdiction of the border town of Dadaan, which had gained the right to rule, and received support from it.

The restored moorland was returned to farmland, and tax revenues and other income increased dramatically.

The north-south highway was also restored, greatly shortening the time required to transport goods.　

Adventurers' bureaus are stationed in the two cities, and their ranks are the same.

The shortage of prey has been resolved by the increase in hunting grounds, but there is concern about the shortage of adventurers because of the increase in the amount of land to protect.

Bossalia, in particular, is still in a dangerous situation, as the miasma (noxious gas) in the vicinity of the city is still very thick, and it is easy for vicious monsters to appear.

"Wasn't Mr. Thor approached to be the town chief of Bossaria?"

"Yes, there was, but I turned it down.

Apparently, Straccia and the others had one, too, but they all turned it down.

"Well, it seems like a waste."

"If I were Moo, I'd build a town of beetles..."

"I'd have to quit my job as an adventurer. I'm sure he'd say no."

Scratching the underside of his chin, Thor continued to speak.

"Besides, the ant emblem is a bit tacky."

Tomorrow is a new hunting season.