CH 116

Party from Guild Headquarters

***---***

After dinner, Meisa-chan, exhausted from her math homework, left for the dream world.

I asked Mart and the others to take care of Meisa-chan, and I decided to listen to the reports from Fred and Basten.

[ At the training grounds ... 5,000 men of the Third Prince's unit have joined ... ]

"What kind of person is the Third Prince of Barshania?"

[ Third Prince ... Nicolae is the Commander of the Magician Squad ... ]

In Barshania, the First Prince, Gregory, leads the knights, and the Third Prince, Nicolae, oversees the magicians.

He's in his mid-twenties, and although he's not as strong as his older brother, he's got a solid build, and he seems to have a dignity that doesn't seem inferior even when mixed with the knights.

[ A user of fire-attribute magic ... it seems that he also has knowledge of martial arts ... ]

"How are the brothers doing?"

[ There is no problem at all ... They're lining up horses for exercises ... ]

According to Fred, the current Emperor of Barshania, Constant Liforos, has four sons and a daughter, but he only has one Empress, and has no concubines, and they are all children of the same mother.(TN:Couldn't find much on these names, they seem to be Old Greek, but for Liforos, the only thing I found was Leoforos, which is slightly different from the kanji コンスタン・リフォロス . If anyone has a better suggestion, I'll take it?)

"Then, there's no such thing as a succession dispute?"

[ From what I've researched so far ... the brothers are actually working together. ]

The First Prince presides over the knights, the Third Prince presides over the magicians, and the Second Prince is in charge of internal affairs as the Emperor's right-hand man.

It seems that the movement of the Fourth Prince and the Princess has not yet been investigated, but it seems that no bad rumors have been heard.

They are monogamous and seem to have solidified the foundation of the country under strong blood ties.

"Hmm ... the core of the country feels very different from Resenburg."

[ Yes ... The Third Prince is also popular ... ]

After the exercise, Gregory and Nicolae sometimes appeared together at the market to buy and eat at the stalls.

Somehow, they feel like very ordinary people, don't they?

[ Barshania's unit of magicians is ... pretty strong ... ]

It seems that the exercises were held in the desert, but the magicians were organized into units by attribute, and they cast magic of the same attribute all at once, and it seems they also perform attacks that create synergistic effects with magic of different attributes.

"Magic synergy ...?"

[ Combine fire and wind ... the flames increase ... ]

In other words, if a fire breaks out on a windy day, the damage will be greater.

It seems that the fire attribute is the strongest in terms of simple attack power, but the wind attribute seems to be the best in terms of increasing the synergistic effect.

In addition to the combinations of fire and wind, and water and wind, it seems that training was also being carried out to create a quagmire by combining earth and water to stop the opponent.

And it seems that such compound magic was more effective when activated from the windward side.

"As expected, are they aiming for the coming season when the west wind blows strongly?"

[ The possibility is high, but it seems that the exercises of this scale are not uncommon ... ]

It's suspicious, but it's not definite proof of invasion ... It's a very troublesome feeling.

On the other hand, I heard from Basten that the party of the Second Prince's faction had arrived at Bamata in the Count Gleisner territory.

[ Kent-sama, they seem to be sending spies to Lastock. ]

"Eh, does that mean there's trators among the knights?"

[ No, they don't seem to be among the knights, but they seem to be blending in as residents of the city, and there's been talk of turning the garrison into a fortress. ]

"Does that mean that everyone in my genus are known to be working?"

[ Yes, there have been rumors of you using monsters, and there have also been rumors of Camilla being accompanied by the 'Maou'. ]

"Isn't that bad? Won't they be wary?"

[ So far, it seems fine. ]

According to Basten, the spy seems to be in the hands of Count Gleisner, and he advised caution, but neither the Second Prince, Bernst, nor the Third Prince, Christoph, seemed to take it seriously.

"Is Count Gleisner not trusted?"

[ No, it's not that, one reason is that the number of knights in Lastock is small, and the other is that they don't believe in the existence of the 'Maou'. ]

The number of knights stationed in Lastock is only a little over 100, and no matter how strong a fortress is built, it is no match for an army of over 10,000.

It seems that Demon Lords exist only in fairy tales, and that there are at most only a few skilled Tamers.

"Then, does it seem the Second Prince's faction will ignore Lastock?"

[ No, far from ignoring it, he seems to be thinking about something outrageous. ]

"Something outrageous ... you mean they're going to attack them?"

[ Yes, it seems that they are thinking of slaughtering all the residents of Lastock during the turmoil of the civil war and making it their own territory. ]

[ What an imprudent person! ]

Hearing Basten's story, Reinhardt raised his voice with an angry expression.

Of course, I completely agree with him.

"I won't let him do that. I can't let him do that."

[ Of course, Kent-sama. We will decapitate those who are unscrupulous like that, even if they are members of the royal family. ]

Both Basten and Fred nodded at Reinhardt's words.

According to Basten's information, before the Second Prince's faction meets the First Prince's faction, they intend to take over Lastock as a way to pay for their trip, and then head for Kabasa Pass after they have gotten rid of ttheir worries.

[ Kent-sama, they are, on the surface, planning to enter Lastock under the guise of assistance for the maximum outbreak. ]

"Ah, I see ... Camilla requested support. If they let them inside, the residents will be in danger ... what should we do?"

[ Buhahaha, it's simple, Kent-sama. All you have to do is put up a sign on the road. ]

"A sign ...?"

For some reason, I had a bad feeling about Reinhardt's loud laugh ...

[ Indeed. Beyond this point, it is Maou Kent's territory, and it is forbidden to advance troops without permission! Something like that. ]

"No, no, no, my territory ... I have no intention of occupying Lastock."

[ Then what are you going to do? If Camilla continues to supervise, there is no reason to refuse the Second Prince's army. ]

"No, but come on ... wouldn't it be rude to do something like that on my own?"

[ Buhahaha, Kent-sama, it's fine because we'll do it on our own. If you tell her this story, Camilla will show her will to submit, but some of the knights and residents will be opposed. It will be troublesome when it comes to convincing them and making them submit. ]

"I see. If we do it on our own ... is that what we're going to do? Well, we're actually going to do it on our own, so maybe that's fine."

[ No problem ... no one can stop Maou Kent ... ]

[ That's right, Kent-sama, let's beat them up. ]

I feel a little uneasy because of both Fred and Basten's excitement, but we can't let them slaughter the people of Lastock, so let's just do whatever we want.

"As for timing, it will be around the time when the First Prince's faction leaves for Kabasa Pass. Until then, prepare for the interception."

[ From the fork to Kabasa Pass, the road to Lastock goes through narrow places and forests. They can't even deploy a large army there, so it's perfect for a counterattack. ]

[ Buhahaha, if the Kobold Corps disturbs the long line, chaos will inevitably occur. ]

[ That's right ... It's possible to kill them all ... ]

"Yeah, about that interception ..."

Regarding the method of intercepting the Second Prince's faction, I made only one request, but it was accepted without hesitation.

[ Then, Kent-sama, tomorrow we will have a meeting with the Master of the Guild Headquarters. It's time for you to rest. ]

"That's right, then it's time to become Meisa-chan's pillow."

After stroking Mart and the others in turn, I entered the bed, and although I don't know what kind of sensor she has, Meisa-chan immediately clung to me.

There's no doubt that I will be used as a pillow tonight, but I would like you to refrain from drooling.

However, even though she should be sleeping, it's not a bad feeling to have someone snuggled up to me.

When I was in Japan, my life might have been different if I had a younger sister like her.

The next day, when I went to the guild around the time the morning rush was over, I saw my classmates hanging around in front of the bulletin board with the posted requests.

When I turned my gaze to the counter, from Fleur-san, do something about this ... I was directed a line of sight that felt like such, but I explained how to receive work yesterday, and if I continue to take care of them, they won't be able to become full-fledged people. I feel it's like that.

Therefore, I gracefully ignored the request from Fleur-san's gaze and greeted her with a smile.

"Good morning Fleur-san, Donovan-san told me to come here ..."

"Kent-san, just now, you know what I wanted and ignored it, didn't you?"

"Just now ... what do you mean?"

"Please don't joke around. I've received several complaints from clients. They said that if they warned them during the work, they just left ..."

"Eeehhh ... is that true?"

"Is there a reason I would lie to you?"

"No ... there isn't."

Now that she mentioned it, the number of people in front of the bulletin board seemed to be about half of what it was yesterday, and Hasegawa-kun was nowhere to be seen.

When I was thinking about what to do, Donovan-san appeared from the back.

"You're here, Kent."

"Good morning, Donovan-san."

"Good, let's go."

"Um ... Before that ..."

I stopped Donovan-san from leaving immediately and talked about my classmates, but instead of coming up with a countermeasure, I was laughed at.

"Hmph, let them think about that themselves. Or are those people hanging out there your illegitimate children or something?"

"That's outrageous, there's no way I could have a child of the same age."

"Then let them do something about it themselves, there's no need for you to take care of them. Once they've registered with the guild and gotten their cards, the time to be protected is over."

"But everyone is confused by the sudden change in environment ..."

"If that's the case, isn't it necessary to make an effort to get used to the environment? At least, Kent, isn't that how you lived?"

"That's right, but ..."

"Kent, you are taking too much care of everyone. Spoiling someone who has no reason not to be able to do something is also depriving them of their potential. If you don't cultivate the power to break through, you won't be able to become a full-fledged person no matter how long it takes."

"Yes ..."

"Let's go!"

I bowed my head lightly to Fleur-san, who was looking at me with a resentful gaze, and chased after Donovan-san.

Donovan-san and I headed to the building next to the guild.

It seemed that this was a facility for important people related to the guild to stay when they visited, and there were similar facilities in guilds in other cities.

"Kent, if you go up to S-rank, you can stay for free when you go to another city."

"Eh, I can stay for free?"

"That's right, S-rank adventurers are given preferential treatment."

"Preferential treatment is it ... Somehow, it seems like I'll be forced to do some troublesome request ..."

"Hou ... you understand well, don't you?"

"Yeah, in my world, nothing is more expensive than free ... There's such a saying."

"Fufufu ... That's what it is."

Donovan-san went through a corridor covered with a thick carpet like that of a Feudal Lord's mansion, and used the knocker attached to the door, which was also elaborately designed.

After a few moments, the one who slowly opened the door was a man with a stouter body than Donovan-san.

He wore a black leather jacket, black leather pants, and black boots.

His hair was cropped short and gave a great sense of oppression.

I was surely surprised by his physique, but what caught my eye the most was the mask.

He bent a square metal plate around his face that had thin slits for his eyes, but you couldn't see his eyes from the outside.

The masked man reminiscent of an android in a sci-fi movie greeted Donovan-san and I in silence, not even moving.

"I'm Donovan, the head of the guild. The one over here is Kent."

The masked man tilted his head and looked away from Donovan-san to me, but he didn't seem to open his mouth.

I couldn't read his expression because of his mask, and I couldn't imagine what kind of emotion he would have.

"I'm Kent ..."

For the time being, when I lowered my head, it seemed that the man's head also lowered, though only slightly.

The masked man silently moved his body aside and nodded his head for us to pass.

Thinking that this masked man was probably acting as a personal bodyguard, I was looking at the situation, but the moment Donovan-san passed him, he instinctively backed away, and immediately after that he gulped down his saliva.

That, I thought something was wrong, so I stopped moving, and when he noticed that I wasn't following Donovan-san, he looked back at me more quickly than he had before.

Then, when he noticed that I was staring at him, his body trembled.

For some reason, I felt like his eyes were swimming under the mask.

"Kent, don't play around and come quickly."

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry ..."

When I turned my gaze to Donovan-san, the masked man certainly let out a sigh.

Yeah, for some reason, I feel like he's a different person on the inside than on the outside.

Inside the door was a sitting area.

Sofas large enough for about three people to sit comfortably were placed facing each other, and a sofa for one person was placed on each end with the table placed in between.

A woman was sitting sideways on the three-seater sofa and observing us.

She was probably in her late twenties, resting her left armpit on a large cushion, sticking her cheeks in the air while smoking a long, thin pipe.

Dark brown hair that extended straight down to her waist, big eyes full of curiousity colored deep emerald green, and it felt like I was going to be sucked in.

Her brown body was wrapped in a highly revealing costume like a dancer from the Arabian Nights ... Anyway, it's poisonous to the eyes.

Also, an old man with a thin wooden cane was sitting quietly on a one-seat sofa.

The slightly thinned grey hair was tied back, a goat-like beard, and the smiling eyes are reminiscent of a cat taking a nap on the porch.

Umm ... I wonder which one is the Master of the Guild Headquarters.

"Long time no see, Reese-san. Lau-san, it's been a while."

It seemed that the woman was Reese-san and the old man was Lau-san.

Come to think of it, the Guild Master at the Headquarters was over 250 years old, so Lau-san ... I don't think so ...

"Donovan, is that the Kent of the report?"

"Yes, this is Kent."

"Hello, nice to meet you ... I'm Kent."

"I'm the Guild Master of Headquarters, Reese. Let's not talk while standing ... Well, sit down."

I sat down with Donovan-san on the sofa across the table, but the smell of cigarettes and perfume, and the outfit I had a hard time looking at, made my head spin.

Even so, are you serious that she's over 250 years old?

"Fumu, no matter how you look at it, you don't look like someone who can single-handedly defeat four Salamanders ..."

Reese-san was looking at me while smiling a genuinely happy smile.

Well, it's true that I don't look strong, but it hurts a little when you say it straight to my face.

"Three Skeletons, five undead Lizardmen, thirty-three undead Kobolds ... I see, it makes sense that you're called a 'Monster User'. Didn't you bring them with you today?"

"I asked them to go here and there for errands, so not all of them are with me, but some are with me."

"Some are with you ... what does that mean?"

"Umm ... They're in the shadow space ..."

"Oh ... you can even use shadow summoning. Interesting, show me the monsters you use."

I glanced at Donovan-san and he nodded, so I put out a shield of darkness and called out to all my followers.

"Reinhardt, would you come out. Mart, Mirt, Murt come out too!"

[ Hohou, is this the Guild Master of Headquarters? ]

"Wafu, did you call, Goshujin-sama?"

"Pat me, pat me."

"Me too, rub my bell too!"

Reinhardt stood behind me, and Mart and the others hugged me while swinging their tails.

"Hey, what about chanting? And did those Kobolds just speak?"

"Ho ho ho, that surprised me. Talking Kobolds ... No, I've lived a long life."

Even Lau-san, who hadn't said a word until then, smiled when he saw Mart and the others.

Hey, until I heard his voice, I completely forgot about his existence.

[ Kent-sama, that person, he's a considerable master ... ]

Reinhardt spoke to me by telepathy, and as soon as I turned my gaze back to Lau-san, the hair on my back stood up and I felt like I was going to faint.

The glimpse of Reinhardt's gaze wasn't that of a good-natured old man, but it was as if a mighty monster was wearing the old man's skin.

That cane is definitely a prepared cane, isn't it?

Mart and the others also had their hair raise and bared their fangs at the same time, and let out a low growl.

"Lau, don't make fun of young people ..."

"Ho ho ho, sorry, sorry, I didn't intend to do that, but ... right?"

Lau-san, who was rebuked by Reese-san and stuck out his tongue, returned to the original good-natured old man, but Mart and the others didn't try to break their battle stances.

"Mart, Mirt, Murt, that's enough, it's okay ..."

"Ugh ... Goshujin-sama, he's a scary guy."

"Are you sure it's okay?"

"Will you call Art-tachi to defeat him?"

"Thank you everyone. It's okay, so you don't have to be cautious anymore."

After stroking them in turn, Mart and the others finally lowered their bristled fur and released their vigilance.

To be honest, my back is already soaked with sweat.

"I see ... Donovan recognizes this as an S-rank. I've never seen anyone tame a monster like this, ho ho ho."

"Lau, even if the monsters are fine, what do you think of the user himself?"

"Indeed ... He still doesn't have enough training, but it doesn't seem like he's showing everything, so he's not bad ... No, he's quite interesting. It seems that Gunther's deceptive appearance was seen through."

So, the masked man was a deceptive appearance after all.

When I involuntarily looked behind me, he lowered his head as if to shrink his huge body.

Even so, Lau-san, even though you're smiling at me, it makes me feel like a frog being started at by a snake.

Seeing through my state of mind, Reese-san asked after letting out a chuckle.

"Kent, you, where did you learn how to use magic without chanting?"

"How to use magic, I wasn't taught."

"Hmm ... that, is it because you have the dark attribute?"

"No ..."

For a moment, I wondered if I should talk about being summoned from Japan, but Donovan-san looked at me and nodded, so I told her what happened after the summoning.

"What ... you were summoned from another world ..."

"Yes, I'm thinking of living in this world, but I want to someone return my classmates and teachers who were summoned together with me to their original world."

I'm looking for a way to return to the original world, the reverse summoning by the summoning technique is unlikely to go well, I'm the only one who can use shadow movement to return, I told her that I was looking for a way to somehow get a living person to pass into the shadow world.

"Umm ... I heard that Reese-san is familiar with dark attribute magic, but is there any good way to do it?"

"Hmm ... How to draw a living person into the world of shadows, huh ... It's not like there's no way ..."

"Really! Please, tell me."

"It's not that I don't mind telling you ... But, can I ask you for a favor instead?"

"What is it? Is it a difficult request? If I can do it, somehow ..."

After spitting out the smoke from her deeply inhaled cigarette, Reese-san declared with a bewitching smile.

"Hey, it's not that difficult ... Be my companion."

"Huh? Wh, what do you mean ...?"

"I'm telling you to transfer from Volzard to Bakkenheim and become a couple with me."

"Eeeeeehhhhhh ..."

I was dripping with sweat unlike when Lau-san was glaring at me.

Licking her lips, Reese-san's bewitching beauty was incomparable to Beatrice's, and I felt a sense of danger that I might be swallowed whole instead of just having my meat eaten.

It's dangerous, it's the feeling of a tree frog being stared at by an anaconda.