CH 238

***---***

I doubted whether it was appropriate to call it a cage, but when the body like a lunar probe appeared, my classmates made a commotion.

On the day of fire after the end of the year-end and New Year holidays, I went to the garrison's training ground to proceed with the return work.

Until a while ago, everyone in the garrison gathered together and listened to Marianne-san, who served as the commander-in-chief, at the beginning of the year.

After that, training for the garrison members had also begun, but we would borrow a corner that would not get in the way and proceed with the return work.

The time difference between Japan and Volzard was about ten hours.

It was just before noon, so Japan would be before 10 o'clock at night.

Kajikawa-san told me that I should worry about using the repatriation technique in perfect condition and not worry about the time in Japan.

Once my classmates returned, they would of course need to be checked for their health condition, and they needed personnel to send them home safely.

I didn't know if they would end up working overtime late at night, or if they would have to go to work late from the start, but I felt a little apologetic.

"Kokubu, can you really send such a big thing?"

"It's fine. I tested it yesterday and had no problems. But, please only do one repatriation per day."

A golem had already been installed in the Nerima garrison warehouse as a landmark, and all that was left was for my classmates to board and then use the repatriation technique.

Maa, it was only natural that Katou-sensei felt uneasy, but I had no intention of failing either, so I did a test yesterday and created a perfect system.

Originally, it was planned to be a cage that could hold five people, but it seemed that they decided to use a cage that had been created with the coming and going of dignitaries in mind.

When I sent the State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shiota to Volzard, he was tied to me with a rope, so I thought it looked bad in that form.

When sending people to Volzard from the Earth side, it was possible to move through the shadow space if magic power was given to them.

This cage was probably made for that pattern of movement.

"Okay, everyone get in. Fasten your seatbelts when you get in."

The 10 people selected were 5 boys and 5 girls, including Kojima-san, who had her leg amputated in the accident the other day.

"Kokubu-kun, thank you for everything you did last time. To be honest, when I lost my leg, I thought I was going to die."

"Is there any discomfort or any aftereffects?"

"Yup, I'm fine. It feels like a dream that my leg was amputated."

"That's good. Take care."

"Yup, thank you ... Also, I'm sorry for saying all kinds of harsh things about the thing with Shiori. If it wasn't for Kokubu-kun, the day I could go home like this wouldn't have come ... I'm really grateful. Thank you very much."(TN:Shiori was the girl who jumped off the ramparts. This girl was one of her friends.)

After Kojima-san and the other nine people bowed their heads, they asked for a handshake.

"Thank you, Kokubu."

"I really appreciate it."

"Thank you Kokubu-kun, I hope you stay well."

"You must attend the class reunion."

"Yup, everyone be well!"

I had already sent several people to Japan, including Kizawa-san, and had secured communications with Japan.

Well, when I realized that I was being asked to shake hands by classmates like this, and I was sending a large number of people back, I was overwhelmed with emotion that I had finally reached this point.

"What is it, Kokubu, are you crying?"

"I, idiot. I just got a little bit of dust in my eye."

"You can come back to Japan, right? Let's meet when things settle down."

"That's right. Once everything is settled."

After exchanging greetings, my classmates climbed into the cage one by one.

"Huh, where does this go?"

"Ehh, why are there six?"

A normal car seat belt was a three-point seat belt on one shoulder and both sides of the waist, but this cage had six-point seat belts used in racing cars attached.

I didn't think such a shocking situation would occur, but Kajikawa-san requested that they always wear them in case of an emergency.

"Both shoulders and both hips, and two of them pass between the crotch. After fastening the buckle, adjust and tighten the belt."

"Ou, is this over here?"

It was built to hold ten people, but the living space was limited and they were huddled together.

If you had a physique like Donovan-san or Gilik, you may not be able to sit without using two seats.

After finishing putting on their seatbelts, my classmates started waving to their friends watching over them.

I could send 10 people a day, so we planned to have most of them return in 20 days.

However, there were people like the old and new duo and Kondo who were thinking about staying in Volzard.

The classmates who returned and those people may not be able to see each other for the rest of their lives if things went wrong.

They could make phone calls and receive emails and messages, but it made me realize that the other world was far away.

"Kokubu, please go soon."

"Yes, I understand."

My physical condition was perfect, and Japan's acceptance system was perfect. Katou-sensei locked the entrance from the outside and asked my classmates to evacuate from near the cage.

"Repatriation!"

Along with a feeling of having my magical power being cut away, the cage with ten classmates disappeared, and immediately after that, it appeared on the other side of the monitor held by Yuika, at the Nerima garrison.

"Katou-sensei, the cage seems to have arrived safely, but I'll check to see if there's anything wrong with it."

"Are you okay, Kokubu. Your face is pale."

"It takes a lot of magical power, so I feel a little sick, but it will be fine if I rest."

"I see, then that's fine, but don't overdo it."

"Yes, I understand."

When I headed for the Nerima garrison through the shadow space, my classmates who got off the cage were cheering and hugging each other.

Until now, only one person at a time was allowed to return, so I couldn't see the spectacle of sharing the joy like this.

"Everyone arrived safely, right? No one got hurt or got sick?"

"Ou, Kokubu, everyone is safe ... Or rather, even though we just said goodbye, it doesn't make sense if we meet again right away!"

"Ahh ... But, I have to make sure everyone is safe ..."

"That's right. Everyone is safe!"

"Ou, no problem."

"We're fine too."

The faces of the ten people who returned were all smiles.

"Okay, then I'll go back to report ..."

"Ou, see you! Kokubu."

"Yup, see you!"

It was a long way from Volzard to Japan, but as long as I was healthy, it was possible to come and go.

I hadn't checked how many classmates had decided to stay, but if they wanted to go home, I wouldn't mind sending them a little.

"Good job, Kokubu."

"Ah!, Kajikawa-san, thank you for your hard work."

"It looks like you were able to repatriate without any problems."

"Yes, as expected, my magical power will be scraped away, so it's the limit to repatriate once."

"is that so ... Is it possible tomorrow? It doesn't matter if it's just a day later. Since we have the prospect of returning a large number of people like this, the public opinion will be lessened."

"Is that so ... Then, tomorrow morning, I will check my physical condition and let you know if I will do the return work."

While Kajikawa-san and I were talking, Nero put out a shield of darkness, and Zae-tachi put away the cage in the shadow space.

There may be people who would sneak into the Nerima garrison and do bad things, so the cage was supposed to be stored in the shadow space.

"That's right, Kajikawa-san. About the classmates who were sent back. Were they able to use magic here as well?"

"Aahh, that's right. Last time, I had a student who returned home with the repatriation technique try it, but it seems that it was only usable temporarily, and once the magic power was consumed, it could no longer be used."

"Does it seem like their magical power doesn't recover even if they rest?"

"That's how it seems. The government plans to announce that the students who have returned will not be able to use magic. As expected, if they are thought to have different abilities, they will be targeted."

In fact, the magic that Volzard could use was just as powerful as firearms on the Earth side.

If you could use a blade of wind, it should be possible to assassinate someone without using a weapon.

"To be honest, it's difficult for the Japanese government to provide personal protection for everyone who has returned. There is no magic essence on Earth, so even the returning students can't use magic. This will be the official position of the Japanese government."

"Understood. Then, I will let you know by 2:00 PM Japan time whether or not I will do return work tomorrow."

"Alright. But it's okay, Kokubu-kun's genus are excellent, so they seem to be able to handle phone calls properly."

"Aahh ... That's right. Thank you very much for the solar panels and the tablets. Thanks to you, everyone is happy."

For Kajikawa-san, it seemed that being able to contact me was extremely helpful, and he prepared tablets, solar panels, and batteries for charging for Mart and the others.

The Kobold Corps who weren't patrolling seemed to be gathering and playing around.

As for me, it was a little troublesome for me to contact him if it was inconvenient for him, but it couldn't be helped because he's taken a lot of trouble.

I asked Kajikawa-san about the returned classmates and returned to Volzard.

I returned to the garrison's training ground and reported to Katou-sensei that they had returned safely.

After having lunch with Yuika and Manon at the garrison cafeteria, I headed to the Bakkenheim auction site.

The auction was held in the auditorium adjacent to the Guild in Bakkenheim, and it seemed that many customers and curiosities gathered for the first auction of the New Year every year.

Among the rare items on display, the Gigas' magic stone was a big topic.

500 times more in weight than a normal size Orc magic stone.

A magic stone this big seemed to be a legendary item that had never been seen in real life, even though it was thought to exist.

At the auction, the Cobalt Viper I witnessed the other day and the leather of the Salamander were put up for sale, but it didn't seem to be very exciting, with people who seemed to be vendors bidding on them.

And yet, the venue was always surrounded by raspy voices and a kind of strange heat.

"Basten, how does it seem?"

[ Let me see, I have no experience observing the auction itself, so it's hard to say anything, but the people at the venue seem like a group of Gigawolves aiming at something. ]

"Are you saying that everyone is aiming for the Gigas' magic stone?"

[ I believe so. In the middle of the venue, there should be the best people, but most of them don't participate in the auction. They are probably saving money in preparation for the Gigas' magic stone. ]

"How much will it sell for?"

[ Who knows, the Orc magic stone is about 10,000 to 15,000 Helts, and it's more than 500 times larger than that, so a simple calculation would be 5 million to 7.5 million Helts. However, it should not go for only that level of price. ]

"The Gigas' magic stone's turn hasn't come yet, right?"

[ Yes, it's the last exhibition, so there's still time. ]

"I'm going to greet Reese-san for a bit."

[ Understood. ]

Bakkenheim's Guild Master, Reese-san, was in the waiting room next to the auction hall.

Lau-san, her real escort, and the escort Gunther, who was just for show, were together.

"Hello. Reese-san, do you mind if I disturb you?"

"Kent is it? Come in ..."

As usual, Reese-san was lying on the sofa in a revealing outfit, but for some reason she looked in a bad mood.

"Excuse me. Hello, Lau-san."

"Ho!Ho!Ho!, Kent, I'll leave being Reese's opponent to you."

"He!, what's wrong?"

When I sat down on the sofa with the table between us, Reese-san glared at me.

"You don't know what's wrong, is it. Thanks to the Gigas' magic stone, it's not exciting at all."

"Is that because they want to save some money ...?"

"That's right. The people who spend the most money every year won't participate in the auction this year. It's like a funeral."

"Even if you tell me that ... Then, wouldn't it have been better to put the Gigas' magic stone as the first auction? Then the losers would have to buy other items ..."

"I know that. Even if I realize that, I can't change the order now. Aahh, what happened is the height of my regret ..."

Reese-san thought that if the Gigas' magic stone was put up for auction first, the subsequent auctions would not be lively, but it seemed that her expectations were off.

"Kent. Did you check the reward for subjugating the Rock Ogre?"

"Ah!, yes, thank you very much."

During the Ogre subjugation the other day, one Rock Ogre escaped from the north side that Graciela-san was in charge of, and another one also escaped from the east side.

The Kobold Corps reported that the Rock Ogre over there was cut down by Lau-san, who appeared like the wind right after the adventurers gave up chasing it.

I wondered if it was really scared of Lau-san, its tail was hidden, and it was pretty cute.

However, even if Graciela-san and the others tried to get close to it and attacked repeatedly, he managed to get by with a single blow on the Rock Ogre ... It's a special case, isn't it.

The subjugation of the remaining one was quickly finished by Fred after receiving a request from Master Reese.

The reward for the subjugation would be 40,000 Helts, plus the magic stone and horns would be my share.

"Has there been an Ogre attack since then?"

"I haven't seen any signs so far, but it was a rare raid in Bakkenheim, so there might still be something."

Reese-san spoke while slightly irritably smoking her pipe, but her current interest seemed to be the excitement of the auction.

As I was drinking tea with Reese-san and the others while feeling uncomfortable, the noise from the auction hall grew louder as time passed.

You could feel the heat rising through the walls.

The auction was nearing its end, and it seemed that people who had given up on the Gigas' magic stone from the beginning began bidding for other featured products.

"Fuun, it's finally starting to get exciting. In the first place, there are only a limited number of people who can drop enough for the Gigas' magic stone, so don't be stingy and use the money ..."

Even though the auction had started to heat up. Reese-san's mood hadn't improved.

"Come to think of it, is the auction profitable for the guild?"

"Of course. A certain percentage of the successful bid price will go to the guild. In other words, the higher the price, the more profitable it will be for the guild."

"I see, so it's a problem if they don't get excited."

"Well, it's about time. How much will it go for ..."

Reese-san put down her smoking pipe and stood up.

Lau-san followed us like a shadow after we headed to the auction site.

Even when Reese-san appeared at the venue through the door on the side of the stage, the eyes of the people gathered were glued to the stage.

"What is that? Is it really a magic stone?"

"It's unbelievably big. How many times larger than the Ogre's magic stone?"

"I've seen a Salamander's magic stone, but it's nothing comparatively."

Ta~~n!

When the auctioneer thumped their hammer loudly, the venue was enveloped in a stillness as if water had been thrown on it.

"Then, today's last exhibition, the magic stone of a Gigas. This magic stone is from the Gigas that destroyed the port town of Leinef in Barshania, which was subjugated by Kent, the youngest S-rank adventurer in Volzard's history, 'Monster User'. The Bakkenheim Guild will prove that it is a genuine, gigantic magic stone unlike any other in the world."

"Oooooohhhhhh ..."

Upon hearing the auctioneer's words, the audience erupted in a thunderous roar.

"This magic stone weighs more than 500 times the weight of an average Orc magic stone, so I will start with 8 million Helts."

"10 million Helts!"

"12 million!"

"15 million!"

"20 million!"

As soon as the bidding started, the people who had taken up positions in the center of the venue, which had been quiet until then, began to raise the price.

"30 million!"

"35 million Helts!"

"40 million!"

"50!"

Every time the price went up, there was a commotion, and Reese-san's smile deepened each time.

Those who had saved their money looked at the other party's complexion, consulted their own finances, and raised the price.

"65 million Helts!"

"76 million!"

"77 million!"

"Is there anyone else?"

"80 million Helts!"

"Oooohhhh ..."

"80 million Helts, is there anyone else ...? Then ..."

"100 million Helts!"

"Oooooohhhhhh!"

Coming to the final stages of the auction, the one who suddenly raised the price was a well-built man with a Kaiser beard who looked like a wealthy man.

"100 million Helts, is there anyone else? Anyone else? Then, the bid is 100 million Helts!"

Ta~~n!

At the same time as the auctioneer's hammer struck loudly again, Reese-san pulled me by the arm and brought me back to the waiting room.

"Ehh, hey ... Reese-san?"

"That many is not simple. It would be better not to meet Kent directly yet ..."

"Does that mean he's a villain?"

"Fufuun, things like good or bad can change depending on the direction you look at is. Besides, rather than that kind of beardy, keep me company."

"Ehh, wait, wait ..."

At the same time as Reese-san restrained my arm, my stomach complained loudly.

"Kukuku ... Kent, is your appetite greater than my sex appeal? Maa, it's fine, let me feed you until you're satisfied, and then I'll dote on you to my heart's content."

"Eeeehhhh ... Wait, wait ..."

"I won't wait, I won't wait ..."

Kajikawa-san, I'm sorry. It seems that tomorrow's return work will be postponed.