Chapter 34: Appointed Commander
The meeting room at the guild headquarters. It is not often that adventurers are ushered into this place. Whether it is a request or something else, the guild leaves almost everything to the discretion of the adventurers. There is no such thing as a meeting between the adventurers and the guild.
Right now, more than ten adventurers were gathered in that meeting room. This alone was enough to make one understand the unusual nature of the situation, but it was not the only thing that had the adventurers puzzled.
In front of the group of adventurers lined up on the left side of the room sat a guild official. He was no ordinary guild official. His appearance was clearly that of a guild soldier.
Guild members and adventurers working together is not a common occurrence. Especially for adventurers, it is not a good thing. In many cases, the guild soldiers are the ones who uncover the wrongdoings of the adventurers and execute their sentences.
There was an awkward silence in the meeting room.
"Sorry to keep you waiting"
The one who broke the silence was the guild leader who entered the room late.
“Yeah, I've been waiting. I don't want to wait any longer, so tell me what you want right away.
It was Gordon, a veteran adventurer, who replied with sarcasm.
“I'll do that. The reason I asked you all to gather here is to ask you to do something for me."
"You don't mean all of us?"
“That's the plan. I say planned because I don't know if this will be all of you."
"Are you saying there's still a chance it could increase?"
"That's right"
"So it's a pretty dangerous mission."
It's not a trivial matter to have that many. Of course, Gordon thinks so.
"Listen to the content before making a decision. The content of the request is an escort mission for a hero candidate."
"What?" "Ha?" "Are you kidding?"
The adventurers were filled with questions one after the other. The hero is supposed to be strong. They don't understand why they have to escort one.
"There is more. I said hero candidate, but there are thirty-two of them."
"Again"
When Gordon heard the number, he thought it was the same as the mission in the [Forest of No Entry]. Naturally, he was wrong. He would soon find out from the guild leader's subsequent explanation.
"The attackers are unknown. We have been told the name of an organization called the Anti-Hero Alliance, but we have no idea who are they, or even how big it is."
"……Location?"
"Inside the Church Academy."
"No way, is it a daily escort?"
"That's right."
"That's hard"
Gordon knows that there is a difference in the level of difficulty between a request for an escort to a destination and a daily escort.
“But the reward is exceptional. After all, the client is a country. And it's a lot of countries, including the big three."
"How much?"
"It hasn't been finalized yet. The number of participating countries may increase. I can say that it will be at least 30 gold coins per person."
With one gold coin, an average person can live for a month. For a mid-rank adventurer, 30 gold coins are quite a lot of money. And the guild leader said there was a possibility of even more.
It was a good offer, the adventurers thought at this point.
"......That's great. What are the conditions of accomplishment?"
“That, too, we'll be working out.”
"Huh?"
"The offer came in yesterday. The details have not been finalized."
"Don't call us in under those circumstances."
If you don't know the conditions of accomplishment, you don't know the degree of difficulty of the request. You can't make a decision on whether or not to accept a request under those circumstances.
"I wanted to ask you. What conditions can you fulfill? The deadline is two years."
"Two years? That's a long time."
The longer the period, the lower the probability of success. The value of this mission was considerably reduced by this alone.
"That's why the reward is exceptional. It's treated as a restraining fee."
"Can't we just call it a restraining fee?"
"That's impossible. If you don't promise results, you won't be trusted."
“…Is the escort only inside the academy?”
The limited number of escort locations is a good thing.
"Yeah. Once outside, the church is in charge. Originally, they are living in church official's houses."
"......By the way, what's the role of the guys in the front?"
Gordon asked something that had been bothering him for some time.
"One is the commander. Others work in the same position as you."
"On the orders of a guild soldier..."
"This is not a request that can be done by an individual. It requires close coordination."
"......Yes, that's true. But even if it is called a condition. It is the guild's role to coordinate, isn't it?"
"Yes, that's right. I thought we would discuss it first since the request is so specific, but can we leave the conditions to you?"
"Yes, no problem."
"I'll leave it to you. Then the specific escort..."
The guild leader was about to move on with the conversation after Gordon's words, but as if to stop him, Ren raised his hand.
"What is it?"
“Aren’t you going to confirm our willingness to accept the request?”
"This is a nomination request from me."
“If that’s the case, shouldn’t you explain the details of the request in more detail?”
Ren thinks that the guild leader's explanation is the same as saying nothing. He is also aware of the reasons for doing so.
"...Are you saying no? You do realize what will happen if you do that, don't you?"
“There's also the possibility of knowingly saying no."
"...You won't be able to be an adventurer, will you?"
"A threat... then let me say it."
"What?"
"It's better than being dead."
Ren thinks that this request is that kind of request.
“The risk is inherent in any escort assignment. What's the point of being afraid of it now?"
"Are you going to throw away your life for a job that won't even succeed? That's not being an adventurer."
They do requests to get paid, to make a living. Risking your life for nothing is not what an adventurer should be.
"Now we have to figure out how to make it work."
"I've heard that it's impossible to completely prevent assassinations in the original world."
"Just because it was so in the original world...... no, let's hear the reason."
The guild leader, as expected, could not outright deny the idea of the other world, which is advanced in many aspects.
"Because aiming that has a huge advantage. This time too. The attacking side has the freedom to decide when, where, who, and how to attack. On the other hand, the defending side must deal with all kinds of situations."
"It's decided when and where"
“At the academy, during class hours. Can we keep them isolated during that time?"
"Isolate?"
"Keep them locked in a place where no one can enter except for the hero candidates."
"That's impossible."
If they isolate them, there will be no point in going to the academy. If you can isolate yourself in another place, you don't need the guild's protection.
"Then it's impossible to achieve."
"If you can't do it without even thinking about how to do it, then we're not going to get anywhere."
"Don't you understand? Or are you just plain stupid?"
"...What are you talking about?"
The guild leader doesn't understand.
"The attackers may already be sitting next to the hero candidate, you know?"
"What?"
"It doesn't mean the students at the academy aren't the attackers."
"That's absurd..."
The possibility of the attackers Ren spoke of had never crossed the Guild leader's mind.
"More to the point. How can you prove that someone from the Anti-Hero Alliance isn't here?"
"What did you say!?"
"Since you don't know who or where they are, you don't know they aren't adventurers or guild members, right?"
"…………"
The guild leader could not find the words to reply to Ren's point.
The adventurers who were listening to the conversation were also silent with complicated expressions on their faces. They did not want to doubt their comrades, but they did not have anything to deny Ren's words. The same was true for the guild officials.
"I wonder why the guild would accept such an unprofitable request. If they want to protect the hero candidates, the church and each country should send out an army."
"Can they protect them then?"
"Impossible. I told you earlier. It's impossible to prevent an assassination perfectly."
"…………"
"Maybe you miscalculated? Did you think that if you built a shield against suicide bombers, it would protect them?"
Furthermore, outrageous words popped out of Ren's mouth.
"Wha!?"
"You've got it all figured out, don't you?"
This is the stop. The guild leader's face was so upset that he could not hide it. Gordon opened his mouth while looking at the guild leader sideways.
"Silver Wolf"
"What?"
"What do you mean by just now?"
“The attackers already attacked the hero candidates yesterday. The way they did it was by blowing themselves up with their magic tools. The only way to prevent it is to keep them away from the hero candidates, but if you stop them, that person will be caught in the explosion."
Ren explained the details of the attack at the swordsmanship tournament.
“......We're the ones who will stop them?"
Listening to the explanation, Gordon also understood the meaning of the shield that Ren said.
"I wonder? I don't know about the request, because I'm hearing about it for the first time right now."
Once the adventurers present understood, there was no need for Ren to say anything more.
"Right. Guild leader, is it true?"
"No way. There is no way I would think such a thing. It is the guild's duty to protect adventurers."
“That is true. Then, you would never send an adventurer on an unattainable and dangerous mission, would you?"
"……Of course"
The guild leader had no choice but to answer like this. And answering like this puts him in an even tougher situation.
"Now, let me ask you to explain. How do we escort them? I believe you were talking to us about something earlier."
"...No, I was thinking of discussing it with you all from scratch."
Now it's all blank. It is necessary to think about what to do with the request from scratch. This is a good thing for adventurers.
"Discussion. Discussion on how to accomplish a request? Never heard of it."
"This time it's special."
"By the way, who is the commander? Even if we come together here, it won't always go as planned. In that case, the commander will make the decision on the spot."
"The commander is..."
The guild leader is trying to introduce the commander.
"Of course, I suppose I can trust them?"
Interrupting that, Gordon asked the guild leader a question. It's a question with a known conclusion.
"……Of course."
"How can you prove it?"
"That's……"
"Isn't this the first time? Preparing a commander we can trust."
"…………"
There is no way to prepare such a person. There was no way they could prove that they were not part of the Anti-Hero Alliance.
"We already have someone."
Instead of the guild leader, who was at a loss for an answer, a guild official sitting in front of the adventurers spoke up.
"Mion, what do you mean?"
"""Eh?"""
The adventurers all shouted in surprise at the words uttered by the guild leader. They had known it was a woman from her hair, but they had not expected it to be Mion, who was serving in the cafeteria.
“Guild leader. It would be a mistake to reveal my true identity, wouldn't it?"
"I'm sorry"
"Well, that's fine. I was going to tell them anyway."
"What?"
"Let's have Ren-kun take the command."
"Yes?" "What!?"
Ren and the guild leader were surprised by Mion's words. This statement was completely Mion's own decision.
"Ren is the only one who we can definitely say is not a member of the Anti-Hero Alliance. That's why Ren will take command."
"What are we going to do with a request we can't accomplish?"
It is a big inconvenience for Ren who was nominated.
"Ren-kun, don't just take the steady path when you're young. You need to be adventurous once in a while."
"Is that the problem?"
"That's the problem."
"Being a commander isn't something a newcomer like me can do. The guild should prepare someone."
The people who would be taking command were all senior adventurers senior to Ren, and there were even guild soldiers. Normally, Ren is not worthy.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Of course"
“Ren-kun, you are going to take part in this mission, right?”
"...What makes you think so?"
"Somehow. If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to come up with a safer method yourself?"
Mion is presuming that Ren will accept the request.
"...Impossible. Even if I can think of it, I don't think I can put it into action."
"Why?"
"I'm a child. Who would listen to me?"
“A child… it’s about time, why don't you stop playing dumb?
"Playing dumb?"
Ren knew what Mion wanted to say. But he still doesn't stop playing the fool.
"Where's the adventurer who picks fights with the guild leader?"
"Because I'm just a child"
"You're stubborn. Then, how about this? I'll give full authority to Ren-kun regarding this request. I'll select the people and prepare everything you need. Naturally, your instructions will be absolute, and those around you will act accordingly."
"Mion-san. You're assuming what you can't do."
Handing over full authority is the same as entrusting the lives of other adventurers and guild officials. Ren thinks that there is no way they would give it to him.
"Yeah, I can do it. Guild leader, is that okay?"
"……Are you serious?"
“I’m serious. If it makes the mission successful. Besides, I'd like to see Ren-kun get motivated."
"...I understand. That would be good."
"But"
Mion easily got the guild leader's approval.
"... Are you kidding?"
"Ara, I've prepared the conditions."
“…Does Mion-san still have something to hide?”
It is not something a mere guild official can do. Ren became quite curious as to who Mion really was.
"I'm a woman"
"That's not what I meant."
"So, will you accept it?"
"......I want to be sure of the specifics."
Even if you are entrusted with full power, it is meaningless if you do not actually get what you want.
"Alright. What is it?"
“Conditions of the request. I would like to make the reward amount in the form of how much per person per day. The reason is that if we fail, the number of people will decrease, so the amount will be reduced. Well, this condition may not be possible, so I'll add a condition that if one person is killed, there will be a fine. The amount should be adjusted so that it will not be a loss. Oh, and the settlement should be at least every three months."
"No way, from there..."
Mion did not expect that the first question he would ask would be about the reward.
"I wouldn't be willing to work unless I was promised a reward, would I?"
The reason for this is to motivate the other adventurers, not Ren himself. If the team members are not motivated, nothing will go right.
"I agree. Then, of course, the guild leader should negotiate."
"Yeah"
"Next is the selection of people. At least eight people with detection skills. Detection must be magic detection."
"Unreasonable."
Ren's request was flatly rejected by Mion. But Mion has no intention of breaking her promise.
"But, I'll get as many as I can."
"Okay"
What can't be done, can't be done. Mion is only saying this clearly.
"Do you have a communication magic tool?"
"Communication?"
"A magic tool that allows you to talk even if you are far away."
"...You know it well"
In other words, there is.
"As expected, there is. It's for the number of people."
"That's impossible"
"Get as many as you can get."
"I understand"
This is as much as they can do.
"You can't meet my demands at all"
Ren looks a little dissatisfied.
"As much as I can. It can't be helped, right?"
"That's right, but……"
"Next?"
"Negotiate with the academy. I want to separate the candidate students' classrooms from the rest of the class. We also need to redo the student directory and background checks."
Even if complete isolation is impossible, he wants to avoid contact as much as possible. This is a non-negotiable condition.
"I will negotiate that."
"This is not a guarantee, but I want to put all the hero candidates in the academy's dormitory."
"...They'll be escorted until night."
Guild escorts are limited to within the academy, but if the subject of an escort does not leave the academy, they will continue to escort them all the time.
"We can ask the church to guard it. The front guard will be the church, and the back guard will be us."
"The back?"
"By using the front guard as a cover, we want to keep our actions secret."
"……The purpose is?"
"To set a trap for the attackers."
"That's bold"
Rather than just defending, Ren is going on the offensive. This was not the guild's original plan.
"We can't just go on the defensive. We have to get to the bottom of the organization somehow, and destroy the main threat."
"The man we captured didn't know anything, did he?"
The Guild has finished interrogating the one they captured. The results were not good.
"I think if they make enough mistakes, someone close to the organization will eventually come forward."
"...That's right"
"Ah, I forgot an important one."
"What?"
"I want to obtain a blueprint of the academy."
"Yeah, that's necessary."
Mion accepted it as a matter of course, but there was no way Ren would go out of his way to talk about normal things here.
"What I need is the plan that shows the hidden passages."
"No way?"
"It's true. I found that there's a hidden passage, but I don't know everything."
"...What are you?"
No student wants to investigate the hidden passages of the academy. In the first place, they don't think there is such a thing. Again Mion learned of Ren's abnormality.
"I like that kind of thing. It tickles my sense of adventure."
"I guess. Anything else?"
"...The rest is to secure a base. A place in the academy where we can have this many people without being seen. A place to sleep would be better."
"We'll negotiate that as well."
"That's about it for now."
“I see. Then we'll get started."
"Please"
This is the end of Ren's current request. In the end, Ren takes on the role of commander.
"...Silver Wolf"
After the conversation between Ren and Mion ended, Gordon opened his mouth.
"What?"
"What about us?"
"......Why don't you just take it easy? Once the mission starts, we'll be busy."
"That's true."
Ren does not properly understand the meaning of Gordon's reply. Gordon is saying that it is hard to work for this commander.
It wasn't a criticism, it was just because he recognized Ren.
◇◇◇
A week has passed since the attack at the tournament.
Jin has now completely recovered his strength and returned to a normal life. On the other hand, the atmosphere of the classroom is different from that of the past.
It is not only that the location of the classroom has changed. It is not only because of the hero candidates in one class. It was because the candidates were informed that such a change was to protect them from those who wanted to take their lives.
There are many ways to look at it, some fearful, some angry, but the resemblance is that they are tired of the constant tension and feel trapped in a routine in which they are not free to do as they please.
"...Ren isn't coming today either?"
"He was called away by the guild, so he's working."
"But it's been another week."
"There have been many times before when Ren hasn't come to school for days at a time."
"Yes, but not like this......."
Kazuki has an idea that she cannot say upfront. However, there are others in the classroom who are completely unconcerned about Jin's hesitation and speak up.
"He ran away because he was afraid of being attacked."
"Yuya!"
"That's absolutely right. It's strange that he hasn't been seen at all since the incident."
"It's not strange if he has received a request."
As Jin said, it's not strange. This isn't the first time Ren has been absent from the academy for an extended period of time.
“That request itself is strange. Even if he did accept the request, it would be to escape."
Yuya wants to discredit Ren anyway. It doesn't actually matter what the truth is.
"...Ren was the one who prevented the attack at the tournament."
"Actually, he can't prevent it. He allowed the attackers to get close and we got hurt, right?"
"That's the consequence. There is no doubt that he went towards the attackers to prevent them. Doing such a thing, why would Ren be afraid?"
"That's……"
When Jin refutes the statement based on facts, Yuya is unable to say anything. Since this is an emotional statement with no basis in fact, it is natural that it would be like this.
"He didn't run away, but he doesn't want to get involved."
"Shizuru?"
Jin didn't understand why even Shizuru tried to disparage Ren here.
"Ren is cold to others, right? He thinks it's none of his business because we're the ones being targeted."
"That's……"
When this is said, Jin can't find any words to refute it. It was very typical of Ren's behavior.
“I feel sorry for you guys. I know you thought you were getting along a little better, but Ren hasn't changed after all."
Shizuru didn't say it to Jin, but she said it to Kazuki.
"Yes. Ren hasn't changed."
"……That's right"
“He never cuts corners when he decides to do something. No matter what he promises, he always keeps his word. I've never met anyone I could trust more."
“…What do you know about Ren?”
Shizuru intended to make Kazuki depressed, but that did not happen. Kazuki's confident attitude did not make her feel depressed, but it did make her feel frustrated.
"Nothing. But it's not just me, everyone doesn't understand who Ren really is. We all want to know.
"It's a shame. If you don't get to meet Ren, that's not going to happen."
"I can meet him."
"I wonder about that."
“Ren promised us that he would take care of us until we were able to stand on our own as adventurers.”
"...That's a lie."
Ren does something for others. This alone was a shock to Shizuru.
"It's true. It's quite forced, but he certainly promised us. As long as he made a promise, Ren will definitely protect us. That's why Ren will appear before us again."
"…………"
"We trust Ren."
"I don't care who you trust. I just hope he doesn't betray you."
"I'll be fine."
"I see. You can do whatever you want."
The usual friendly smile is already gone from Shizuru's face. The expression on her face, as she stared at Kazuki, was cold and even hateful.
Although somewhat frightened by this expression, Kazuki did not erase her smile and met Shizuru's gaze. That is a frightening feeling to those around them.
There was an indescribably cold air in the quiet classroom.
◇◇◇
On the one hand, there were people who were amused by it. Away from the classroom.
"Ren-kun's classmate is scary."
"Mion. Their conversation just now has nothing to do with our mission."
"That's right, but eavesdropping is fun, isn't it?"
"Uninteresting"
All the more so if it's about him.
"Again. We trust Ren. It's nice to hear her say that, isn't it? And it was a girl who said it."
"Not at all. I think it's annoying."
"...A twisted person."
"Since the hero candidate's classroom is fine, why don't you ask about setting it in another classroom? I should have explained why I set the magic tool."
"To see if anyone was having a suspicious conversation."
The magic tools that Ren requested are planted all over the academy. Using it, Ren and the others were trying to expose the members of the Anti-Hero Alliance.
"If it were."
"However, well, you came up with such a use. How dare you set up a magic tool for distant conversations and eavesdrop on them?"
"Normal"
He just set up a listening device. It's not a special idea.
"But do you talk about raids in the classroom?"
"No. Even so, we may be able to expose suspicious people."
"What do you mean by suspicious?"
"A conversation that doesn't make sense. It sounds like a normal conversation, but it's a strange conversation to have in a classroom. People who talk in strange combinations."
"Combination?"
“It would be suspicious if two people who had no connection were having a conversation.”
"......I suppose so."
One thinks it makes more sense if you listen to it. However, Mion wondered if anyone could come up with that.
"Yes. Then concentrate so as not to miss it."
"Can I ask you a question?"
"What?"
"Why are we here?"
Where the two are. It is not inside the academy. It is a room on the top floor of an inn located outside the academy, close to the main gate. Mion has not yet heard the reason why they have taken the trouble to set up here.
"For lookout"
“I know that. I'm asking you why you don't use the room they had prepared for us in the academy."
"From inside, I can't see anyone hiding."
"Ara?"
“I thought it would be easier to find someone who was trying to check on the situation from the outside. To be honest, I wanted to be farther away, but the magic tool for long-distance communication can't reach it.”
"...What, I thought it was for the two of us to be alone."
"You..."
"Just kidding. You meant you'd already set the trap, didn't you?"
"Sort of."
Ren's ultimate goal is to destroy the core of the Anti-Hero Alliance. To do so, he is thinking of finding a suspicious person and making them swim.
"But will they come?"
"I think they will come if the situation in the academy is leaked. They will want to check the security situation."
"...Wouldn't someone who is undercover checks it out?"
"If they do, that would be a suspicious move. The adventurers will find out."
"...What if there is a traitor in our midst?"
"There's a hole in the trap. If there's a hole..."
"There will be a traitor... After all, I'm more scared of Ren-kun than your classmates."
There are a number of traps that are layered on top of each other. They are also laid against them. Ren is dependable in coming up with it, but also frightening. This is Mion's honest feeling.
"Don't waste your breath. Listen to the conversation in the classroom and find suspicious people at the same time. You can't do it if you don't concentrate."
"...I think I'm going to be very handy."
"Perhaps"
If you decide to do something, do it thoroughly. Regardless of who it is for, that's Ren's policy.
The failure of the Anti-Hero Alliance is that they misjudged who should be killed first. And the stupidity of not realizing it.
thanks for the chapter
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