Chapter 75: Arrival of Guests
The conference room is filled with a different kind of tension. The reason for this is the presence of a man sitting at the seat of honor. It is Albert Phillips Luine, the Crown Prince of Luine.
His face is described as beautiful, but there is no hint of weakness. His sharp eyes, which show the strength of his will, and his sturdy, warrior-like physique give him an air befitting the crown prince of a great nation.
"Then, report."
"Ha"
Hank Holding stood up with a slightly nervous look at Prince Albert's instructions.
"First, I would like to report about Yuya Kisaragi."
"Go ahead"
"His title is Hero. Specific skills include light-attribute swordsmanship, blinding speed, and inspiration. The details of the skills and other abilities are as described in the handout. In terms of abilities, he is outstanding among the candidates. In fact, he showed overwhelming power in the last swordsmanship tournament.”
Hank explains the hero's abilities. This meeting is a place to report the situation to Crown Prince Albert who has come to the capital.
"Are you saying he's a hero worthy of our country?"
"Ha. There is no problem at all in terms of ability. Just in personality."
"It's good"
Prince Albert restrained Hank, who tried to mention Yuya's personality.
"It's useless to report about personality. Such things are seen differently by different people. What does it have to do with whether he has a good or bad character?"
"No, I'm sorry."
"Then don't waste time. What are the terms of the contract?"
"Ha. They have not been finalized yet."
"……Reason?"
Although his tone of voice did not change, the sharpness of Crown Prince Albert's gaze increased. The Crown Prince is extremely strict when his subordinates are negligent. This is one of the reasons why the meeting is tense.
"We are presenting several conditions and trying to see which one attracts the most interest."
"Good then. So what's the situation?"
"He is strongly interested in the title of a noble, but he's looking for a Marquis or higher.”
"...Marquis rank of the Luine Kingdom to the hero?"
Prince Albert's face is clearly displeased.
"No, I have decided that there is no need to go that far."
"What is the basis for that?"
"Even though he said Marquis or higher, he doesn’t seem to understand the order. In other words, he is not looking for a title, but rather the treatment that comes with it."
"Luxurious life?"
"Ha"
"Is honor not in his nature?"
"He seems more interested in titles than in honor."
"So he values it more than fame."
Prince Albert, who seems convinced by his nature, is soon betrayed.
"No, it's either it sounds good or it doesn't."
"...To put it simply?"
"Whether people around him think it's cool or not"
"That kind of personality..."
Not only is it the opposite, but it's also worse than that. Although Prince Albert thought that his personality was unimportant, this was indeed a concern for him.
"I have a bit of a problem with his personality."
Hank's words are quite an understatement.
"By the way, what was he obsessed with?"
"There are many things, but the most recent is [Polaris Knight]."
"Is that the title he seeks?"
A mere title has no authority. A worthless title is not an honor. Yuya's request is something Prince Albert cannot understand.
"That is one thing, but beyond that, he is asking for the establishment of a new knightly order. He wants to create a new order called the Knights of the North Star, the Polaris Knights."
Yuya is not selfless. He is also demanding authority. The fact that he demands the name of the knighthood first, rather than the specific organization of the knighthood, is also very Yuya.
"Naturally, he also demands the position of the head of the knighthood."
"Yes"
"...Does he has the ability to command?"
"I haven't had a chance to check his commanding ability."
"Have you confirmed his popularity and so on?... Well, that's fine. The tool is whether you can use it or not. It's not worth worrying about anything else."
"Ha"
To get him to agree to the terms. Beyond that, there is no need to worry about it now. If the request is not specific, such as the size of the knighthood, it is better that way.
"Next report"
"Next, I would like to report on his team."
"There were four candidates, right?"
"Yes. First, Shizuru Tojo. Her title is Saint, and she uses light attribute magic."
"What about the unique magic that was mentioned in the report?"
"We have no confirmation at this time."
"Only light magic. It is not unusable, but it is not rare."
Healing magic in the light attribute magic is not universal. It is not possible to bring the dead back to life, of course. In some cases, injuries cannot be healed depending on the degree of injury and the amount of time elapsed. The mere fact that she can use light-attribute magic is not enough for Prince Albert to recognize its value of it.
"She has a close relationship with Yuya Kisaragi. There are times when she can be selfish, but there are also times when she can be restrained."
"It's also subtle."
"She's also beautiful"
"Are you asking me to have a hero stay by my side?"
"No, that's not the case..."
A little anger emanated from Prince Albert. Sensing it sensitively, Hank lowered his gaze.
"Can it be used as a reward? What are the conditions?"
"I haven't presented anything specific, but she has the same fondness for luxury as Yuya Kisaragi."
"Are all the heroes like that?"
Prince Albert's evaluation of the heroes, which he had already despised, would fall even further.
"In the beginning, they were two of the four Heavenly Kings. It is only natural that they would demand high treatment."
"Even if that's the case... let's see how things go a little bit. Keep working on fleshing out the terms."
"Ha. Then next."
"No need"
"Yes. Class C Hero Candidates, not so much for their abilities."
The rest of the hero candidates are Class C. It makes no sense to describe their abilities.
"No. I said that our country does not need them."
But what Prince Albert meant by "unnecessary" was not what Hank had in mind.
"…But we made a deal with Yuya Kisaragi to take the remaining three people with him."
"Take them out of the terms."
"It may cause a rupture in our relationship with Yuya Kisaragi."
"I don't mind"
"Wha!?"
Yuya is by far the strongest among the hero candidates. Prince Albert says that Yuya doesn't have to make a contract with their country. Hank couldn't understand the idea.
"What are you surprised about? Do you have to rely on a hero to gain supremacy over the continent? Are the people of our country such a bunch of incompetents?"
"No. Nothing of the sort."
"Then don't worry about the breakdown of negotiations."
"Ha!"
There are many reasons why Crown Prince Albert is called wise, but the biggest reason is his high ambition. His overwhelming high ambition makes even his title as the crown prince of the Luine Kingdom seem small. This is what attracts many of his subjects, and has led them to pin all their hopes on him.
"Let's move on to the situation in other countries."
"Ha. The Lemberg Empire has taken on Mei Katsuragi. Her title is Grand Mage. She has an aptitude for all four magic attributes. But because she is a mage, there are few opportunities to test her abilities."
The only event at the academy where a hero candidate's abilities can be tested is the swordsmanship tournament that will be held soon. There are no battle events that use magic. The magic that can be used in class is limited, and there is almost no chance to check the mage's ability.
"Nothing at all?"
"The only real battle she had had was about two years ago when she took down magical beasts. It was against a lower rank magical beast, and at that time, she unleashed advanced magic of the fire attribute."
"What about other attributes?"
"At that point, it seems that she had professed that he had acquired advanced magic for all attributes. In fact, the church’s status board shows that she acquires all of them.”
"Isn't there any information about how many times she can use it?"
"No. She has a correction skill, so I'm sure that it's more than normal."
"...That's difficult. In the event of war, it is a powerful weapon, but its effectiveness is limited by its poor succession capabilities."
No matter how hard Yuya tries, he can only shoot a shotgun. But Mei's magic is a large bomb. The number of enemies that can be defeated at once is different. However, one or two bombs cannot decide the course of the battle.
"I am sorry. I have no information about that."
"What did Lemberg base their decision on?"
"I think the judgment is that it was because our country chose Yuya Kisaragi. But when it comes to which one they wanted, it seems to be Mei Katsuragi."
"Why do you think so?"
"It looks like they're making a Mage Order."
"Reinforcement of their country’s weaknesses? What about bumping the bid as originally planned?"
The contract with Mei is the best choice for the Lemberg Empire. When he thinks about it, he wants to interfere with that. The Crown Prince Albert has no attachment to Yuya at all.
"We have already decided that it will not work. The bidding rules have changed, and the hero candidates are given a certain amount of choice. Mei Katsuragi will choose Lemberg first."
"Why is it so?"
"Because I think she's the one who wants it the most, and the one they can use the most. She is also quite attracted to the idea of creating a Mage Order from scratch."
"...I understand. Don't neglect to gather information. This is not just about the capital."
The real conflict begins after they leave the church capital. And the greatest enemy of the Luine Kingdom is still the Lemberg Empire.
"Next is the Izrim Magic Kingdom."
"The one with the title of Holy Knight."
"Yes"
"...Do I need to hear it?"
This question expresses the low estimation of Jin in Prince Albert's mind.
"He has changed since last year, when he was completely defeated by Yuya Kisaragi."
"What do you mean by changed?"
"At least his ability has improved. He was a holy knight apprentice at the swordsmanship tournament last year, but now he's a holy knight."
"Does that mean he's become complete?"
"Yes"
"What's his unique skill?"
The title of Holy Knight alone doesn't tell you the strength. Prince Albert was at least willing to find out.
"He has the same light-attribute swordsmanship as Yuya Kisaragi."
"What is it?"
"It's a light-attribute magic sword."
The magic sword is by no means a rare skill. Not a few knights wear them with any degree of power. The Crown Prince Albert continues with a quizzical look and asks a question.
"…Is it particularly powerful?"
"No. It's just that the attribute is light."
The answer was predictably disappointing.
"Is Yuya Kisaragi really that powerful?"
"Yuya Kisaragi’s strength lies in his physical ability. It has nothing to do with his skills, he is just strong."
"That's certainly strong. Whether or not he is approaching that mere strength?"
"We'll find out at the tournament."
"Is that enough?"
"I think so"
Even to Hank, Jin's evaluation is low. If it's the same skill, Yuya is definitely better. He thinks so.
"I see... that's good. What about the United Kingdom of Mercenary?"
"Still no movement at all."
"......Are they really not going to bid? Keep up the reconnaissance."
"Yes"
"Is that the end of the report?"
The explanation about the hero candidates of major countries is over. It means that the report of interest to Prince Albert has ended.
"I'm not sure if this needs to be reported."
But Hank still tried to report.
"It doesn't matter. Whatever information is of interest to you, you should tell me."
"There is a man whom the Lemberg Empire has been trying to recruit and the Izrim Magic Kingdom continues to show interest."
"...Is it that one? Even though he's the lowest-ranked hero candidate, yet he is heavily favored by the Adventurers' Guild."
Various information has been delivered to Prince Albert even before he came to the church country. It also contained information about Ren.
"Yes. Ren Takashiro. His title is Necromancer. He doesn't have any unique skills. He's a hero candidate with absolutely nothing worth seeing in terms of abilities."
"On the contrary, that's what's attracted their attention."
"There must be a reason why Lemberg and Izrim care about him."
There is no way the two countries would pay attention to someone who is truly incompetent. That's what the Luine Kingdom is concerned about.
"Is there?"
"He almost perfectly commanded the escort request against the Anti-Hero Alliance."
The only time Ren has publicly demonstrated his abilities. This is all the information that the Luine Kingdom has.
"He has the ability to command"
"He also has the ability to gather and analyze information. I believe it was his ability that held off the Anti-Hero Alliance."
"Are you saying he's more suited to being a staff officer than a hero?"
"It seems that the two countries appreciate that."
"Have you had no contact with him?"
The Crown Prince Albert appreciates the ability of the one who uses it more than its ability as a weapon. If Ren's abilities were such, he thought it worthwhile to bring him into the country.
"Once, he went to this place."
"So?"
"He took a bath and left."
"...What do you mean?"
"It's exactly what I said. Like the other hero candidates, we treated him with a prostitute, but that was all he did and left.
When Ren was summoned to the dormitory in the Luine Kingdom. As soon as he is finished with the maid, he met Shizuru and Ren left.
"Why didn't you stop him?"
"He was already gone before we knew it."
"What was the prostitute doing?"
"She was on her knees."
"......Is that what you mean?"
A slight smile appears on Crown Prince Albert's face. Although he had never met Ren, nor had he heard of his personality, he sensed an air of infatuation in his behavior.
"That's right."
"...That's an amazing ability. To knock down a prostitute."
"Yes. It seems that the relationship continues after that."
"I don't understand. So why haven't you been able to make contact?"
She was a prostitute hired to bring a hero candidate to the country. If the relationship was ongoing, Crown Prince Albert thought, there must have been many opportunities.
"She is meeting him regardless of our country. It seems to be a non-working relationship."
"......As I recall, she is a high-class prostitute."
"She's a high-class prostitute that even the lower nobles, let alone a commoner, can't afford."
"That's quite a feat. Is that an ability that doesn't show up on the status board?"
"......Yes. It would appear so."
Hank replied normally, even though he was a little puzzled by Prince Albert's joke.
"Interesting, but with this information alone"
Even Prince Albert doesn't care if the people around him don't laugh. He continues talking normally.
"And he doesn't have a very good relationship with Yuya Kisaragi. On the other hand, he seems to have a good relationship with Shizuru Tojo."
"A love triangle?"
"There is a possibility of that."
"I don't want to bring trouble."
"Then I will exclude him from consideration."
"......You are quick to judge."
Hank easily eliminates Ren from consideration. He is quick to make a decision, which is what Crown Prince Albert wants, but he also feels that he does not have enough information to make a decision on this matter.
"Is that so?"
"I see. With the abilities he possesses, his role would be the same as Hank's."
If Ren serves the Luine Kingdom, as a staff officer. That's the same position as Hank. Prince Albert suspects that this may have led to Hank's quick judgment.
"Such a thing. Even if that's the case, do you still need him?"
"......That's true too."
The confident Prince Albert does not dislike this kind of attitude of his subordinates. Of course, this is only if it is accompanied by competence. And Hank had demonstrated his ability well so far.
Having confidence is not a bad thing. Unless it turns into arrogance. And he can't call it arrogance at this moment. Ren has not shown even a glimpse of his ability.
◇◇◇
The conference room of the Izrim Magic Kingdom, where the king, Elected Selim, was welcomed, was far from tense. The first parent-child reunion in a long time was taking place there.
"Father, thank you for your hard work in traveling so far."
"It's because Milia called me far away. It's been a while. I'm glad you're doing well."
Elected King Selim greeted Princess Milianea with a gentle smile. It is the attitude of a father who is happy to see his lovely daughter again, not as a king.
"Yes. I'm fine. Father looks good too."
"Yeah. It's not bad to go out once in a while. It's much healthier than being locked up in the office."
"You should exercise regularly."
Elected King Selim has a chubby physique that makes Princess Milianea want to say this.
"I know that, but for now, let's end the greetings here. I'd like to finish the meeting."
"Just because it's not convenient for you?"
Princess Millianea thought that Elected King Selim was pointing out something he was worried about and was trying to cut the conversation.
"No, I have plans to meet someone."
"Perhaps the new Pope?
"There is that too."
"And others?"
"The Crown Prince is coming from the Luine Kingdom."
"I hear so."
Princess Milianea has already heard about this information from Heinz.
"And the first princess from the Lemberg Empire."
"Eh?"
But this is new to her.
"You did not know?"
"Yes……"
Did Heinz not speak on purpose? This thought popped into Princess Milianea's head. with the question of why.
"I didn't know either, but I heard that the first princess is already engaged."
"I know that."
"Then who is she engaged to?"
"Heinz Ruben, the second son of the Knight Commander of Lemberg."
"You know that much?"
Elected King Selim looks slightly surprised at his daughter's quick ears. This showed Selim's lack of preparation. This would not have been a surprise if he had been aware of the situation in the church country.
"We've been in the capital for a long time."
"Ah, so that's what you mean. An excuse to come see her fiancé, right?"
"Surely"
"After all these gatherings, we can't pretend we don't know each other. They decided to hold a meeting. It's a meeting without any substance, just to deepen our friendship."
Even without substance, it was a rare opportunity for the major powers to meet together.
"Yes"
Princess Milianea's reaction, however, was dull. Her mind is on other things.
"I'll ask Milia to join us. So let's end this conversation early."
"…………"
"Milia?"
"Yeah, okay. Let's get started now."
"Yeah, please."
Each person takes his or her seat and the meeting begins. The reporter is Lang. Lang is not normally qualified to have an audience with the king, but since it started with her investigation, she was granted special permission this time.
"Then, let me begin the investigation report. The subject of the investigation is Ren Takashiro. However, he has given up the family name of Takashiro and only goes by the name of Ren."
"Why?"
"I say that it expresses his determination to live as a person of this world."
"I see. He's quite a character."
A hero candidate who can abandon his other world identity and live as a local. There are not many hero candidates who can think like that, Elected King Selim thought.
"It's probably a lie."
"Eh, is that so?"
"There must be some reason for it, but I don't know what it is."
"So why did you decide it's a lie?"
There is no proof that it is a lie. If that's the case, Elected King Selim thinks it's premature to conclude that it's a lie.
"That's the kind of person he is."
"You don't trust him?"
"Yes, when he is an enemy. But he is faithful to his word. That makes him trustworthy to friend and foe alike."
"A difficult man, isn't he?
Falsehood and trust. Lang's description of these two opposing qualities.
"He is extremely difficult to understand."
"……Continue"
You need to get as much information in your head as possible to understand. Elected King Selim thought that judgment would be made after that.
"He was summoned from another world as a hero candidate, but immediately after being summoned, he declined to be a hero candidate."
"……Reason?"
"He's saying that he doesn't have the strength to be a hero, but this is also a lie."
"Then why?"
"I think he knows the truth about the hero summons, the upcoming bidding, and the hero contract."
"But he declined as soon as he was summoned."
There's no way a hero candidate would know the truth about the hero contract immediately after being summoned. Lang's explanation contradicts this point.
"He knew as soon as he was summoned."
"……How?"
"His occupation is a necromancer. I believe he heard it from the spirits."
"You! Are you making fun of His Majesty!?"
It was Senior Mage Watkins Hilton, a member of the Elected Council, who yelled at Lang. The miscalculation on the part of Princess Milianea and the others was that Senior Mage Hilton and several other members of the Elected Council had followed them. They were the ones who delayed the decision-making process in the Izrim Magic Kingdom. They were the ones who got in the way.
"...I'm not mocking His Majesty."
"Then why do you let this nonsense about hearing from spirits into His Majesty's ears?"
"The existence of necromancers is a well-known fact, and their abilities are officially recognized."
Necromancer is a recognized profession. There are always one or two in each country as well as in the Church.
"That's never been proven."
The fact that they exist is not the same as whether or not they are actually talking to spirits. Senior Mage Hilton does not believe in necromancers.
"That's because other people can't see the spirits and can't hear them."
"In other words, they can tell as many lies as they want."
"Hero, bidding, contract. Did you mean that it is a lie?"
What Ren knows is true. She is not lying.
"No. I'm saying it's a lie that he heard it from a spirit."
"...That's irrelevant for this case. I just speculated about the reason why he declined the hero candidate."
How did Ren know the truth if not from a spirit? Senior Mage Hilton had nothing to say about this.
"Even so, it is disrespectful to tell His Majesty a falsehood."
"...I will not correct it, but I will erase the remark."
"So be it."
It's completely irrelevant to the agenda, and it's a useless discussion. They simply want to show his presence and power.
"For that reason, he has hardly acted as a hero candidate. On the other hand, he began working for the Adventurers' Guild that year he was summoned."
"…May I ask why?"
If he asks a question, Lang has to answer. If the answer is something like the one given earlier, there are those who will get involved again. It is the Izrim Magic Kingdom that demands this kind of concern from its king.
"Unless he has to live as a hero, he has to find a way to make a living."
"I agree"
Elected King Selim was relieved to hear that it was a safe answer.
"In the Adventurers' Guild, Ren-dono is unusually well respected."
"Is he an excellent adventurer?"
"Perhaps."
"You don't know?"
The answer [perhaps] means that she is not sure. This ambiguity bothered Elected King Selim.
"Most of his achievements are from nomination requests. I don't know what he has done."
"Mostly nomination requests… Is there such a thing?"
"He claims to have special skills related to spirits, but I don’t think that’s the only reason why he was heavily rated."
"Why?"
"He served as the guild's commander for the escort request against the Anti-Hero Alliance's attack."
Escort commander. Lang thought he couldn't be entrusted with just his reputation as a necromancer. The guild values Ren for something other than being a necromancer.
"...Is that true?"
"Yes. In the second request, he showed himself as the commander."
"It's not necromancer work."
"Yes, and he's done it almost perfectly."
"Isn't that because the adventurers around him are excellent, not the man? Weren't the adventurers under the direct control of the guild leader participating?"
Once again, Hilton interjected. He ignored the question as to why Ren was appointed commander.
"Those under the direct control of the guild leader were called guild soldiers, not adventurers, and are guild officials.”
"It's the same thing."
"That guild soldier followed his instructions. Isn't that surprising?"
"If the guild leader gives them orders, they will obey."
Senior Mage Hilton had nothing to do but deny Lang's explanation. Lang was becoming frustrated by this attitude.
"…Then, do you have any evidence that the guild leader gave instructions?"
"What did you say?"
"It is fine for you to question, but if you are going to deny it, I would like you to show me the basis for your denial."
"You are being rude! You are just a staff!!"
"I have not said anything wrong."
"You……"
Senior Mage Hilton just stared at Lang, who didn't seem intimidated by his anger, without saying anything more. Not only was he furious, but he didn't have the words to break Lang's silence.
"Okay. The report is on the way. Let's hear it first."
Elected King Selim opened his mouth to soften the mood.
"Your Majesty! Don't say such naive things! This person's intentions are clear. She just wants to exaggerate her story and make her achievements look bigger."
"We must hear her out."
"There is no need for that. We need to have a preliminary meeting about the meeting. Diplomatic matters, no matter how trivial, are to be handled with care."
"But"
"Anyway, we can no longer deal with this person’s nonsense."
He cuts off the king's words and says what he wants to say. This man was much more rude, but no one could blame him. Only Princess Milianea tried to say something, but Hyde, who was next to her, tried hard to stop her.
――The conference room where the king and the others left.
"...Why does His Majesty have such people?"
Lang muttered with a look of frustration on her face.
"They were forced to follow him here."
"Even so..."
Lang wondered why he would allow someone to forcibly interrupt an important conversation. She also thought that even if they had left, Elected King Selim should have stayed behind to listen to the conversation.
"Why are they like that with Lang?"
Hyde has raised a question about the attitude.
"Because they don't want to let Milianea-sama take credit for it."
Lang has the answer to that question. This is one of the reasons why they took a strong stance.
"Milianea-sama instead of Lang?"
"If Ren-dono demonstrates his power in our country, it will be credited to Milianea-sama who found Ren-dono."
"…Does that mean that they don’t want her to win the election ceremony?”
Hyde also understood the reason after Lang's explanation. The next generation of the election battle. The Izrim Magic Kingdom has this. It's always been a thing in every country.
"They are only supporting His Highness because he is sure to win. And if he loses the election, their influence will be reduced to nothing."
"They're the worst"
"That's why we need Ren-dono. I'm sure Ren-dono will do what he did in the church country in our country."
Reform of the Church. Lang's idea is called a coup d'etat, even in the Izrim Magic Kingdom.
"...The cleaning of the Elected Council?"
"Hyde!"
Princess Milianea reproached Hyde for expressing his thoughts in words. If anyone hears him criticizing them, he may be punished, or punished in a less formal and private way. It is not something that should be spoken about easily.
"...It was a slip of the tongue"
"There's no evidence he did that. And there is no Anti-Hero Alliance in our country."
"Aren't there dissidents?"
"……I do not know"
"I see"
Princess Milianea denied the existence of dissidents. Lang understood that it didn't mean it didn't exist, but that they couldn't say they knew.
The roots of the turmoil are not only across the continent, but also within each country. There are more or less people everywhere who want to rebel against the regime. Whether it grows or disappears depends on the system. The current Izrim Magic Kingdom was definitely heading in the direction of nurturing.
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