Chapter 35: Dissatisfaction and Discontent
One month has passed since the suicide bombing. The season has changed to spring, and the hero candidates are now in their second year. The academy is filled with fresh new students, but the hero candidates do not have any contact with them. Contact is forbidden.
"Rumor has it that a princess from the Luine Kingdom has entered the academy."
Yuya, wondering where he heard it from, asked about the admission of the princess from a major kingdom.
"Yeah, it seems so."
To which Heinz replied that it was true.
"Can't we meet?"
"Even if you ask me that. I'm a person from the Lemberg Empire."
Trying to dodge Yuya's selfishness, Heinz played dumb.
“I heard that it is the Adventurers' Guild that is stopping the visitation, and that the clients are from all over the continent, including the Empire.
"Where did you hear that?"
Heinz's deception didn't work. Information that should not be known is known.
"It's master."
Without hesitation, Yuya easily revealed the source of the information.
"Fumu……"
"How's that?"
"If it is true, I shall protest severely."
"Yeah, we should."
“The leader of the Church Knights has leaked confidential information. It's not something we can overlook."
"Eh?"
Yuya was surprised by Heinz's words. He did not expect to be told this.
"The fact that the Adventurers' Guild is involved in the protection is classified. There is no way that the head of the Church Knights, who is in charge of guarding, should say that."
"No, that's..."
Yuya began to panic, thinking that he had caused trouble for his master with his thoughtless comment.
“And to divulge the identity of the client of a special request, a request that is supposed to be kept secret, is an act of hostility to the Adventurers' Guild."
"Such an exaggeration."
Heinz relents. What the Church Knight Commander has done is quite problematic behavior. As a member of the Lemberg Empire, he cannot overlook it.
"I'm not exaggerating. The Adventurers' Guild values the secrecy of information above all else. This is because it leads to trust in the guild. Breaking that rule is seen as a way to undermine the guild's existence."
"…………"
"Yuya, too, you must not speak out publicly. It's too late for that now."
"...The adventurers"
Yuya panicked with Heinz's point, but if he is blamed too much, a repulsive feeling will be born. In Yuya's case, he is a child not only in appearance, but also in mind.
"What?"
"They say they're guarding us, but I've only seen a few of them wandering around the academy. They're not helping."
"What you see isn't always everything."
“Is there really a raid in the first place? I think it's an overreaction to a single event."
"…………"
Heinz did not answer Yuya's question. He was not troubled by the point. There was no attack, but there was an attempt. The Adventurers' Guild prevented it, but Heinz would also be divulging confidential information if he told him about it.
“I want you to cancel the request. The Church Knights are enough of a security force. No, we don't really need a guard."
"... I can't respond to that request."
"Why?"
“Can you say for certain that you will never be killed?”
"I am sure."
"It's out of the question. Who was the one who almost died?"
Yuya is also involved in the suicide bombing during the first attack. Even if he says he's okay, there's no way they'll be convinced.
"It's not me"
"...It's appalling."
It's only natural to be stunned. Jin suffered the worst injuries, but that was only because he happened to be the closest to the attackers. Yuya's injuries weren't as bad as Jin's, but he was still seriously injured.
"I can protect myself. I don't need guards."
"It's not up to you to decide. Now, visiting hours are over. I'm leaving."
The time to meet the hero candidates is fixed. Even if that wasn't the case, Heinz would not talk to Yuya any more.
"Doesn't Heinz get mad? Heinz is also under suspicion if he is restricted in his meeting time."
"I think it's a natural preparation. After all, we don't know who the attackers are."
With these final words, Heinz left the classroom. He hoped that the horror of the attackers would be understood, but this was not at all understood by Yuya.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"Yuya, there's nothing you can do about it."
"It's frustrating. A princess from the Luine Kingdom, who I've never had any contact with before, has entered the school."
"That's……"
Shizuru's eyebrows frown when he learns that Yuya's frustration is because he can't meet the princess of the Luine Kingdom.
"She must have been trying to get to know me in earnest this year. And yet, I can't believe we can't meet."
"...That's right"
"I can't even meet Hyde. Thanks to that, I haven't been able to talk to Princess Milianea, who I finally got to know, after that."
"...The princesses, huh?"
All that comes out of Yuya's mouth is complaints about not being able to meet the princess. It is not a pleasant feeling for Shizuru.
"Don't you think you can only know a country when you know its royalty? The royalty should be the final arbiter of the country."
"That may be true, but..."
"That's why you have to get to know the royalty. And have a chance to show them your power. That's a problem."
"That's right."
"I'm a hero. I don't need a bodyguard. There is no one stronger than me to protect me."
"...Yuya may be like that, but there are people who aren't."
Shizuru is talking about her, but Yuya did not take it that way.
"...Because they are dropouts who can't be called heroes."
The target of his words were the Class C hero candidates.
"That's right. Since they are the ones who can be killed by magical beasts, I got caught up in it."
"Yuya, it can't be helped."
"I wonder if they'll disappear. After all, they won't be chosen as a hero."
"Even so, it's hard."
"Thanks to that, I can't meet the people I need to meet, and I can't even train satisfactorily."
“Yuya, you have to put up with that.”
Shizuru's words seem to follow, but they are not following. It is a way of saying that Shizuru agrees that it is a hindrance.
"How long? There are only two years until graduation. No, if we're not careful, it might be like this for the whole two years."
"That's……"
"That would be terrible. I can't believe I'm wasting two years of my life."
What Yuya is saying sounds like self-centered thinking to anyone who listens. But there were others who were impatient with the current situation. The fact that Yuya was upfront in his criticism of the dropouts made those people turn their frustrations all the way to the Class C hero candidates.
The atmosphere of the class is turning more and more disturbing.
◇◇◇
A meeting room in the academy. The people in charge of the security mission were gathered there. It was a regular meeting to exchange information.
The two attendees from the Adventurers' Guild side were Mion and Gordon. The guild side concealed the fact that Ren was not only in command but also participating in the escort mission.
From the Church Knights, the Knight Commander, and the Deputy Commander, who is the commander on site.
From the academy, the headmaster. And as representatives of the clients. Heinz of the Lemberg Empire, Princess Milianea of the Izrim Magic Kingdom, and Princess Grace of the Luine Kingdom were also present.
"Then, I'll give you a report from here. In the past month, there has been one attempted attack and one incident that can't even be called an attempt. There are several more in progress. Six captives in all."
"Wait a minute. What do you mean in progress?"
Hearing Mion's report, the Knight Commander asked a question.
"Do you need to know?"
"Of course! I'm in charge of security!"
"The Church Knights and the Guild act differently. We are not obliged to give you our information."
"What did you say?"
The relationship between the church knights and the guild is always like this. And the person who governs them is always the same. It was Heinz.
"I don't want you to suddenly get into trouble. Mion-dono, I want to know as the client. How about this?"
"It can't be helped if it's the client's order. In progress means that suspicious hideout is currently being monitored."
"...Did you grab their hideout?"
Mion's report surprised Heinz. He didn't expect the guild to go this far.
"I said so."
"Why don't you go in?"
"There is nothing to be gained by going in now. You can only catch the end of the tail."
"...You're letting them free on purpose"
Monitoring the hideout and following the people who go in and out there. If they keep doing this, they'll eventually reach their headquarters.
"We're waiting for them to make contact with their backers."
"Have there been any contacts?"
"No. It looks like the hideout we found is a bust."
"A bust?"
"Yes. The Guild has a theory based on the information we have so far."
"Theory, what is it?"
"The theory is that even though it is called the Anti-Hero Alliance, it is not a single organization and that they are working in groups."
“…Why do you think so?”
The possibility of the theory that Mion refers to has never been discussed at all. Heinz has no idea why they would come up with such an idea.
“Even though five groups have taken action in just one month, there is absolutely no sign that they are cooperating. The way they are doing it is poor, to say the least."
"I see"
Inferences from past movements. If one listens to the story, one can see the theory that they thought was outlandish makes more sense.
"However, there is always an organized organization behind it. It's just that it's not working directly at the moment."
"...Let's hear the reason"
"There are several, but the most obvious one is that there must be someone providing the magic tools."
The magic tools used in the raid don't just explode, it automatically detonates when the person holding it dies. Not just anyone can create a magic tool with such a mechanism.
"Certainly. You haven't caught anything about it?"
"The captive claims he bought it in a store."
"What?"
"We went to the store where he said he bought it and asked about it, and they said someone came to sell it to them."
"Suspicious"
There is no such convenient story. Heinz was suspicious of the store.
"No, we investigated it, but it seems like it's true."
Mion denied it.
"But that's convenient."
"Yes. There is no way that the item they want is conveniently purchased. This is where another theory is born."
"Another theory?"
"There must be someone watching the group's movements. And there must be someone who taught them how to use the magic tools to conduct raids, and that someone must be close to the organization."
Even though the group planning the raid may be disparate, the person who teaches the group the means of raiding is one organization. Since there is one method of attack, it is normal to think this way.
"Then, there is still someone contacting them."
"I would expect that, but they could tell them how to conduct a raid without making contact."
"……That is?"
"It means that that thing at the swordsmanship competition was an example. [This is how you attack]."
"I heard you caught one."
“He is a small fry, and I think the main ones are the ones who blew themselves up.”
"What?"
The instructions came from a small fry, and those who blew themselves up were the real deal. It's the opposite of normal.
"The attack after we started the guard duty is too different from the swordsmanship tournament. And the preparation in case of failure. At the swordsmanship tournament, they blew themself up without hesitation if they failed, in order to keep their mouth shut."
They must die because it is their destiny. Those who know much cannot be caught alive. In this way, it makes sense that Mion's suicide bomber is the one with the real mission.
"...There is a possibility. But it will take time."
"We knew that from the beginning."
"I'm quite dissatisfied with the hero candidate."
"I know. That was the selfishness of a kid who is not satisfied with the current situation."
Mion even knows what that kid said. The same frustration is building up on the part of the escort. Like, why do I have to protect this guy?
"That's harsh."
"It can't be helped. I know an adult hero candidate, so I can't help but compare them to him."
"That's……"
"Dissatisfaction is not something we think about. I wish the academy would do something about it."
I don't want to be in the kid's good graces. To put it politely, it goes like this.
"That is true, but there is one thing I would like to confirm."
"What is it?"
"When can contact with new students be permitted?"
"That's when we've finished checking their identity."
They are in the process of thoroughly checking to see if any of the new students are suspected of being part of the Anti-Hero Alliance.
"How far have you finished?"
"It doesn't look like it's done yet."
It's not that easy. It will never be completely safe to begin with. They still don't know who or what kind of organization the Anti-Hero Alliance is.
"At the very least, those whose identities are known should be allowed to be contacted."
Heinz knows it will be difficult. In the first place, he doesn't think it's necessary to let all the new students meet the hero candidates.
"...None that I know of."
"It's a tiny fraction, such as Her Royal Highness Princess Grace."
Heinz wants to let them meet not only Princess Grace, but also the officials from the countries that are paying for the escort request, in other words, the countries that are actively involved in the bidding process.
"Her Royal Highness Princess Grace. Is that person's identity clear?"
However, Mion's reply was outrageous.
"What are you talking about? She's sitting in front of you, right?"
"Is that so? Then I have one question for you."
"What?"
"Has Ruben-dono, Her Royal Highness Princess Milianea, and the headmaster ever met Her Royal Highness Princess Grace? Of course, before she entered the academy."
"I have not"
"It's the first time I've met her, too."
"I have no chance to meet the royal family outside of the academy."
None of the three had ever met Princess Grace.
"That's a problem, isn't it? Then who could prove that the person in the room was Her Royal Highness Princess Grace?"
"What?" "What did you say?"
"Who are you?"
Ignoring the astonished people around her, Mion continued to ask a question.
"Isn't that disrespectful! How dare an adventurer show such disrespect to Her Royal Highness Princess of the Luine Kingdom!"
And this time the Knight Commander complained.
"You have no right to get angry, Knight Commander. I'm just checking to see if she's real."
"That's disrespectful!"
"Fufufu"
Laughter can be heard from the side of the Knight Commander's yelling. It's the laughter of Princess Grace.
"Her Royal Highness Princess Grace?"
“Mion-dono is an interesting person, isn’t she?”
"What is it?"
"It's the first time I've been asked something like that. But that's true. I have never met any of the people here before. If someone were to trick you with my name, they wouldn't know it was a fake."
Princess Grace seemed convinced by Mion's claim. She intends to show her grandeur as a princess of a great kingdom.
"Oh. I just used his words."
"Is that so? Then what kind of person is the one you mentioned? I'd like to meet him."
"That's...... when you get a chance."
This is a reply that she has no intention of letting her meet him.
"Is it selfish of me to want to meet him?"
Even Princess Grace knows that.
"He's someone who works without sleeping. I know it's rude, but if I get the chance, I'll put him to sleep."
"Oh, well. Is that so?"
"Yes. I was joking about letting him sleep, but there is a possibility that the mission will be hindered if he leaves. Frankly speaking, he doesn't have time."
Mion this time showed a clear refusal. Mion is also busy. She doesn't want to waste her time on idle talk.
"I see... it can't be helped. Can you at least tell him to be careful not to hurt his body?"
"Yes, I will tell him."
"The proof that I am who I am... is the person accompanying me not enough?"
"It's possible they've all been replaced."
"...Ah, but I wonder if they remember."
Princess Grace seems to have something on her mind.
"Perhaps a churchman you met in your own country when you were a child?"
"Yes. I met the head of the monastery once when I was a child. But how did you know that?"
"That's what it means to prove your identity."
Surely one of the ways to prove that you are the person you say you are is to get information that only you should know and throw it to them. Princess Grace demonstrated this herself.
"So you were able to prove that I am the real person?"
"Yes. And the person whom Her Royal Highness Princess Grace vouches for is also authentic."
"I see."
"He'll go over it again like this. This time he spoke to them directly, but he usually doesn't. It would give away the truth."
"Who is thinking of this?"
Suddenly, Heinz asked who was thinking of doing a background check. He had an idea.
"He was a member of the guild."
"I'm asking who."
“This request is a discretionary request, which means that the guild will be responsible for the entire task. In such a case, there is no obligation to inform the client of the adventurer in command.”
Mion has no intention of answering Heinz's question. She will hide the fact that Ren is involved. This is the guild's decision.
"I'm just asking."
"We don't give out information unless we are obligated to disclose it. That's the Adventurers' Guild."
“......What do you think we're protecting the hero candidates from attack for?"
"That is not for us to think about. We are only protecting them because you asked us to protect them."
The reason for the request is that they are not supposed to think about every single reason for the request. If they were to pry into them in a strange way, the number of requests would decrease. There are requests that should be made without knowing anything about them and pretending not to know.
"If that is the case, then we, as the client, will have our requests heard."
“Depending on the content, the request conditions will change, right?”
"Lifting restrictions on interactions with other students."
"That's a big problem."
Restrictions on contact not only with other students, but also with non-hero candidates, is something the guild has requested. To ask them to remove this is a clear change of conditions.
“The client is not the only three nations here. Restrictions on contact will lead to complaints not only from the hero candidates, but from other countries as well."
"...Then, formally notify the guild. After that, the guild will make a decision."
If the client insists, they cannot refuse. The only refusal is the refusal of the offer to change the terms and conditions.
"What is the decision?"
"It's a decision whether to continue the request or not."
"Is that as far as you want to go?"
"Yes, of course, since the difficulty of the request is changing."
"...I understand. All I have to do is make a formal request."
Heinz is only speaking on behalf of the client. Even though he personally thinks that there is no need to change the conditions, as long as there are demands from other clients, he can't retract.
“Well, that's it for the meeting. Next time, if we can agree to change the terms."
"And in the meantime?"
"Of course. We will continue the escort until the contract is canceled."
"I see"
"Now, if you'll excuse me."
Mion quickly gets up from her seat and heads for the exit. Gordon hurried after her. When the door closes and the two disappear, the Knight Commander opens his mouth for the first time.
"This is an arrogance I can't bear to hear. Why don't you withdraw the request?"
"If you say you can protect the candidates without them, I will consider it."
"Of course, I can protect them."
"How do you expect me to trust your word? Let's hear what the church has accomplished in the past month."
The story of the church knight commander is the same as Yuya's. There is absolutely no basis for his statement.
"There is no danger at all to the hero candidates."
"Isn't that because the guild prevented it?"
"We could prevent it even without the Guild. That's the extent of their arrogance."
Who is the arrogant one? Heinz's mind was filled with this thought. Of course, he had the wisdom not to say it.
"It's good to have a good escort."
"There's no meaning if the remaining time of the hero candidates becomes empty."
"I see, adventurers are a hindrance to the Knight Commander."
"They're in the way."
The Knight Commander does not have the wisdom to hide his personal feelings. He is much older than Heinz, but age seems to be irrelevant.
"That's why you leaked the information to Yuya. That's no reason at all."
"They have a right to know"
"That's not a good thing for the Knight Commander to say. You have not given them the right to know."
The church has something to hide from the hero candidates. Heinz points it out.
"...You don't want them to know, either."
"Is that so? I'm starting to feel like that's not the case."
"Don't be arrogant"
"I don't mean to. But that doesn't matter. The problem is whether the guild will cancel the contract."
No matter what the Church Knight Commander thinks, Heinz thinks he needs the Guild.
"There is no way they would cancel the contract. Adventurers are willing to do anything as long as they are paid."
"It's a harsh way of saying it, but isn't it wrong?"
“Incidentally, we should allow them to go home. They can't train if they have to stay in the dormitory."
This is a further change of conditions. It's something that should be officially reported to the guild.
"...What about after?"
"The entire command is held by our Order."
"That's unnecessary. Then I'll make two offers. Then we'll see how they react."
Heinz was too naive in his thinking. The day after he made the formal offer to the guild, the guild notified him of the termination of the contract because of the change in conditions. Along with a claim for a month's worth of reward.
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