Chapter 81: Hero Selection Ceremony
The fateful day has finally arrived. It was the day of the [Hero Selection Ceremony].
At this point, it was already decided who would go to which country. Even so, the hero candidates were filled with an indescribable sense of tension. It is no exaggeration to say that this is an event that will determine the rest of their lives.
The venue for the [Selection Ceremony] and bidding was the church cathedral. The faces of the hero candidates sitting on the seats prepared in front of the main altar, where the bodies of heroes from the past are said to be enshrined, were all firm. The same is true for the representatives of each country who are seated a little further back from the hero candidates.
They may be more tense than the candidates. Although they had already made promises to the hero candidates, there was no guarantee that they would not change.
"From now on, the hero selection ceremony will begin."
Priest Ruminas appeared at the pulpit, now Bishop Ruminas solemnly declared the beginning of the ceremony. The chatter stopped and the cathedral fell silent.
"O Holy Heroes. Today, on this day, a new hero will be born. We hope that the guidance of the Holy Heroes will come to them. Hopefully, from among them, a hero will bring peace to the world. Furei Partheon."
Bishop Ruminas prays towards the main altar in front. After that, he turned to face the hero candidates.
"Then, let's move on to the selection."
At the sudden beginning, a murmur of voices leaked out from among the hero candidates and representatives of each country.
"The names will be called out one by one, starting with Class A. Those countries wishing to bid will indicate their willingness to do so by raising their hands."
The buzz became even stronger as the selection method was different from what they had imagined.
"I apologize for the confusion. Initially, I was thinking of a different method, but it seems that the countries and the Hero Candidates have already made arrangements, so I decided to make it a simple method."
Bishop Ruminas' explanation means that the results are already decided so there is no need to bid and count the votes. Quite a few people agreed with that, and the commotion subsided.
"Then first. Class A, Yuya Kisaragi. Please raise your hand if you wish to bid."
It was Hank of the Luine Kingdom who raised his hand in response to that voice. That was all that was raised.
"Is there anyone else?…… Then, I'll call it decided. Next, Class A as well. Mei Katsuragi."
Heinz of the Lemberg Empire raised his hand to Mei. No other hands are raised. He was able to get Mei without any problems, but Heinz's face looked suspicious.
In this way, he could raise his hand after seeing the reactions of other countries. The situation that the Lemberg Empire had feared, that the Luine Kingdom would come to compete with them, did not happen. It was too convenient, although it was appreciated.
"Next, Jin Takamiya. Those who wish to bid, please raise your hands."
Only the Izrim Magic Kingdom raised their hand. No disturbances so far.
"Next. Teppei Nishida."
At this point, there was a slight stir. Considering the order so far, Shizuru should have been called here. However, the priest Ruminas announced a different name. It was the groans of those who had guessed that Shizuru had declined to be a hero candidate.
Regardless of that, a hand was raised.
"Is there anyone else? Then next."
Bishop Ruminas calmly proceeded with the bid without worrying about the reaction of those around him. After Class A is over, Class B hero candidates are next.
There was no competition at all, and the place of destination for the hero candidates was decided in the country as planned.
"That's all."
Bishop Ruminas announced the end of the bidding process for the hero candidates. No one should have questioned that.
"Wait a minute"
One of the representatives from each country raised his voice.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Didn't you forget to call one person by name?"
"Forget? The rest of them should all have declined, but..."
"I believe Ren Takashiro did not withdraw."
"Eh?" "Wha!?"
The loudest murmur ever echoed through the cathedral.
"…Come to think of it, I didn’t check because I thought he would definitely decline. Ren-kun?”
"I thought we were supposed to tell you this morning who was withdrawing."
"In short?"
"I didn't tell you, so it's not a refusal."
The murmuring turned into a roar. It was mainly the voices of the representatives of the small countries that could not participate in the bidding. The nomination by the major countries had already been completed. If that is the case, there is a good chance that their country will win Ren.
"I'm sorry about that. Now then, Class C, Ren Takashiro. Please raise your hand if you want to nominate him."
"Wait a minute! How is that even possible!?"
It was Lang who raised her voice in a rather flustered manner.
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't know Ren-dono would accept the bid."
"What if you knew? Will your country bid on him?"
"That's……"
Lang can't say anything when asked about this. There was no plan for the Izrim Magic Kingdom to bid on Ren.
"We conclude that it had no impact."
Hearing Bishop Ruminas's words, Lang sank into the chair as though she was about to collapse, and she held her head in her arms.
"Okay, once again. Please raise your hands if you want to bid on Ren Takashiro."
Naturally, the representative who raised his voice raised his hand.
"Excuse me, but which country are you from?"
"Oh, I didn't say hello to the church. I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine. So?"
"I am Abel Ramsey, Minister of the Internal Affairs of the United Kingdom of Mercenary."
It wasn't a murmur or a roar that rose from the surroundings, but a groan. The United Kingdom of Mercenary, one of the remaining four powers that had never informed other countries of their movements until now, made an unexpected move at the last minute.
Many people feel that they have been outsmarted. In particular, the Lemberg Empire and the Izrim Magic Kingdom feel completely defeated.
"Excuse me, the one in the very back. Which country are you from?"
"What?"
Bishop Ruminas' question made Abel Ramsey realize that he had a competitor. Looking back, he can see that there are two hands raised. One is the hand of Princess Amalia of the Saint Miriam Kingdom. And the other.
"Nord Federation, Ralph Jungling"
"What did you say!?"
Mercenary Abel Ramsay wasn't the only one who expressed surprise. Most of the representatives of each country were astonished.
On the other hand, many of the hero candidates don't understand why the people around them are surprised, and are dumbfounded. Many hero candidates don't know about the Nord Federation.
"Mei, what's going on?"
"...Um, why are you asking me?"
For Mei, who thought she had cut off her friendship with Yuya long ago, this brazenness is truly irritating.
"No one else seems to know"
"Yes. In a way, they are famous."
She can say this because Mei has properly studied the history of this world.
"Is that so?"
Many hero candidates are the same as Yuya.
"The Nord Federation. The former name of the country was the Nord Empire. It's the country that caused the great war years ago."
"No way? Why is such a country bidding for us?"
The hero also knows about the great war. He listened to the class rather enthusiastically because it was a battle won by a hero. He just didn't look up the current name of the country that caused it.
"I don’t know about that. What I do know is that he used an alias. Was it Mike? He's the only student in Class C that Ren is close to."
"So from the beginning?"
"I don't know. Even if that's the case, they're competing with a major power called Mercenary. I don't think he can beat them on their own terms, even if they had a meeting with them."
"Then, I guess they can't win."
A smile appeared on Yuya's face after hearing Mei's explanation. He's glad Ren failed.
"You look happy. But I think I want him to go to Nord Federation, though."
"Why?"
"The United Kingdom of Mercenary is one of the four great powers. It's one of the four great nations, and even though it's a step below the others, if he went to such a country, it would be......"
"……No problem at all."
"I hope so."
An unexpected event occurred at the last minute. Nevertheless, the overall result of the selection ceremony confirmed the superiority of the Luine Kingdom. With this in mind, the atmosphere around the event, except for a few people, had regained its composure. However, there was no way things would end there.
"I have one question."
"If it's about the competition, we'll negotiate the terms after this."
Bishop Ruminas answered ahead of Ren.
"No, that's not it. How did the people of the United Kingdom of Mercenary know that I had not declined?"
"Eh? Wasn't there a discussion beforehand?"
There is no other way to know the information. If there was, there would be a way to contact the church, but there is no such thing.
"No, I'm sure there are only a few people who knew I wouldn't decline."
"...Abel Ramsey-dono?"
"Is there something wrong with that?"
"There's nothing wrong with the bid itself, it's just that he's skeptical."
He is not guilty of knowing the information. It's only natural to try to get information about the hero candidates using every possible means.
"I heard from one of those few people. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you who. That's the promise."
"Ren-kun. It seems like that."
"Is that so? Now I know who spoke."
Abel Ramsey gave the exact answer Ren was looking for. It was an unthinkable imprudence for a person from the country that bid for Ren.
"……What did you say?"
"I only talked to two people. My classmate Mike and the guild leader of the adventurer's guild."
"...Then, that classmate. Sorry, I didn't ask directly, so I don't know who it is."
"It's not Mike, because Mike's real name is Ralph Jungling. He's from the Nord Federation who raised his hand to me."
"…………"
It was here that Abel Ramsey finally realized his mistake.
"In other words, it was the guild leader who leaked the information..."
"Wait a minute! I want you to stop making strange accusations!"
It was the guild leader who loudly interrupted Ren. He was present as a guest.
"But there is no one else."
"I think you're just forgetting."
"No, I don't think so. I can assure you."
"No, you don't, do you? Remember, they must have eavesdropped on you somewhere."
The guild leader tries to pretend that there were other people who knew about it somehow. Otherwise, he would have been in trouble.
"No. There is no doubt about that. Or rather, what is the guild leader so impatient about?"
"That's……"
"Ren-kun. That's because it's against the rules to leak information about adventurers to others. Moreover, it's impossible in a specific country."
It was Mion who took over after the guild leader who was at a loss for words. The guild leader's face paled at the sight of Mion.
"...W-wrong."
"Wrong? Anyway, I'll tell you more about it when we get there. I have many more questions for you."
"...You've been consulted?"
"Which one is it? Guild leader, since you are suspected of committing a serious violation of the rules, in the name of the Committee of Eight, I am revoking your authority as Guild Leader from this point forward. In addition, since there is a risk that you may destroy evidence in order to reveal the facts, you will be detained until your innocence is established. Is that clear?"
"......What else can I do but say that I understand?"
The guild master knows what will happen if he disobeys. Serious rule violations within the guild will be dealt with decisively. The Committee of Eight is such an organization.
"Ara? If you'd just disobeyed, we could have ended things right here and now."
"I didn't because I know that. Was it Silver Wolf who consulted?"
"If you try to put a collar on a wild wolf, you'll get hurt. Well, it would have happened sooner or later without it."
"I see……"
The guild leader's shoulders slumped, and those who looked like guild soldiers flanked him from both sides and led him out of the cathedral.
"Everyone, I'm sorry for causing trouble. I appreciate the cooperation of the people of the church. As soon as the details are clarified, we will officially inform each country. We look forward to your continued patronage of the Adventurers' Guild."
Mion gracefully bowed to the stunned people and followed after them. When she disappeared from sight, the gazes around turned to Ren.
As for Ren, he didn't care about the gazes around him at all, just staring blankly at the front.
"Now, let's move on to the ceremony of the contract. Yuya Kisaragi, the representative of the Luine Kingdom, move forward."
And Bishop Ruminas also tried to proceed with the ceremony without worrying about the surroundings.
Pope Mikhail stood in front of the altar for making contracts, which was placed directly in front of the main altar. Next to him is a priest wearing a priest's uniform and holding a status board.
Yuya and Hank stand facing each other across the podium from Pope Mikhail.
"Now let's start the contract. Status board."
A single status board was placed on the platform at the direction of Pope Mikhail.
"Then, what are the conditions that the Luine Kingdom will give to Yuya Kisaragi?"
"Yes. Our country will give Yuya Kisaragi treatment equivalent to our country's Earl rank. We will also establish a knight order and give Yuya Kisaragi the position of leader of that order. Those who wish to accompany Yuya Kisaragi shall be given treatment equivalent to that of a baron in our country. However, the selection of the companion shall be limited to those who have been fully consulted and agreed upon by Yuya Kisaragi and our country."
"Conditions have been indicated. Then Yuya Kisaragi. Do you agree to these conditions?"
"Yes. I agree."
"Yuya Kisaragi's consent has been obtained."
Pope Mikhail speaks indifferently, but his mouth is slightly distorted in dissatisfaction. This is because the conditions are expressed ambiguously.
"Then, I will ask the Luine Kingdom. If the contract is made, do you agree to pay the church 100 gold coins as the basic fee and the equivalent of 50% of the money converted from the conditions presented to Yuya Kisaragi?"
"Yes. I agree."
"Then, I have a further question. How should I perceive the peerage equivalent in terms of conversion?"
Now it's Hank's turn to twist his lips.
"...I will give you the average annual income of people of the same rank in our country as a yearly reward. Donation to the church will be 50% of that annual amount."
After a slight pause, Hank smoothly explained the specifics of his answer, which he had prepared in advance.
"Understood. Then let's sign the contract. In making the contract, Hank Holdings of the Luine Kingdom is recognized as the representative of the Luine Kingdom, and the blood seal of Hank Holdings is deemed to have been made by the King of Luine. Is that clear?"
"Yes."
"Then carve the contract on the status board, and mark the blood of both parties as proof of the contract."
The status board on the platform is enveloped in a pale light. And each of the two men dripped their own blood on it. The status board becomes even brighter.
Waiting for that to subside, Pope Mikhail opened his mouth.
"The contract has been made. Yuya Kisaragi has become the hero of the Luine Kingdom and has left the wedge of the Church of the Holy Heroes. Mikhail, the Pope of the Church of the Holy Heroes, recognizes it."
With this, Yuya's contract ends. The status board was handed over to Hank.
Mei and Heinz were called next.
The conditions offered were the position of head of the newly established Mage Order and a reward for being the head of the Mage Order. The new Mage Order would be guaranteed annual research and development funds, as well as compensation and the number of people to accompany them. Up to four companions may accompany the new Order, who may be anyone Mei desires. However, only those who are good at magic will be allowed, and the remuneration will be the remuneration of the Mage Order's common mages. Compared to Yuya, the compensation was considerably less, but the contract was concluded without any problems, as the details had been thoroughly discussed in advance.
Next was Jin. The conditions were the position of the general of the newly established Order of the Thousand and a reward commensurate with that position. The conditions for accompanying persons were the same as those for Mei and Lemberg. However, the remuneration was to be the same as the work each of them would be doing in the Izrim Magic Kingdom.
The conditions were so low that other countries were surprised to hear them. The wording of these terms could have been presented by a small kingdom, but in reality, the amount of compensation is different. The salary of a general in a small country differs greatly from a large country. Still, the conditions seem unprecedented compared to those of a valiant general.
After that, many of the conditions for being a hero candidate were the same as Jin's, or in many cases, they were higher than Jin's.
"Jin, you sell yourself too cheap."
"It's up to me to sell myself for how much."
"That's right. A general."
"Can you lead an army?"
"...I can"
"If only to lead. I'm asking if you can win a battle. No, you can't even lead. Do you know how to train an army?"
"I will be taught about that."
"Who will teach the general?"
"...Mei is the same."
"Don't put us together. Even though I'm the leader of the Mage Order, I'll start with a small number of people, so you can't call it a group at first. Self-improvement and magic research. That's it for the first few years."
"Then me too."
"...Yuya's knight order can't do that, right?"
"Why?"
"You know... it's good, I'm from another country now. I won't give you any advice."
"...I don't need it either."
"Well, it's starting. Seriously, you're the man who entertains me until the end. Ren-kun."
The contract ceremony is over for now. The competition on conditions for Ren begins. Ren headed to Pope Mikhail in the same way, but he was standing next to Pope Mikhail.
Three people stand in front of them.
"Then, present the conditions in turn. First."
"The first one will be our country. There is no way that the other two countries can offer conditions that exceed ours. Once you hear our terms, that will be the end of it."
"Then, from the United Kingdom of Mercenary, please."
"Well then. Ren Takashiro will be in charge of the newly established Special Forces Corps. What kind of corps is it has not yet been decided. The content of the corps, its size, and the selection of personnel will all be left up to you. We will not ask any questions about nationality or other origins in the selection of personnel. They do not have to be hero candidates. You can gather the people you trust and need. Ren Takashiro's remuneration will be the same as that of other knight commanders. However, we will provide the house, servants, etc., and the government will bear the expenses. How about these conditions?"
As for the corps, they will leave everything to Ren's discretion. This means that Ren is highly valued, but the selection of personnel is not only based on Ren's personal evaluation, but also on the people around him, such as the orphans. Perhaps they were also aware of the people of the Anti-Hero Alliance.
Anyway, there is no doubt that it is an exceptional condition for a Class C hero candidate.
"...Ren-kun?"
"Yes?"
"How is it?"
"I think it's a good deal, but I haven't heard the others yet."
"I see... then whose next?"
"Hey? Are you saying that the other two countries can offer more conditions than this? By the way, I know the conditions of the princess of Saint Miriam. She would most likely offer herself, wouldn't she? That's what princesses do best. Though I'm afraid she failed with her first candidate."
With a faint smile, Ramsey spouted out an insult to Princess Amalia. When Princess Amalia heard this, her face turned bright red due to her humiliation, but she couldn't complain. That's really the best she can offer.
"Ramsey-dono. Isn't that a little rude?"
Instead, Pope Mikhail spoke words of reprimand to Ramsey.
"Maybe so, but I want to be clear on that matter."
"What is it?"
"Even if he joins Her Royal Highness, it should not lead to joining the ranks of the royal family of the Saint Miriam Kingdom. Nor would it lead to royalty. I want this clarified so that there is no misunderstanding."
That's what Ramsey meant. Her royal status is what gives Princess Amalia value. Without it, he would just take a wife. Princess Amalia is a beauty, and some may envy him, but she cannot be compared to the Mercenary when it comes to the conditions.
"I see. But that is only if the conditions are such."
"Hmph. Then, let's hear the conditions. Ah, but first, let me add our country's conditions. We will give a beautiful woman of Ren Takashiro's liking. She can be his wife or concubine, as he likes."
With this, Ramsey intends to completely crush Princess Amalia. In fact, Princess Amalia is no longer in a condition to speak of her condition before that.
"...Then, the Saint Miriam Kingdom."
"I……"
"If you can't come up with terms that go beyond, you can abstain."
"I……"
"Your Highness Princess Amalia. If you can't think of anything right away, let me say our country's terms."
It was Ralph who interrupted Princess Amalia who couldn't say the conditions.
"Even your country..."
"Then, Your Eminence Pope Mikhail. Let me say the conditions for the Nord Federation."
Without looking at Princess Amalia, who was complaining, Ralph began to speak to Pope Mikhail.
"……Sure. Go ahead"
"Throne"
"Huh?"
"The Nord Federation grants Ren Takashiro the throne of our country!"
"Wha!?" "That's ridiculous!?" "No way!?"
The entire cathedral was enveloped in a tumultuous atmosphere due to the unexpected offer of conditions. Among them, only Ralph and Ren were smiling calmly.
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