I hadn’t expected Ryobena to bring it up, but it wasn’t a bad offer for the Order, quite the contrary. It was an opportunity to strengthen our fighting force, so it was no wonder I was excited.
We had prepared eight sets of weapons for the High Order’s use, but only five of them would actually be participating. However, with three members joining for Princess Yuriana’s Escort Order, the numbers would be just right. Of course, we had spares prepared as well.
I also shared my predictions along with the feedback on their usage, and the High Class hunters and Orders seemed to have some ideas about it.
“I can’t deny it. In fact, we defeated the Orc Princess, but the Orc Princess is a G- I-rank monster to begin with. Normally, it would be questionable whether five High Class individuals could even defeat it. Even if they could, we would likely be in critical condition, and there would be no escape,” Faris said. “I agree with that assessment,” Holy Grave added.
Holy Grave nodded deeply at Faris’s words, and the High Order seemed to share the same opinion.
Viscount Archlight remarked, “I knew High Class had its own struggles, but if Yamato’s prediction is correct, this could turn into a serious problem.” “Indeed. Fortunately, the matter can be contained among those present, so this should be kept confidential,” His Eminence, Chief Bishop Millia concluded.
“What? Is it that serious?”
“It is. If your prediction is correct, the Order’s Guild, which will be using Jade Silver weapons, will be able to fight without worrying about their weapons, even if a war with Retisencia breaks out. However, Retisencia’s army remains unchanged. You can imagine the difference that will make, can’t you?” Ryobena explained.
Ah, indeed, Ryobena was right. The Order’s Guild, already highly skilled, was about to become even stronger. It was easy to see what would happen to Retisencia’s army without even thinking about it. I wondered if it wouldn’t make much difference even if they were fighting Solemne.
“That is why I ask that this matter remain confidential. It would be a grave issue if Retisencia, or even Solemne, were to find out,” Ryobena urged.
Everyone nodded solemnly, and I assumed I had a similar expression.
“Now, let’s return to the topic. The swords for the Order were prepared by the Crafter’s Guild. Holy Grave has already been provided with their specialized weapons through a quality evaluation request, and Wing Crest, as the proposer, also has their dedicated weapons ready. So, there should be no issues with those,” Ryobena continued.
“Primrose and I have Lapis Lazuli weapons, Faris and Cliff have Blue-Gray Iron, and Burks, Salina, and Clarice have Jade Silver weapons. Furthermore, Primrose and I had them custom-made, and Holy Grave’s weapons are alloys of the same shape as their previous ones, so it’s no exaggeration to say they are specialized. The High Order’s swords are essentially just Jade Silver in sword form, as there wasn’t enough time for decoration. However, they will be properly decorated once they are officially announced, so please bear with us until then.”
“That helps considerably. Of course, we’ll prepare spare weapons, but we were unsure how many would be lost,” Ryobena added. The issue of weapons was that significant for High Class. We ourselves had broken a considerable number of weapons in just two weeks, so I understood the sentiment well.
“Regarding the departure time, since we will be traveling by familiar or beast carriage, it will be at 10 AM tomorrow morning. According to Holy Grave’s report, it will take about 7 hours to reach the target Orc settlement. However, since we are an Alliance and will need to rest, we should arrive around 6 PM, or 7 PM at the latest. We will then camp for the night and begin combat at the dawn of the following day.”
I was curious about how this would be handled, and it turns out they would camp overnight. It was true that nighttime combat against enemies with good night vision could easily lead to accidents. Even if we left Feel early, after 7 hours of travel, fatigue would set in, increasing the possibility of accidents. In that case, camping for a night to recover some of that fatigue would be better.
“Finally, if we succeed in the subjugation, we will hold a victory celebration. The meal we are being served now is a pre-celebration, but the victory banquet will be even more lavish. We believe that you will all successfully complete your mission and return safely, without a single loss,” Ryobena announced.
A victory celebration, too? It seemed that with an Alliance, mere hunters wouldn’t be enough. Not only did the Crafter’s Guild forge the Order’s swords, but the Trader’s Guild had provided the Magic Silver and Crystal Silver needed for the Jade Silver, and the Butler’s Guild had dispatched G-rank or higher butlers for this gathering. The Healer’s Guild had made preparations for treatment, and the Priest’s Guild had reinforced the barrier as a precaution against any unforeseen circumstances. It was clear that all the Guilds were cooperating to tackle this grave situation.
Moreover, there were three P-rank butlers present. Ryobena explained that Orkis, the Butler’s Guild Master, was an M-rank butler. However, ranking up in the Butler’s Guild required experience and recommendations from those you served, followed by passing an examination. Furthermore, to reach higher ranks, one also needed to have a high level. M-rank butlers, I recalled, were level 40 or above. This was probably because they sometimes had to deal with rough situations to protect their masters, but they were likely stronger than regular B-rank hunters or Orders. Apparently, the Grand Butler’s Master who managed the Butler’s Guild headquarters in Torencia was an A-rank butler who had evolved into High Class.
As I was lost in such thoughts, the meal was served. It looked delicious. More importantly, it was mostly large platters with individual small plates, meaning it was self-service, right? Since butlers were stationed in front of each large platter, they would likely serve us if asked, but was it appropriate to have P-rank and G-rank butlers do that? Still, I found it more convenient than a formal banquet.
“This time, the main dish is Feather Drake, but to encourage participation in the victory celebration, we have also prepared a small amount of Abyss Taurus. Yamato provided it,” Ryobena announced.
“Please, spare me of just mentioning my name. Since I provided it as Wing Crest, at least mention the Raid’s name,” I thought.
“Bringing out Abyss Taurus here? But it’s a Catastrophe Species of Blue Lake Bull, so it must be incredibly delicious,” Burks commented. “Indeed,” Salina agreed. “If we can eat even more amazing food at the victory celebration, we’ll have to give it our all and complete this Alliance,” Clarice added.
Burks, Salina, and Clarice were the first to flock to the Abyss Taurus meat. It looked like diced steak, but since it was brought in so recently, simple preparation was understandable.
“This… is delicious. It’s more tender than Big Horn Lake Bull, and the flavor seems deeper,” Cliff commented. Cliff’s Big Horn Lake Bull was apparently a rare species of Blue Lake Bull. While Blue Lake Bulls didn’t inhabit the Royal Capital or its vicinity, they lived in Viscount Archlight’s territory. He had incidentally hunted one during an expedition and eaten it. Although it was a B-R-rank monster, it was as large as an Abyss Taurus, about 10 meters long, so it had been a difficult hunt. The fact that Viscount Archlight was researching the domestication of Blue Lake Bulls was largely due to their presence in his territory.
Speaking of which, I wondered how the research on magic stones was progressing, even though it had only been a few days.
“Viscount Archlight, how is the magic stone research coming along?” I asked. “It’s only been a few days, so it’s hard to say anything definitive yet. However, I feel a sense of progress, so soon I’ll be commissioning some usable magic tools from the Crafter’s Guild,” he replied.
His words about feeling progress suggested that there might indeed be information within the magic stones. I didn’t know what kind of information it would be, but I hoped it would shed some light on monster ecology.
“I’m also interested in what you want to do,” Viscount Archlight added. “Oh, you’re interested?”
I wanted to create magic tools, perhaps something like AR, that could survey monster ecology using three-dimensional projections or conduct mock battles. However, upon further consideration, it might look like I was just a dangerous person swinging weapons, so perhaps a facility would be better than individual magic tools. Depending on Viscount Archlight’s research, if information could be extracted from magic stones, monster research would progress, and it would be easier to prepare countermeasures if attacked, making it highly useful. However, it was something I had to rely on others for, as I wasn’t a researcher myself.
“Yamato, do you have a moment?” Rex asked. “Rex-san. Is something wrong… Oh, it’s about introducing the Orders.” “Yes. I’ve just introduced them to Holy Grave, so now it’s your turn.”
As I turned around at Rex’s call, the entire High Order of nine people was there. I recognized some of them, but most were strangers to me.
“Thank you very much. I’ll go and call everyone over then.” While only Primrose was directly involved, everyone else was a raid member, so an introduction was necessary. Everyone was eating at their leisure, but they quickly gathered when I called them.
“I’ve met Rosemary and Gram before, and Elena-san. This High Rabitory is Cardina, and this High Elf is Iris.” Rosemary, the High Ogre, was the Sub-Order’s Master, and we had gone to Prada Village together. However, Gram the High Human was unforgettable for different reasons. He had easily spread the news of my evolution to Ancient Human and my engagements to Mina and Flam throughout the town. Though I had dealt with him recently, I didn’t expect his bad habit to be cured just from that.
“Don’t look at me like that. Besides, after you disciplined me, I was docked three months’ pay for disrupting discipline,” Gram said. Although he said that, it was his own fault. According to the Order’s Guild regulations, a pay cut usually meant a 30% reduction in salary. As Gram was also an S-rank hunter, he could probably earn back the deducted amount by taking on requests from the Hunter’s Guild.
“My word, I don’t know if you two are friends or enemies. Well, that’s probably how male friends are,” High Elf Elena-san commented. Elena-san was the one who took the lead when I captured the Noble Deer. She was also the one who looked the other way when Mina decided to stay at the Magic Silver Inn and saw her off. I heard she was married, but didn’t have children yet. Her level was 44.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, but this is the first time we’ve met. However, I want to thank you for saving Flam and the others. Thank you so much,” Cardina, a High Rabitory with level 43, was surprisingly from Prada Village and naturally knew Flam and the others well. She often worked in Prada Village, but she had just swapped shifts with Lucas and the others when rumors of Black Fenrir and Green Fang started circulating. She had apparently gone to Prada Village alone, but Rex and Rosemary had stopped her, deeming it too dangerous. She was a single mother whose child was a Crafter and was already married. At 45, she was the oldest participant in this Alliance, but as expected of someone who had evolved into a High Rabitory, she looked no older than her mid-twenties.
“This is my first time meeting you too. I’m Iris,” High Elf Iris-san was from Emosion, next door. She was married, and surprisingly, her husband was the same person as Orkis, the Butler’s Guild Master, but she didn’t have children. Iris was also over 30 years old, but having evolved into a High Elf early, she looked no older than her early twenties. Her level was 48, subtly higher than Rex’s, and she was apparently the strongest Order in the Feel branch.
“Likewise, I look forward to working with you.” I intended to introduce myself, but by this point, our reputation preceded us in the Order’s Guild, and everyone already knew our names. Primrose and I were Ancient Class, and we had hunted numerous An and Catastrophe Species, so it was natural that we were known. Mina was an Order and Rex’s sister, so it was impossible not to know her. As for Flam and the others, Cardina was here, so the stories likely came through her. And Lydia and Ludia played crucial roles in apprehending Saches and the others.
“And here we have the Escort Order for His Highness Yuriana, led by Muse Couver, a G-rank Order High Ogre. Next are Chris Edelstein, a High Lixy, and Riala and Dart, both High Humans,” Rex announced. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. We were assigned to escort His Highness Yuriana to Valentia, so we didn’t know you or Lady Primrose. However, we were informed by the Order’s Master and the Order’s Guild about you being a distinguished guest who quickly evolved into an Ancient Human and vanquished numerous An and Catastrophe Species. And although it’s late, thank you for saving His Highness Yuriana at that time,” Muse said. As Muse bowed, Chris, Riala, and Dart followed suit. It was easy to imagine that if we hadn’t arrived in time, not only Princess Yuriana but also Lydia, Ludia, and Muse and her companions would have perished. We had no reason to ignore them, so I was glad we made it in time.
“It does make me feel a little better, but still…” Riala said. “Indeed. Ultimately, it was our lack of ability. If we had gathered more information in Emosion, we might have prevented the surprise attack,” Dart added. Riala was level 45, Dart was level 44, both High Humans. They were both from a town near the Royal Capital and had been childhood friends. Dart seemed concerned about being one level lower than Riala, but since it was only a one-level difference, I didn’t think it was a significant issue. Both were 23 years old and were apparently being pressured by their families and friends to get married soon.
“Speaking of which, I never asked how they attacked,” I said. “That’s right. There were no Wyverns, and no signs of them stopping at Prada Village, but where did they come from?” Chris, a High Lixy at level 47, replied with a frown, “From the direction of Feel. They were simply using a beast carriage pulled by Grantpus, so we mistakenly assumed they were nobles or traders and let our guard down…”
From the direction of Feel? We could have easily run into them? “If they had slipped through Emosion, we wouldn’t have known, but that possibility existed. By the way, where are the Wyverns?” “We don’t know about that.” That was true. The possible scenarios were: they judged it too dangerous to stop in a town, dismounted the Wyvern somewhere, and killed it; or it died from overwork. I hadn’t seen any Wyvern carcasses on the road to Feel, so it was possible that someone had put it in storage or dumped it in Veil Lake. The Grantpus pulling the Patriot Pride’s beast carriage, unfortunately, was killed and its body sold to the Hunter’s Guild. While it was possible to forcibly terminate familiar contracts within the city, it couldn’t be done on the road, and a stray Grantpus would be a nuisance, so that was the only option. “Well, the Order’s Guild will likely find out the Wyvern’s whereabouts during their investigation, so we don’t need to worry too much about it,” I thought.
“Unlike me, Riala and Dart requested to participate as a way to repay you. Chris also wanted to participate, but she was asked to refrain this time so that the two of them could gain experience. Furthermore, since the High Order of Feel is also participating, we cannot neglect Feel’s defense,” Muse explained. So, experience. In a way, I was in a similar situation, so I understood the sentiment. Still, I didn’t intend for them to repay. Chris was 35 years old and the deputy captain of the Escort Order. She had extensive experience, so she had apparently deferred this time to the younger Riala and Dart, as well as Muse. Therefore, Chris would be stationed with Rosemary to reinforce Feel’s defenses during the Alliance. She was married, and her children were reportedly about to reach adulthood.
“Even if you say you’re repaying a debt, we didn’t have that intention. For one thing, apprehending or killing them was a designated request for us,” Chris said. “Even if that’s how you see it, it’s different from our perspective. You recovered the bodies of our comrades, and most importantly, you protected His Highness Yuriana,” MUSE replied. Was that so? Most hunters in Amister would likely do the same. I only knew of hunters from other countries, like Retisencia, so I couldn’t say for sure. Regardless, the Order introductions were over, so now it was time to eat, drink, and gather strength for tomorrow.
