Side Manalease
“Father is really something else,” I muttered.
It was understandable for me to be included as one of the rewards, considering Yamato’s achievements, and I had even suggested it myself. However, I never imagined he would use that as leverage to consider ceding the throne to my older brother.
He had already accomplished so much, such as subjugating numerous An and Catastrophe Species, and capturing operatives including Princess Retisencia. But to think he had single-handedly defeated a Demise Species on top of it all… I was completely taken aback.
Of course, thanks to these achievements, Yuri’s marriage would no longer be a sufficient dowry, which in turn created an opening for me. By registering for an O-Rank Order, Prim would also officially become married to an Amister affiliate. This would allow me to decisively reject any arguments from the Beast King or Leonas. Thus, this also served as a reward for Prim.
The evidence presented by the Beast King was filled with inconsistencies, and frankly, rather sloppy. I suspect it was hastily fabricated, leading to its obvious flaws. Since they went to such lengths to fake Prim’s death, I doubt the Beast King will raise any further objections. However, Leonas, with his womanizing tendencies and lust for Prim, would undoubtedly stop at nothing to possess her.
Although Prim’s survival will be announced at tomorrow’s ceremony, we will also publicize her marriage to an O-Rank Order. This will put us in a position to handle any actions Leonas might take. Moreover, Prim believes that the land of Valentia should be returned to Amister. Therefore, she can never align with the Beast King, who wishes to dominate Valentia, or with Leonas, who hunts women under the guise of vendetta.
Although the Beast King is said to be a tyrant who rules with an iron fist, the security around the central government was well-maintained, and his reputation wasn’t bad at all; in fact, it was quite positive. However, it is said that he abolished the noble rank of King’s rank, which was akin to royalty, out of a desire to prevent anyone from surpassing the king. He is also rumored to have assassinated the previous Beast King and the Crown Prince before ascending to the throne himself. While he was a political rival to Duke Hydransia, Prim’s father, he is still more trustworthy than Leonas. Prim considers him her enemy, so she will never join forces with him.
“Then, tomorrow’s ceremony will be held in the Audience Chamber. Given that you are Hunters, your current attire is acceptable.”
Everyone in the Wing Crest wore similar coats. Although they appeared different due to the varying individual armor, the basic design was clearly the same. They looked comfortable to wear, and the design was to my liking.
“Thank you. Oh, I almost forgot. Your Majesty, may I have a moment?”
“What is it?”
I wondered what Yamato wanted to say to Father.
“Regarding the Alloy, it will soon be distributed by the Crafter’s Guild, and naturally, the equipment for the Order’s Guild will be completely renewed, correct?”
“Indeed. The Order’s Guild branches near the borders will be prioritized.”
The Crystalleos Count’s Territory, guarding the border with Valentia, and the Count Bernstein’s Territory, bordering Retisencia, are indeed high priorities. While Valentia might descend into civil war first, Retisencia, having already declared the princess’s execution, is highly likely to mobilize its troops. Even with our current equipment, we are superior to Retisencia, but it is far too insufficient for High Class Hunters. Therefore, we must urgently complete not only the weapons but also the armor.
“Speaking of which, when renewing the equipment with Jade Silver, I was thinking of armor like this. What do you think?”
“Let me see.”
I was surprised to find out he was proposing a design for the Order’s Guild armor. While it’s true that female Orders have submitted petitions every year, the current design prioritizes practicality. Therefore, even with Jade Silver, the design cannot be altered.
“Hmm, this is excellent. By wearing the Jade Silver cuirass first and then a coat over it, we can achieve both functionality and aesthetic appeal.”
“It would have been troublesome a while ago, but now with Ee-quipping, there’s no hassle in putting it on.”
Supplication Magic Ee-quipping. It’s certainly very convenient as it allows for instantaneous equipment changes. Although I had been confined to the castle for some time, my brother praised it highly. Once equipped, it’s a matter of seconds, and it can even be used while stored in a mirror bag or storage bag. When Ee-quipping is synchronized with the simultaneously casted Staterings, it allows for the storage of a full set of equipment, making it highly versatile.
“This is for Common Orders, this is for Royal Order and Order’s Masters, and this is for Sky Knights. I asked Marina to design them.”
“Indeed. Yamato proposed the idea and Marina designed them. Tolman, Diannos, what do you think?”
The Order’s Guild will be using them, and the Royal Order is also very interested. Besides, they are showing the designs to the Royal Order as well.
“These are excellent. Originally, the designs were rugged and unisex, so there were quite a number of improvement requests and petitions from female Orders every year. However, these designs will surely satisfy those demands.”
“Indeed. While it is usually not the case, this time we will be renewing all equipment with Jade Silver, so this is an excellent opportunity.”
About 70% of the Royal Order members waiting are women, and they are looking at Father with great anticipation. Even the design for the Common Order, which is in the style of a half-coat, looks good. However, the designs for the Order’s Masters and Royal Order are coat-style, reaching below the knee, complete with a cape. The Sky Knight design is luxurious at first glance. It’s no wonder the Royal Order is so expectant.
“Your Majesty, the pressure from them is immense.”
“Y-yes, it would appear so. The equipment is clearly identifiable as Order gear, it is practical, and the design is also excellent.”
Father is starting to cave under the pressure from the Royal Order. For the Royal Order, this is a great opportunity to have their requested designs improved, and it’s understandable since they don’t know when the next opportunity will arise. However, for a king to be pressured by his own guards is a serious issue under normal circumstances.
“But the problem is the urgency with which they need to be made. Grand Crafter’s Master, what is your opinion?”
“Let me see. Jade Silver is confirmed. The issue now is the leather for the coats. The Order’s Guild has approximately 10,000 members across all its branches. A complete replacement will require a significant amount of material, and even with all crafters mobilized, it will take about a month at the quickest.”
I was surprised that it could be finished so quickly, but the main problem is the leather material.
“Speaking of which, Yamato, what material are your coats made of?”
“Winger Drake.”
…I won’t even comment on that. Since they can defeat Demise Species, S-rank monsters must be child’s play for them.
“All of this… Winger Drake…”
“At this point, there’s nothing left to do but be amazed…”
“Incidentally, I brought one to present to Your Majesty.”
“Thank you!”
They even brought some to present to Father. Even with that, it must be more than five wyverns. Winger Drakes are rare, and their encounter rate isn’t high. How did they hunt them?
“Also, we have nearly 20 Feather Drakes.”
…What can I even say?
Apparently, to hunt Evil Drakes, the two of them ventured into the Mylight Mountains and hunted them extensively. I want to ask them why they are still alive, but considering it’s these two, it might not be that strange after all…
“Using Winger Drake for the Sky Knights, then for the Royal Order, around 200 people, and for the Order’s Masters and Sub-Order’s Masters, about 100 in total. 20 Feather Drakes won’t be enough, unfortunately.”
He’s muttering to himself, but it seems like the decision to make the designs has already been made in Father’s mind.
“Feather Drake, you say? I recall them inhabiting the Ideal Mountain Range in small numbers.”
“They do exist, but not as many as in Mylight. And since it’s more vast than Mylight, it’s difficult to find them.”
Oh, right, they do exist there. The Ideal Mountain Range is a large mountain range directly east of the Royal Capital. Although its altitude is lower than Mylight, its area is nearly three times larger. Due to its vastness, the central regions remain unexplored. It is said to house the World Tree, but no one has confirmed it directly, only those who use aerial tamed monsters like Wyverns. This is because the area around the World Tree is a nest for G-rank monsters and above. Fortunately, these monsters do not descend the mountain, but they do move around the vast Ideal Mountain Range. Thus, it’s not uncommon for Hunters to encounter them and suffer significant casualties. Therefore, Feather Drakes are considered standard monsters within the Ideal Mountain Range. However, since they live in packs, they are unmanageable for ordinary Hunters. There are also rumors of Winger Drakes being sighted, so ordinary Hunters don’t even attempt to ascend.
“There are Winger Drakes there?”
“Yamato.”
“Ah, perhaps we can go hunting soon.”
Yet, these two are communicating with just their eyes, like hunters who have spotted their prey. Were they listening to what I was saying?
“Mana, you may have forgotten, but we have Hippogriffs as our tamed monsters. Our range of movement is wider than ordinary Hunters, and more importantly, we are the ones who brought the proposal for the Order’s new equipment.”
“That’s right. Also, we understand the reason for the urgency, so if there are Feather Drakes nearby, we can hunt them for you.”
The Wing Crest and its associates let out a collective sigh, the Orders looked astonished, and my brother stood frozen. Do you two even realize what you’re saying?
“Of course, we do. We’re not just going to hunt Feather Drakes.”
“They say there are others too, and there seem to be rare monsters as well, so it would be good to hunt them along the way.”
It’s no use. These two are determined to go to the Ideal Mountain Range, no matter what.
“Mina, won’t you try to stop them?”
“I apologize, but it’s impossible. They are capable of defeating a Demise Species alone. Even if the center of the Ideal Mountain Range is a nest of G-rank monsters, it will pose no obstacle to them.”
Well, that’s true, but…
“If you can truly hunt the Feather Drakes, I would be most grateful. Preferably, I would like to use Feather Drake for the coats of the Royal Order and Order’s Master.”
“That would be excellent. Perhaps we can issue a joint commission from the Royal Family and the Crafter’s Guild?”
“That is a good idea.”
Father and Alfred are getting into the spirit of it. If a commissioned request is issued, they will be even harder to stop. No, given the Royal Order’s high expectations, it would be impossible to stop them regardless.
“Father, while issuing a commission is fine, the first step is to decide whether this armor design is finalized or not.”
“Hmm? Ah, my apologies. The Sky Knight gear will be made from Winger Drake, and the Order’s Master and Royal Order gear will be made from Feather Drake; these are now decided. For the Common Order, we wish to use Wyvern, Grantpus, and Preciser as before, but there is a problem with the quantity.”
Especially Wyverns and Grantpus are popular as tamed monsters. However, since they are C-rank monsters, including Preciser, couldn’t we use substitute monsters of the same rank?
“As H.R.H. Manalease said. The monsters that immediately come to mind are Forest Panther, Rock Boar, Flame Buffalo, and Éclair Dolphin.”
“There are also Valey Sheep and Gast Goat.”
The monsters mentioned by Tolman and Diannos are all C-rank monsters that are commonly seen in Amister. Forest Panthers are less frequently encountered than other monsters because they inhabit forests, but they are still frequently brought to the Hunter’s Guild. Rock Boars, Valey Sheep, and Gast Goats are brought in every day. Flame Buffalos are rarely seen in the Royal Capital, but I recall hearing that they are brought in with some frequency in certain areas. Éclair Dolphins are rumored to be brought in every few days in coastal towns. They inhabit the sea, so hunting them is difficult, isn’t it?
Although the information is based on rumors and not precise, Éclair Dolphins are aquatic, so Hunters don’t actively pursue them. However, they often attack ships, so they are hunted with some regularity.
“In that case, Rock Boar, Valey Sheep, and Gast Goat are the candidates.”
“No, Valey Sheep’s wool is more in demand, and their leather is not durable enough for leather armor. Gast Goat leather is imbued with wind, making it easy to use, but it takes a whole goat to make one set of leather armor. For Common Order armor, two goats would be necessary.”
Alfred claims that both Valey Sheep and Gast Goat are unsuitable. This leaves only Rock Boar.
Rock Boars are large, about 3 meters in length, and can manipulate earth-attribute magic. They inhabit mountainous areas. Their meat is tough but edible, making them a common food source along with Glass Boars. Their hides are used for various leather products besides armor, and their tusks are sometimes used for sword hilts, making their purchase price high among C-rank monsters. However, their large size and earth-attribute magic, combined with their sharp tusks, make them difficult to defeat. High Class Hunters can hunt them without issue, but Normal Class Hunters may suffer serious injuries, and in unfortunate cases, even death.
“Nevertheless, it is the most likely candidate. By the way, what about Flame Buffalo?”
“That one always seems to be enveloped in fire-attribute magic, making close combat difficult. Furthermore, they can unleash fire-attribute magic from their horns. I would say they are among the top C-rank monsters.”
As my brother said, Flame Buffaloes are arguably among the top C-rank monsters. Not only do they become wreathed in flames when attacking, but their charges with horns ignited can inflict significant damage even on High Class Hunters. Therefore, not many Hunters prefer to hunt them. However, their hides are highly resistant to fire, and their horns, if skillfully processed, can grant the same effect as fire-attribute magic enchantment. Thus, despite limited demand, their supply is high. Also, being bovine monsters, their meat is delicious.
“Their fire resistance is appealing, but a monster of that caliber is probably best avoided.”
“That seems to be the case. Moreover, Flame Buffalos are only found in certain regions, so I don’t think they are suitable for Common Order equipment.”
Since we need to procure a certain quantity, this is unavoidable.
“It seems unavoidable. Rock Boars inhabit the entire Amister region, correct?”
“That is correct. If we issue a request, we should be able to gather a sufficient number within a few days.”
I’m sure. If we issue requests through the various Hunter’s Guilds, it will probably take less than a week. Of course, it depends on the reward.
“Understood. Then, Grand Crafter’s Master, we will use Rock Boar for the Common Order.”
“Indeed. The leather of Rock Boars has properties similar to those of Grantpus, so with the addition of Jade Silver, it should provide sufficient performance.”
So, the armor, or rather, the coats, are decided. Next are the swords and shields. Since these will also be made with Jade Silver, their renewal is certain. I suspect that Yamato and Marina’s proposals will be approved for these as well.
The Royal Order, especially the female members, were overjoyed at the prospect of renewing their entire equipment, including swords and shields. Father also granted permission to publicize the upcoming equipment renewal, so it will likely spread throughout all the Orders in the Royal Capital immediately.
