The day after Bacion submitted to Amister and the Estait Baronage was annexed, we arrived in Rio.
We need to report on the results of the battle off Esperanza and the annihilation of the Anti-Beast King Organization, and also share information about Libertà.
Furthermore, although Libertà knows that Torencia is covered in sea ice at this time of year, we cannot say for sure that no rescue request has come from Libertà, so I think we should also hear from Hilde.
“No, neither have we received any rescue requests from Torencia,” Hilde said.
I had been thinking that, but Hilde was also in Rio. Torencia seems to be aware of Libertà’s situation and is prepared to dispatch the Saber’s Guild if a request comes, but due to the damage from the previous Steam Battleship and Slume Lord, the dispatch will be limited to about 100 people. I believe that a few High Class individuals can sink about ten ships without problems, but there are also High Class individuals in Solemne, so it might be tough depending on the number of High Class individuals on the Steam Battleships.
“However, we cannot take the option of going ourselves. We are in Torencia at the request of Emperor Reinhardt, so if we were to go to Libertà, we would need Emperor Reinhardt’s permission.”
“Also, there are fewer Hunters in Rio because of Solemne, so if we move carelessly, monsters will increase.”
El and Caesar showed troubled expressions, but both had valid reasons. Especially as Caesar was concerned, the current Hunters in Rio, excluding the Alliance, consist of 2 S-rank raids, 5 B-rank raids, and 7 C-rank raids, totaling just over 50 people, with only 5 High Class individuals. Although it’s about an hour’s walk to Golud Great Glacier, it’s still close, so that force is a bit inadequate.
“It’s more than a bit. As expected, with the Slume Lord gone, the ecosystem of Golud Great Glacier seems to have changed.”
“As expected.”
“Yes. Five days ago, nearly 20 Longfoot Earslice appeared in a herd, and the day before yesterday, an Iceberg Swan appeared.”
“Isn’t the Iceberg Swan an anomaly?”
Bout and Saya spoke up, but Rio was becoming quite troublesome. The Longfoot Earslice is an S-R rank monster, a large rabbit about 1 meter tall, with jumping power reaching nearly 50 meters and ears like scythes, making it a formidable opponent among S-ranks. Hunters in Torencia don’t willingly hunt them, but they are occasionally encountered in Rio and Krater, so depending on the situation, some Hunters make the decision to retreat immediately. Furthermore, the Iceberg Swan is a P-I rank monster and an anomaly of the Ice Rock with which Mana has a Summon Contract. It is about one size larger than the Ice Rock, possesses defensive capabilities comparable to M-rank by cloaking itself in ice, and it is said to unleash ice feathers while freely flying in the sky, with only a few recorded subjugation achievements.
“But since everyone’s fine, you probably defeated them without any problems, right?”
Prim had a slightly malicious look on her face, but I could understand her sentiment. In fact, the Alliance has many P-rank Hunters, and even M-rank Hunters. They also have a lot of experience, so the S-R rank Longfoot Earslice was probably not a match for them. The problem, if any, would be the Iceberg Swan.
“Well, the Longfoot Earslice was not an enemy for us now.”
“I figured. In fact, most of them defeated it in one blow, which seemed to greatly surprise the people of Rio.”
“Lily Wish defeated the Iceberg Swan when they encountered it.”
“It was troublesome, though. It was only manageable because Sliza and Charlotte could use Flying magic.”
So, Lily Wish was the one who defeated the Iceberg Swan. As expected of a raid that is called “Amister’s number one.” Sliza, whom Saya mentioned, is a High Fairy, and Charlotte is a Hydragonewt, both P-rank Hunters. Since both Fairies and Dragonewts have wings, Sliza and Charlotte could fly using Flying magic. Therefore, Sliza and Charlotte distracted the Iceberg Swan by flying around, while Arco, a male High Elf archer and also a P-rank Hunter, shot its wings to bring it down to the ground, and then everyone else beat it up. Well, since it’s P-I rank, its attack power and defense are likely inferior to an M-I rank Icequake Tiger, and it would have been even easier after being shot down to the ground.
“That’s why Emperor Hildegard is here in Rio.”
Ah, I see. With the Slume Lord gone, an anomaly appeared, so Hilde would naturally be worried.
“Yes. This is the third case of an Iceberg Swan being subjugated in Torencia.”
Oh, it was subjugated less than I thought. It’s no wonder Hilde would be concerned.
“So, what was the reaction of Rio’s Hunter’s Guild?”
“Are you asking that? Just as you’d expect.”
Mana’s mischievous question was answered by Saya with a wry smile. “Just as you’d expect” probably means they were incredibly surprised. Lily Wish is a union of 16 people, with 9 High Class individuals. Before being dispatched to Torencia, there were 6, but 3 evolved during this dispatch. Therefore, it was the 9 High Class individuals of Lily Wish who collectively defeated the Iceberg Swan, while they divided into two groups to defeat the Icequake Tigers during the Demise Species subjugation battle. The other raids dealt with one monster each, which shows how impressive Lily Wish is. All of them are Hunter Registered, and at the same time, they are also registered with other guilds, so their desires are fully reflected in the Beast Carriages they receive as rewards.
Right, I just remembered.
“Although it’s late, I’ve brought the Beast Carriages.”
“Oh, they’re finished.”
Everyone seemed very pleased. The prototype Beast Carriage we are using is registered as “Multi-functional Beast Carriage” with the Crafter’s Guild, and that has become the product name. The developer is Fiana, but my name and Feel’s vehicle engineering department were also listed as collaborators.
“I’ll bring them out, is the car shed a good place?”
“Yes, that would be best.”
“Yes, let’s go.”
They’re so hyped. Well, I can understand how they feel.
Moving to the car shed, I took out six Multi-functional Beast Carriages from storage.
The wheels are thick and large, and each has an independent suspension system. The wheels themselves are made from Giant Rockworm, so they are quite resistant to shaking. Similar to the prototype, wind magic is applied to the wheels for weight reduction, so one Grantpus can pull it sufficiently, and it is also designed to brake reliably on downhill slopes. For Battle Horses, two are needed, as with ordinary Beast Carriages.
The area under the deck is a Mirror Room, so the cabin is about 50 centimeters above the ground, and a step extends when the door opens or closes. Therefore, the height under the deck is only a little over 30 centimeters, but since Mirroring can extend the height, the Mirror Room’s height is 15 meters with a 50x Mirroring application, providing ample space.
Furthermore, the vehicle body is reinforced with Jade Silver, so it won’t budge from minor attacks. Unlike our prototype, the vehicle body is integrated with the main body and is not connected to the hull. Small windows are also provided to alleviate the claustrophobia of the Mirror Room, allowing occupants to see the outside. The canopy of the observation deck uses Fortress Whale, and the observation decks of Gracious Lynx and Black Army even use Jade Silver.
All of them are 3 meters wide and 12 meters long, and their exterior design resembles Earth’s cruisers, but the designs differ for each raid. Holy Grave has a narrow cabin but a wide deck, while Falcon’s Beak is the opposite. Gracious Lynx’s observation deck is also like a cabin, and Lily Wish’s front deck is wider than the rear deck. Trial Hearts’ observation deck and rear deck are connected by a slope, and Black Army’s observation deck extends to the rear deck.
“The drawings Lord Yamato showed us were good, but the real thing is even better.”
“Yes. The exterior is also as we hoped.”
“Feel’s vehicle engineering department was also quite enthusiastic.”
These Beast Carriages also use branches of the Celestial Tree, so the vehicle engineering department’s excitement was truly off the charts. Apparently, people worked late into the night, forgoing sleep, and hardly ate. The Treasure Jewel department was also highly excited, as the Sky Demon Stones for Barrier Magic to block outside air and foul odors, the expanded entrance for familiars and wheel replacement, and the Telekinetic Sky Demon Stones for when they overturn, all use the Icequake Tigers received as rewards.
“The interior has been applied with 50x Mirroring as planned. Each has its own private room, as well as a living room, courtyard, and bath.”
Everything is as requested. Since they are renowned top raids in Amister, they might have opportunities to carry distinguished guests, so three guest rooms are prepared for each, with adjoining servant quarters. Although they might not be used often, it’s better to have them prepared, and everyone understands the necessity. Additionally, guest rooms are also provided so they can be used within the Alliance, just like ours.
“Then, let’s take a look inside.”
“Yes, please do.”
Everyone happily boarded their respective Beast Carriages. The interiors also had quite a variety. The Mirror Space is 1,200 square meters for all Beast Carriages, but for Holy Grave and Falcon’s Beak, which are smaller unions, nearly half, 500 square meters, is a courtyard. Holy Grave’s courtyard is primarily for physical activities, while Falcon’s Beak’s is for familiar space, both prepared accordingly. Conversely, Black Army’s courtyard, for a large union, is 300 square meters, and it has more private rooms. Lily Wish’s and Gracious Lynx’s Beast Carriages are equipped with workshops, allowing them to work at any time. Trial Hearts’ Beast Carriage has spacious private rooms, even equipped with baths, which is quite luxurious. Ah, the Large Public Bath is common to all; the men’s bath is 30 square meters, and the women’s bath is 70 square meters, but since the proportion of women is higher everywhere, this is unavoidable.
“Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.”
“I understand how they feel. We felt the same way when the prototype was completed.”
Flam and Prim had satisfied expressions. Both Flam and Prim helped with the application of Fusion Magic and Barrier Magic for the Barrier Sky Demon Stones. In particular, the deodorizing that Flam devised, a fusion of Deodorizing and Wind Magic, was highly praised by Hunters who are likely to encounter undead in labyrinths. While using Deodorizing and Wind Magic simultaneously, or applying them with Multi-ring, can achieve similar effects, Fusion Magic is apparently more efficient, so Flam also created several Sky Demon Stones and delivered them to Feel and Float’s Crafter’s Guild.
“And Hilde.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Sorry for the delay, but please accept this.”
I had already given her the engagement dagger on the day of the award ceremony. What I’m giving her today are the Crest Defender Coat and the Great Scythe tailored for Hilde. Unfortunately, there is no Great Scythe in the game I used as a reference. So, I’ve repurposed an axe design that’s close to it, and it turned out not too bad. The base color is silver, reminiscent of snow, while the blade is golden, and the blade itself is crescent-shaped. Moreover, since it’s double-edged, it likely has sufficient attack power not only for cutting like a regular scythe but also with the part corresponding to the spine. The Crest Defender Coat’s base color is blue. It’s good that the chest area is widely open for all the women, but in Hilde’s case, there’s no armor on the chest, yet the chest is securely covered, and the abdomen extends to around the solar plexus. The shoulder armor is small to avoid interfering with the Great Scythe, and the waist armor is also minimal on both sides. The skirt is a long skirt reaching below the knees, perhaps to evoke a queenly image. The arm guards are Magic Gauntlets, common to us, and the foot armor is designed like a noblewoman’s boots. Ah, it’s not high heels, mind you.
“Th-this is for me?”
“Yes. Besides, didn’t you decide the basic design, Hilde?”
“That is true, but I never imagined it would turn out this wonderful… Thank you, Lord Yamato.”
Overcome with emotion, Hilde hugged me. While it’s not drastically different from the game design I have, the basic design for both the Great Scythe and the coat was decided by Hilde. Naturally, since it’s something she’ll use, but it was Marina who made minor changes to it, so you should thank Marina.
“Is that so, Marina? Then I’ll express my gratitude later.”
“Please do. Also, regarding the name, the coat is set as Crest Defender Coat, but what about the Great Scythe?”
“May I name it myself?”
You may. According to Grandpa Ed, Richard, it seems that the user naming it can further enhance a sense of unity with the weapon.
“Understood. In that case… I shall name it Snowhill Crescent.”
The white grip and the crescent-shaped blade… it evokes the image of a moon shining on a snow-covered hill. I think it’s a good name.
“Then, Your Majesty, shall we proceed to the fitting?”
“We will assist you.”
“Yes, please.”
Led by Meena, Flam, and Lydia, Hilde boarded our prototype Beast Carriage. Once properly worn, it can be changed with Ee-quipping, and I’m curious to see how it looks.
“Quite a marvelous sight, isn’t it?”
“You’re quite skilled at that.”
“I couldn’t do that even if I tried.”
Startled by the sudden voices, I turned around. The members of the Alliance, who should have been inspecting their own Beast Carriages, were looking at me with smug grins from their decks, observation seats, and cabins. Could it be…?
“Speaking in my defense, we had no intention of peeking. We could have done a thorough inspection later, so we just came out after a brief look to express our gratitude.”
“Then Emperor Hildegard was hugging Lord Yamato, so we thought we shouldn’t intrude.”
…How should I react? Well, since Hilde and I are engaged, there’s nothing wrong with it being seen, is there? It’s understandable that the Alliance members would quickly look around the interior before going on a hunt. But this is incredibly embarrassing!
“You’re so bold, yet you’re not used to it at all.”
“I think it’s just a matter of time.”
Athena and Ludia said such things, but you two are pretty much the same, aren’t you? Ah, I’m so incredibly embarrassed… I feel like I could roll from one end of Rio to the other with this embarrassment… For the record, Hilde finished putting on the Crest Defender Coat in about 30 minutes. I had imagined she’d look like a queen in battle attire, and that’s exactly how she looked. Although Hilde has a cute face, she looked incredibly fitting.
