Side: Mako
After defeating the Leo Species that were attacking Lecion, we searched Lecion for survivors, but sadly, none were found.
We hadn’t noticed from the sky, but the buildings were only shells on the outside, with their interiors completely ravaged. The sight of bodies scattered everywhere, even those of small children, was truly shocking.
After returning to Vagenbach, we reported to Duke Katerina Bridge and then visited Float. Rex and the others had also returned, and we were able to hear about the situation in Kobaldia.
“Lecion is devastated. That probably means most of the western towns are also devastated.”
“The question seems to be how many towns are actually safe.”
“Even Kobaldia is said to be half destroyed.”
In the Imperial Capital Kobaldia, demons had gathered for an army to attack Amister. While they succeeded in defeating the demons that had entered the city, over half of the army and demons lost their lives in the process. Furthermore, they not only failed to protect civilians but even used them as shields.
“Is Kobaldia’s destruction also a matter of time?”
“It seems so. Moreover, I hear that most of the citizens have already lost their lives to the An or Catastrophe Species. We’ve defeated a few, but we still don’t know their total numbers, and they could increase in the future. We’ll have to wait and see for now.”
So that’s how it is. I personally think we should go to their aid, but Retisencia will surely make a fuss about it. And not just the Imperial Royal Family and nobles, but even the common people. That’s why Emperor Reinhardt has decided not to provide aid to Retisencia. There’s also the reason that Retisencia is gathering troops to attack Amister and has already deployed an army towards Vagenbach, making them a clear enemy nation.
“However, Your Majesty. With the An and Catastrophe Species spreading, providing support has become difficult. The Guild has already withdrawn, and they likely have no food reserves, so they could perish in the near future, or they might risk everything and launch an attack.”
“I understand. But even if we provide support, we cannot ignore our own losses. The spread of the An and Catastrophe Species is due to Retisencia’s foolish policies. We’re already cleaning up after them, so for the time being, it’s fine to leave them be.”
“So, if Retisencia sends an army, we will just meet them head-on?”
“Yes. We have no obligation to provide such extensive support to an enemy nation, unlike an ally.”
Emperor Reinhardt and Rex have no intention of providing large-scale support to Retisencia. Indeed, Retisencia has now become a clear enemy of the Federation Heavenly Empire by directing their army towards Vagenbach. Tensions have been high with Amister, almost to the point of war, and with Abysia backing Retisencia, any reckless move could give Abysia an opening. There’s no need to provide support. History on Earth also proves this, so I understand.
During the Third World War, Japan was providing aid to a neighboring country that had started a war in the north and south. Eventually, that neighboring country declared war on Japan, and the supplies Japan had provided were used to attack their land. To make matters worse, a massive earthquake split Hokkaido, and at that very moment, nuclear missiles were launched. It’s said that defeat was certain unless an Engraver appeared and neutralized the missiles. Later, it was discovered that this nuclear technology had originated from Japan. The public opinion in Japan completely turned against that country, seeing it as a betrayal of kindness, and several political parties lost all their power. Furthermore, that country turned the entire world against it by using nuclear weapons and was eventually absorbed by another neighboring country. I learned this in history class, and it’s often mentioned in books and online.
“Setting that aside, what about us?”
“Well, it’s been postponed so many times that we’re starting to have trouble if we don’t do it soon.”
What Mana and Prim are referring to is the wedding reception. It might seem like a sudden jump from the topic of Retisencia, but the reception was actually scheduled for the day after tomorrow. However, due to Retisencia gathering troops, and the An and Catastrophe Species, evolved with Demon Crystals, breaking free from their magical bonds and running wild, it had to be postponed again.
“I know that. And I can’t very well not have the reception with Ciel.”
“As the Grand Order’s Master, I must also hold it.”
Emperor Reinhardt and Rex just got married and their positions require them to hold a reception. It wasn’t just that; we were also planning to have it jointly, but the war with Solemn and the Retisencia issue have caused one postponement after another, making it difficult to set a date. We should hold it soon, but it’s proving to be quite difficult.
“The problem is, how do we send out urgent notifications?”
“That’s right. For Float, we can go through my or Grandma Sayuri’s mansion. For Feel, there’s the Union House of the Wing Crest, so that’s not a problem. But what about other regions, especially Polar and Vagenbach?”
“Shall we have a Butler carry Gate Crystals and wait?”
“That would be safer, but Orders or Soldiers would be better than Butlers for that. Of course, they’ll need to be retrieved later.”
As Yamato and Emperor Reinhardt say, the reception venue is Alka, and important figures from various countries are invited, so that seems to be the only option. We need to carefully consider who to entrust with the Gate Crystals, but we can only have one or two at most. For security reasons, they must be recovered after the reception, so we can’t issue too many.
“That sounds safe. As for the date, how about next week?”
“Considering we have the Kings’ schedules to account for, about two weeks from now.”
We’ll be inviting the kings of various countries, but it’s unlikely they can easily free up their schedules, so even two weeks will be tight. I apologize for the repeated postponements, but we can’t help it this time.
Side: Yamato
After finishing our report on subduing the Catastrophe Species at Amagi Castle and discussing the wedding reception, we returned to Alka. It’s not a complete resolution, but we managed to hunt the monsters approaching Vagenbach, and we’ve decided to station many High Soldiers in Sirio to handle future threats. If monsters appear that even High Soldiers can’t handle, they’ll contact us, and either the Grand Order’s Master or the Grand Soldier’s Master will deal with them, so it’s unlikely we’ll need to go out.
Therefore, we’ll be returning to our normal lives starting tomorrow. However, since my main tasks will be assisting Hilde, Yuri, and Rika, and preparing for the wedding reception, it seems I’ll remain on a break from being a Hunter for a while.
“The work at Prada Village is proceeding smoothly thanks to the Barrier, allowing us to work safely. A ship has already set sail for Feel today.”
Yuri informed me that the port being built in Prada Village is almost complete, and a ship was sent out for a trial run today. Raus and the others were on board as escorts, and apart from two Sky-Dive Sharks attacking them midway, there were no major issues. It takes about four hours to reach Feel from Prada Village, making it faster than traveling by land. Escorts will be necessary for the ships, and Orders will be assigned to the route between Feel and Prada Village. For ships going to Alegria, Acquario, or Rod Piece, Hunters will be hired as usual.
“The appearance of Sky-Dive Sharks is a problem, but if Orders are boarding, it should be fine. But aren’t you planning to build a branch office of the Order’s Guild in Prada Village as well?”
“Yes. However, for the Order’s Guild, I cannot make that decision alone. It requires the approval of my brother and the Grand Order’s Master. We will increase our numbers slightly, but for now, it will remain as it is.”
The Order’s Guild is an organization directly under the Celestial Emperor, so even a Lord cannot arbitrarily build a branch or sub-office. It’s not just about the building; it’s also about the Orders being dispatched. Approval from both the Celestial Emperor and the Grand Order’s Master is necessary. While we can build the structure first, there’s a chance we might not get approval, which would be a waste of effort.
“Fortunately, my brother and Rex can process the application quickly, so we will construct a sub-office in Prada Village as soon as approval is granted.”
“That’s all well and good, but when will the ship service to Alegria and Acquario be available?”
“Once the port usage fees are decided. The cost will vary greatly depending on whether the cargo is taken back or docked, and currently, we cannot accommodate many ships. We need to consider that as well.”
Yuri has been struggling with the port usage fees for some time. You might wonder what “taking back” means, but Helios Orb has spatial storage magic called “Storaging” and “Inventoring,” and there are also magic items called Storage Bags with Storaging applied to them. With this spatial storage, it might seem like a port isn’t necessary, but that would mean it’s entirely at your own risk, and the chances of being attacked by monsters or thieves would increase. Also, if the water is shallow, there’s a risk of the ship sinking, and there’s the issue of how to handle land transportation. Our Multi-functional Beast Carriages have both a vehicle and a ship body, so they’re fine, but usually, ships and beast carriages are separate. Even if we use a place where ships can dock, a beast carriage is still necessary, and both ship beasts to tow ships and beast carriage beasts to pull them are required, which incurs significant costs. Ship beasts might become unnecessary if Hydro Engines become widespread, but Hydro Engines are quite expensive, so not everyone who wants one can purchase it. If one breaks down, it will still depend on ship beasts to pull it. Therefore, demand will decrease, but I don’t think it will completely disappear.
With a port, loading and unloading can be done safely, and it’s easier to hire escorts. For individuals docking their ships, they only need to pay a temporary usage fee, which helps reduce costs. Furthermore, the biggest advantage of using a port is that you can use the regular ships owned by the Lord or the Trader’s Guild. Ships are more expensive than beast carriages, making it difficult for individuals to own one unless they are High Class. Ah, in that case, Yuri will also have to place a large order for a ship and prepare a ship beast. No, with Hydro Engines, and preparing spares in case of breakage, it should be fine, right?
“Rika, what’s the situation with Memoria?”
“It’s going smoothly. The site selection is complete, and construction began yesterday. We’ve been notified that they want classes to start in the spring of next year.”
“Classes in the spring? That’s quite sudden.”
I agree. According to Rika, the school is being built quite large, but there’s no advertising, and the tuition fees haven’t been decided yet. There’s no age limit for admission, but the tuition fees are a tough issue. There’s a strong opinion for about 500,000 El per year, but not everyone can pay it upfront. Therefore, it’s likely to be operated by using 20% of Guild rewards for tuition repayment, as well as receiving financial support from various countries and the Guild. This applies not only to the school but also to the Scholar’s Guild.
“It sounds like management will be quite difficult.”
“However, rumors have already spread, and the number of applicants is quite high.”
“Oh, really?”
Word of mouth has led to over 200 applicants for Memoria General School. There are applicants from Memoria residents, as well as from Float, Southern Gallia, and Feel. There have even been inquiries from other countries.
“The first year is just basic knowledge, and then in the second year, you specialize, right?”
“Yes. Hunters will be jointly instructed with Ritter’s, but for other fields, instructors will be invited from each Guild, and they will study intensely for three years.”
This is according to the original plan. The Butler’s Guild and the Ritter’s Guild had intensive classroom and practical training for three years and one year, respectively. However, these curricula will be incorporated into the general school, so Ritter’s Guild members will remain T-ranked while attending the general school. Still, having knowledge from other Guilds is never a disadvantage, so even if someone plans to register as a Butler or Ritter from the start, the total time to graduate remains four years.
As for MARS, the Demon Crystal of Ocean Howl Grand, which Athena defeated today, will be presented to Emperor Reinhardt. We can take the materials, so we need to improve it with those. The installation location has already been decided, so we want to complete it as soon as possible.
